A Dictionary of the English Language - Samuel Johnson, 1756

In lieu of my latest restoration project (which should be completed in the next few weeks), I can't help but flaunt the newest (and, ironically, the oldest!) addition to my personal library: a second-edition printing of Samuel Johnson's first dictionary of the English language, published in two volumes in 1756. My copy is volume two, 'L-Z'. 

Title page showing areas of loss and previous owners' inscriptions from 1811, 1894, 1899, and 1937.

It came to me in a very sorry state: most of the original cover is gone, with only the laced-in back board still attached to the textblock, although the sewing itself is in great shape. I also noticed a tiny knot of red and gold silk threads sticking out of spine edge, which might be a clue as to what the original sewn endbands looked like.

Back board with remnants of possible (marbled?) paper cover

Red and gold thread knot, possibly left over from the original sewn endbands.

The volume also has some water/mold damage on its last dozen pages or so, which may require an aqueous cleaning treatment. Once the textblock is back in order, I plan to replace the boards and give the volume a full-calf makeover in as close to the original style as I can, with the finished product resembling something like the edition pictured here. That project is a little outside of my skillset for now, but I'm looking forward to giving this 263-year-old beauty a new set of clothes in the very near future!

Source: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30007969682&cm_sp=det-_-bsk-_-bdp