#1 The Dictionary

Where else could we start, but with one of Pembroke’s most famous alumni and his most famous work?

1. The Dictionary of the English Language was compiled by Samuel Johnson over a period of 9 years, from 1746-1755.

2. He was paid 1,500 guineas for the initial commission, which has the buying power of around £260,000 today.

3. The dictionary contains definitions for over 40,000 words

4. The process of writing the dictionary included underlining words in his own copies of books, so that quotations could be added.

5. Johnson was awarded an honorary degree just before its publication, as he had left Pembroke without graduating.

6. In total, Johnson was at Pembroke for about 13 months

7. Pembroke owns 4 copies of the first edition, each in a different bindings. The pages have been cut to different sizes, and the bindings range from fairly plain, leather-covered boards to a gilded set in slipcases.

8. Our largest copy of the Dictionary measures 395 by 250mm

9. Pembroke has two  desks in its collection that are said to have belonged to Johnson, one of which has a plaque saying it was used in the writing of the Dictionary. This attribution is now in question!

10. As well as the dictionaries themselves, Pembroke owns one of the largest Johnson collections in the UK.