Samuel Johnson

James Boswell

Book by Samuel Johnson, published in 1775. The Journey was the result of a three-month trip to Scotland that Johnson took with James Boswell in 1773. It contains Johnson's descriptions of the customs, religion, education, trade, and agriculture of a society that was new to him. The account in Boswell's diary, published after Johnson's death as The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1785), offers an intimate personal record of Johnson's behavior and conversation during the trip.

A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and the Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

Rose Stanley

Boswell's half of what I have termed 'Johnson and Boswell do Scotland' contains rather more quoting in Latin and discussing theology than I was expecting, but I still enjoyed this book, which (as you can see!) I read at a rate of about 2 pages per day. This worked well for me, as both parts are quite dense. 

The two authors have different focuses and styles, which I thought worked well together. Kind of in awe of Johnson's memory and debating skills (though, like Boswell, I don't always agree with him!).

A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland and the Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

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