Samuel Johnson's (1709–1784) influence reached far beyond his times to touch all of British literature. Johnson was exposed to literature early, for his father was a bookseller in the village of Litchfield, Staffordshire. After attempting unsuccessfully to start a school, Johnson moved to London and took up writing. His political writings brought him popular attention. He also wrote literary criticism, including a series of essays on Shakespeare. Later he compiled an edition of Shakespeare's plays (1765). In 1750 he started a periodical, The Rambler, which he published successfully until 1752, the year his wife died. Six years later he began a second periodical, The Idler. Besides writing essays for periodicals, Johnson also wrote poetry, articles, and travelogues. However, his greatest achievement is his Dictionary of the English Language (1755), which took Johnson eight years to complete. He was always known among his friends for his witty and honest conversation, some of which was recorded by his friend James Boswell (see page 627), whom he met in 1763. Johnson was awarded an honorary degree by Trinity College, Dublin (1765), and a lifetime pension by King George III (1762).