Based on the personal journal of James Boswell, for which he became so famous almost two centuries later, this volume details the journey to the Hebrides in the late summer and autumn of 1773 of Boswell and his friend (Dr.) Samuel Johnson. Following some initial remarks by Boswell about the setup and the preparations for the journey, the story begins on August 14, 1773 with Dr. Johnson’s arrival at Boyd’s Inn, Edinburgh, and ends with their taking leave of each other at the inn at Blackshiels about 15 miles south-east of Edinburgh on November 22, 1773. Johnson published his own account of the journey as “A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland” as early as 1775 – no mention of Boswell in the title – and it is interesting to compare the very different accounts the travelling companions gave of the same journey. Not that they contradict each other to any significant extent, but rather because it tells us a lot about the authors themselves. Johnson’s account is in the style of the travellers’ accounts so popular in those days, detailing historical facts and descriptions of the environment of the places visited. Boswell’s account, on the other hand, is in the style of a journal – a personal account, detailing his thoughts and the social events and conservations he and Johnson had during the three months they spend together in Scotland. As such the two books complement each other beautifully. Boswell narrowly avoided fighting a duel with Sir Alexander Macdonald, Bt. because of the account he gave of his and Johnson’s reception at Armadale on Skye, and his personal observations on Sir Alexander and Lady Macdonald. His reputation was also somewhat tarnished because of the indiscretion he showed by printing sometimes verbatim accounts of personal conversations by or about people still living at the time of publication

Hardback

Condition – Slight discolouration of green cloth cover otherwise in good condition