Thomas Herbert Johnson

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Thomas Herbert Johnson (1902–1985) was an American scholar, teacher, editor, and bibliographer in the field of American literature. His major achievements in letters were three fold: His discovery of the important Puritan poet Edward Taylor (~1664–1729) whose ''Poetical Works'' he issued in 1939; his co-editorship of the definitive ''Literary History of the United States'' (1948, 3 vols.) of which he compiled the entire third volume, the ''Bibliography''; and especially his monumental editions of the writings of Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) which comprise the ''Poems'' (1955, 3 vols.) and the ''Letters'' (1958, 3 vols.). In 1955 he also published ''Emily Dickinson: An Interpretative Biography.'' Prior to Dr. Johnson’s work, no accurate or complete editions of the writing of this major American poet were in existence. In addition, he was the author of ''The'' ''Oxford Companion to American History'', 1966.