Johnson and Boswell in Scotland: A Journey to the Hebrides - "Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland", "Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides" Book

In 1773 Samuel Johnson and James Boswell made their celebrated journey through the Highlands of Scotland and the Hebrides. Johnson published his great account, the "Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland" in 1775, and it became one of the most acute - and popular - social commentaries of its age. The 33 year old Boswell composed his more anecdotal and high-spirited journal, "A Tour to the Hebrides", in 1786; it is chiefly a revelatory portrait of Johnson as he ventured into the unfamiliar regions of a remote part of Britain. This edition, in which the two accounts are presented side-by-side, page-by-page, makes it possible to compare both versions of a single experience. Johnson's text is presented in full, while Boswell's writing has been edited so that his narrative stands adjacent to the same portion of Johnson's text. Johnson's account is augmented by a selection of the letters written during the journey to his friend, Mrs Hester Thrale. The book is divided into sections covering the successive stages of the journey, so that each phase of the trip is allotted a chapter of its own. The book also contains an editorial introduction, a glossary of names, a note on the publishing history of the two narratives and scholarly notation. Numerous contemporary illustrations accompany the text, depicting the flavour of the region as the travellers encountered it more than two centuries ago.Read More