Alexander Macbean (died 1784) was a British writer and

amanuensis An amanuensis ( ) ( ) or scribe is a person employed to write or type what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another. It may also be a person who signs a document on behalf of another under the latter's authority. In some aca ...

, known as a lexicographer.

Life

Macbean worked as amanuensis for Ephraim Chambers; and then was one of the six amanuenses employed '' Johnson's Dictionary''. About 1758 he obtained, through

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

, the post of librarian to Archibald Campbell, 3rd Duke of Argyll. On the duke's death in 1761, Macbean was left without income, and he became mainly dependent on charity. In 1775, when Macbean was starving, as his former colleague Peyton had already done, Johnson who found him unworldly gave him four guineas and collected more; and in 1780, through his influence with Lord Thurlow, obtained him admission as a poor brother to the London Charterhouse. There he died on 26 June 1784.

Works

Macbean wrote: *''A Synopsis or short Analytical View of Chemistry'' (1743), translated from the German of Gottfried Rothe, a student of Georg Ernst Stahl. *''Dictionary of Ancient Geography'' (1773), preface by Johnson. * ''A Dictionary of the Bible'' (1766). He also compiled numerous indexes, including that to Johnson's edition of the ''English Poets''.

Notes

Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Macbean, Alexander Year of birth missing 1784 deaths British lexicographers Amanuenses