Best Selling Books by James Boswell

In making this abridgement of Boswell''s Life of Johnson I have omitted most of Boswell''s criticisms, comments, and notes, all of Johnson''s opinions in legal cases, most of the letters, and parts of the conversation dealing with matters which were of greater importance in Boswell''s day than now. I have kept in mind an old habit, common enough, I dare say, among its devotees, of opening the book of random, and reading wherever the eye falls upon a passage of especial interest. All such passages, I hope, have been retained, and enough of the whole book to illustrate all the phases of Johnson''s mind and of his time which Boswell observed. Loyal Johnsonians may look upon such a book with a measure of scorn. I could not have made it, had I not believed that it would be the means of drawing new readers to Boswell, and eventually of finding for them in the complete work what many have already found—days and years of growing enlightenment and happy companionship, and an innocent refuge from the cares and perturbations of life. Princeton, June 28, 1917.

Samuel Johnson, LL.D., is famously known for single-handedly creating the first recognized dictionary of the English language, just one of many his many renowned accomplishments. The biography of this remarkable writer, dramatist, poet, and moralist was penned by his friend, James Boswell, in 1791. An immediate success upon its publication, this work has come to be considered the greatest biography produced in the English language, and has earned Boswell the reputation as a wonderfully sharp and methodical artist of the biography. The wealth of detail and charming characterization of Johnson can be attributed to Boswell''s diligent journal-keeping and excellent memory. He often initiated psychologically probing conversations to explore Johnson''s character. He also collected a mass of letters to and about Johnson, and worked diligently to authenticate anecdotes about the man. The result of these efforts is a charming and accurate portrait of a literary idol.

Boswell was the most charming companion in the world, and London becomes his dining room and his playground, his club and his confessional. No celebrant of the London world can ignore his book.''Peter Ackroyd, from the ForewordIn 1762 James Boswell, then twenty-two years old, left Edinburgh for London. The famous Journal he kept during the next nine months is an intimate account of his encounters with the high-life and the low-life in London. Frank and confessional as a personal portrait of the young Boswell, the Journal is also revealing as a vivid portrayal of life in eighteenth-century London. This new edition includes a Foreword by Peter Ackroyd, which discusses Boswell''s life and achievement.Key Features:* Features a new Foreword by Peter Ackroyd, author of London: The Biography* This edition of Boswell''s classic text has long been recognised as THE authoritative version* Edited by the renowned Boswell expert, the late Frederick A. Pottle* Includes a first-class introduction and informative notes throughout

The third and penultimate volume in the Yale Research Edition''s genetic transcription of the manuscript of Boswell''s biographical masterwork.

The journals of a legendary Scottish writer Edinburgh-born James Boswell, at twenty-two, kept a daily diary of his eventful second stay in London from 1762 to 1763. This journal, not discovered for more than 150 years, is a deft, frank and artful record of adventures ranging from his vividly recounted love affair with a Covent Garden actress to his first amusingly bruising meeting with Samuel Johnson, to whom Boswell would later become both friend and biographer. The London Journal 1762-63 is a witty, incisive and compellingly candid testament to Boswell''s prolific talents. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

In the archive room in the basement of the library.

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