BOSWELL, James. The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Containing Some Poetical Pieces by Dr. Johnson, relative to the Tour, and never before published; a Series of his Conversation, Literary Anecdotes, and Opinions of Men and Books: with an Authentick Account of the Distresses and Escape of the Grandson of King James II. In the Year 1746. London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly. 1785.
8vo. Contemporary calf, spine decorated in gilt and with red morocco lettering-piece; pp. vii, 524, [2, errata and advertisement for the Life], a little wear to binding, marginal offsetting from endpapers to initial and final two leaves; a very good copy with mid-century bookplate of William Binns Cowper, physician and collector.
First edition, an early state with uncorrected mis-spelling on p. 121, however with the indication of second state with leaves E3 and E4 as cancels, M4 not cancelled. Complete with half-title and errata.
'Though the Life is a vaster and richer piece of work, no one will maintain that it displays Boswell's unique gift for biography better than the Tour. Indeed, most lovers of Boswell will agree that the Tour as a whole, is more consistently good than the Life; that is, that nowhere in the Life could one find so many consecutive first-class pages as those that compose this book' (Pottle). The printed book is almost identical with the actual journal that was kept in 1773. When Johnson's death made it possible for Boswell to publish the manuscript, he only added an introduction and a conclusion before handing it over to the printer.
ESTC T53594; Pottle 57; Rothchild 456.
SKU: 2120322
BOSWELL, James. The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Containing Some Poetical Pieces by Dr. Johnson, relative to the Tour, and never before published; a Series of his Conversation, Literary Anecdotes, and Opinions of Men and Books: with an Authentick Account of the Distresses and Escape of the Grandson of King James II. In the Year 1746. London: Printed by Henry Baldwin, for Charles Dilly. 1785.
8vo. Contemporary calf, spine decorated in gilt and with red morocco lettering-piece; pp. vii, 524, [2, errata and advertisement for the Life], a little wear to binding, marginal offsetting from endpapers to initial and final two leaves; a very good copy with mid-century bookplate of William Binns Cowper, physician and collector.
First edition, an early state with uncorrected mis-spelling on p. 121, however with the indication of second state with leaves E3 and E4 as cancels, M4 not cancelled. Complete with half-title and errata.
'Though the Life is a vaster and richer piece of work, no one will maintain that it displays Boswell's unique gift for biography better than the Tour. Indeed, most lovers of Boswell will agree that the Tour as a whole, is more consistently good than the Life; that is, that nowhere in the Life could one find so many consecutive first-class pages as those that compose this book' (Pottle). The printed book is almost identical with the actual journal that was kept in 1773. When Johnson's death made it possible for Boswell to publish the manuscript, he only added an introduction and a conclusion before handing it over to the printer.
ESTC T53594; Pottle 57; Rothchild 456.
SKU: 2120322
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