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Where the books were written, set, sold, printed and buried: from the Globe to the graves, the bookshops to the presses.
This season's book talks, festivals and exhibitions are in What's On: Books & writers
Where the Dictionary was made, with the garret the six clerks worked in under the roof.
Writers' housesGo inside
Also in Museums.
Samuel Johnson lived at 17 Gough Square from 1748 to 1759 and compiled A Dictionary of the English Language in the long garret, where his amanuenses copied out some 42,000 entries at standing desks. The house, one of the few of its date left in the City, keeps a first edition open to consult, Johnson's chair from the Old Cock Tavern and portraits of the circle: Boswell, Garrick, Reynolds. In the square outside sits Hodge, the cat Johnson bought oysters for, in bronze on a copy of the Dictionary.
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Thursday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Saturday | 10:00 – 17:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 – 16:00 |
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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.