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Who supported Samuel Johnson’s dictionary project financially?
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Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson, oil on canvas by Sir Joshua Reynolds, c. 1756; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Samuel Johnson’s dictionary project was financially supported by a syndicate of five leading London booksellers who banded together to back his undertaking. A contract for the project was signed on June 18, 1746.1
Among these financiers, Robert Dodsley—a prominent figure in the book trade who is credited with suggesting the idea of the dictionary to Johnson—headed the list of these gentlemen partners. Such cooperative associations, known as congers, were a popular method for financing extensive literary works during that period.2