The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

By James Boswell

Book Overview

"Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson" offers a fascinating glimpse into 18th-century Scotland through the eyes of James Boswell. This meticulously detailed travel journal recounts Boswell's journey through the Hebrides islands in the company of the renowned Dr. Samuel Johnson.

More than a simple record of places visited, the journal captures the essence of the landscapes, the character of the people, and the spirit of a bygone era. Boswell's keen observations and insightful commentary provide a unique perspective on the social customs and historical context of the region.

A captivating blend of travel writing, biography, and social commentary, this work remains a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history and geography of Scotland, the life and times of Samuel Johnson, or the art of travel writing itself. Explore the Hebrides as they were, through the carefully preserved words of a dedicated observer.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1023053438
• ISBN13: 9781023053433
• Release Date: March 2025
• Publisher: Anson Street Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A psychological mystery?

I've never been a fan of Samuel Johnson. The greater writer and more interesting character, to my mind, has always been Boswell. I don't doubt that Boswell had a sincere affection for the man, but I sometimes wonder if Boswell (perhaps subconsciously) duped Johnson into letting him write his biography as well as this account of their travels to show him up. Time and time again, Johnson shows himself to be, well, a curmudgeon, both in word and deed. From his comments on Hume, the great Scottish philosopher and historian, "I know not indeed whether he has first been a blockhead and that has made him a rogue, or first been a rogue and that has made him a blockhead." to his ordering Boswell back by his side when Boswell was just trying to ride ahead and prepare things for his arrival (all according to Boswell, of course), Boswell's Johnson does not come off very well. Though Boswell attests to his worship of the "Great Cham" again and again, one can't help wondering if there was a smirk on Boswell's face as he penned this journal of their travels...Surely, it had to have occurred to him that readers would come away with a snicker or two at his descriptions of what almost seems a straw man for Boswell's sharp pen. I, for one, am not convinced by his show of naive devotion to Johnson.-What then was Boswell trying to do? Make a name for himself, of course. And what better way than to associate himself indelibly with the man many considered the greatest literary figure of the time.-He was very successful in doing so, and his writings are now much more in demand by readers than anything written by Johnson, who, in turn, has turned out to be the "harmless drudge" he ironically defined himself as in the dictionary that made him famous. Finally, then, my verdict on the book is that it is passing weird.-Weird, in that the psychological interplay always just below the suface in Boswell's account of the journey leaves the reader in constant doubt throughout the book as to Boswell's true intent in writing his descriptions of Johnson.-Was Boswell smirking with a mercenary eye to the future of his own literary reputation, writing ludicrous descriptions of a man considered great at the time, all beneath a faux-naif bluster?-I, for one, am convinced that, at least subconsciously, he was.-But this is what, for me, makes the book so much more intriguing than your average day-in, day-out journal.-4 stars though because it's still a journal and makes for yawns at times.