After Oliver Goldsmith’s landlady lost patience with her cash-strapped tenant, Dr Johnson took charge and a literary classic entered the world.

Dr Johnson’s cat left James Boswell cold, but the great man himself would do anything to avoid hurting the little fellow’s feelings.

A literary man tries to trick Samuel Johnson into an honest opinion, which was neither necessary nor very rewarding.

The great Dr Johnson argues that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.