While he worked on the Dictionary , he also produced the Rambler and his contributions to the Adventurer . Shortly before the Dictionary appeared, Chesterfield published several favorable reviews in the magazines, which Johnson saw as a transparent ploy to receive the dedication normally paid to a patron. Both are available in facsimiles. Better yet, the complete text of both editions is available on a single CD-ROM, edited by Anne McDermott, and available from Cambridge University Press.
Shorter versions are also available.
The first three books are especially noteworthy. This is part of a Guide to Samuel Johnson by Jack Lynch .