编者邀请了英语**的知名学者，从多个不同而又相互联系的角度介绍约翰逊的主要作品和部分人们不很熟悉的作品，以及这些作品中所反映出来的某些重要题材。这些文章或是深入评价了约翰逊的诗作、谈话艺术、《漫游者》杂志中的散文、词典、小说《拉塞雷斯》、《诗人传》等作品

"List of illustrations
Notes on contributors
Chronology
List of short titles and abbreviations
Introducti
N_GREGCLINGHAM
1 Extraordinarily ordinary:the life of Samuel Johns
N_ PHILIP DAVIS
2 Johnson and the arts of conversati
N_ CATHERINE N.PARKE
3 Johnsons poetry
HOWARD D.WEINBROT
4 Johnson,the essay,and The Rambler
PAUL J.KORSH
N_5 Johnson and the condition of wom
N_ EITHNE HENS
N_6 Johnsons Dictionary
ROBERT EEMARIA,JR.
7 Johnsons politics
ROBERT FOLKENFLIK
8 Johnson and imperialism
CLEMENT HAWES
9 The skepticism of Johnsons Rasselas
FRED PARKER
10 Shakespeare:Johnsons of nature
PHILIP SMALLWOOD
11 Life and literature in Johnsons Lives of the Poets
GREG CLINGHAM
12 Johnsons Christian thought
MICHAEL SUAREZ,SJ
13 “From China to Peru”：Johnson in the traveled world
JOHN WILTSHIRE
14 “Letters about nothing”:Johnson and epistolary writing
TOM KEYMER
15 Johnsons critical recepti
N_ STEVEN LY
N_Further reading
Index"