Samuel Johnson and the Real Deal Deal Desk

The writer's desk is often seen as the most talismanic of objects, the site of composition and literary industry and, in Johnson's case, of the great dictionary he wrote in the dictionary garret in Gough Square.

This talk will explore the on-going mysteries and history of Samuel Johnson's dictionary desk, from the deal desk he definitely used in Gough Square, to that apparently preserved as a treasured Johnsonian relic, and revealed by Johnson's goddaughter, Anne Lowe, to the writers Thomas Carlyle and Charles Dickens in 1855. Whether the desk that returned to Gough Square in the summer of 2024 is, in fact, the real deal deal desk, or whether Anne Lowe is at the heart of a compelling act of fakery and disinformation, prompted by poverty and desperation, are just two of the strands that Professor Mugglestone will invite you to consider.

The talk includes a glass of wine and chance to view our exhibition .

Lynda Mugglestone is Professor of the History of English at Oxford University, and a Fellow of Pembroke College. She has published widely on the history of English, with particular reference to historical phonology as well as lexicography and lexical history. Publications include Lost for Words: The Hidden History of the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionaries: A Very Short Introduction, The Oxford History of English, Samuel Johnson: the Arc of the Pendulum OUP, and Samuel Johnson and the Journey into Words, as well as many articles and book chapters, and an edited collection on the OED.

She has recently been awarded a Knowledge Exchange Fellowship in association with Dr Johnson’s House museum in London, resulting in the exhibition (open July 2024 onwards). She also sits as a Governor on Dr Johnson's House Trust. She will be taking up a Houghton Library Fellowship at Harvard next year to continue work on Samuel Johnson for a new book on Samuel Johnson’s garret lexicography.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Dr Johnson's House, 17 Gough Square, London, United Kingdom