false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg 688826 86 James Boswell is for some the ideal scribe, for others a sycophantic toady. Edmund Wilson, for example, memorably labeled him "a vain and pushing diarist." Boswell can even be seen as someone unconsciously intent on undermining his idol in sonorous, balanced sentences. Early on in his massive <i>Life</i>, he puts all manner of ideas into our heads with his boobish attempts to clear the youthful Johnson of potential impropriety: "His juvenile attachments to the fair sex were, however, very transient; and it is certain that he formed no criminal connection whatsoever." And while it's often tempting to ignore Boswell's more personal intrusions and delight solely in the melancholic master's words and deeds, there are suchdelightful admissions as, "I was at this time so occupied, shall I call it? or so dissipated, by the amusements of London that our next meeting was not till Saturday, June 25..." <p> Samuel Johnson was born in 1709 and died in 1784--a long life, though one marred by depression and fear of death. On April 20, 1764, for example, he declared, "I would consent to have a limb amputated to recover my spirits." Many of the quotes Boswell includes are a sort of greatest hits: Johnson's definitions of oats and lexicographer, his love for his cat Hodge, as well as thousands of bon, and mal, mots. ("Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel"; "Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hinder legs. It is not done well; but you are surprized to find it done at all.") But there are also many unfamiliar pleasures--Boswell's accounts of Johnson's literary industry, including the <i>Dictionary,</i> <i>The Rambler</i>, and <i>Lives of the Poets</i>; Johnson's singular loathing for Scotland and France; and the surprising hints of revelry. Awakened at 3 AM by friends, he greets them with, "What, is it you, you dogs! I'll have a frisk with you." This at age 42. Johnson's final years were marked by pain and loneliness but certainly no loss of wit. 990842 book 1790 The Life of Samuel Johnson total:238|5:87|4:81|3:52|2:15|1:3| 238 948 557 37 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 5 1 false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Thu Aug 09 10:14:38 -0700 2007 Thu Aug 09 11:04:50 -0700 2007 more...]]> 847982 0192835319 9780192835314 17 6 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178868269m/847982.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/847982.Life_of_Johnson 0 2 false Thu Mar 27 13:10:45 -0700 2008 Wed Jan 21 13:10:15 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5637148 1 1 3.98 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5637148.The_World_s_Great_Classics 4 1 false Mon Nov 17 20:02:57 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 12 23:00:19 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 17 20:02:57 -0800 2008 3 more...]]> 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 4 0 false Thu Aug 21 11:32:57 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 15:47:14 -0700 2008 more...]]> 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 5 0 false Fri Aug 22 13:59:48 -0700 2008 Fri Aug 22 14:05:54 -0700 2008 ...more...]]> 1873788 0192815377 9780192815378 1 1 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1189574750m/1873788.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1873788.Life_of_Johnson_Unabridged 5 0 false Mon Nov 05 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Sun Aug 02 04:04:02 -0700 2009 Thu Nov 26 05:49:56 -0800 2009 more...]]> 847982 0192835319 9780192835314 17 6 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178868269m/847982.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/847982.Life_of_Johnson 5 0 false Thu Jun 18 23:04:26 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 23:32:59 -0700 2009 more...]]> 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 2 0 false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1992 Wed Jan 07 08:00:49 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 14:57:59 -0800 2009 1 more...]]> 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 3 0 false Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sat Nov 22 20:31:51 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 20:34:57 -0800 2008 1ish 5637444 3 1 3.98 http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5637444.Boswell_s_Life_of_Johnson 2 0 false Thu Jul 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 08:59:37 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 10:48:17 -0700 2009 http://www.dailylit.com/ where you get a daily email of pages from classic books. Worth checking out.

Although I marked it read, I got bogged down, and discontinued it after 100 pages or so.

If you were a Samuel Johnson scholar and wanted backg...more...]]> 5637443 0140436626 9780140436624 8 4 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255951999m/5637443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5637443.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 5 0 false Wed Apr 29 19:53:35 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 20:08:42 -0700 2009 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 4 0 false Wed Sep 30 13:05:10 -0700 2009 Wed Jan 07 09:34:52 -0800 2009 Wed Sep 30 13:05:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5637443 0140436626 9780140436624 8 4 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255951999m/5637443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5637443.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 5 0 true Tue Sep 29 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jan 04 06:14:26 -0800 2009 Tue Sep 29 08:26:14 -0700 2009
Samuel Johnson ...... Kenneth Cranham
James Boswell ...... Paul Higgins
King George ...... David Hargreaves
Louisa ...... Lizzy Watts
Jo...more...]]> 5637443 0140436626 9780140436624 8 4 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255951999m/5637443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5637443.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 0 0 false Tue Dec 01 09:32:01 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 02 11:01:44 -0800 2009 847982 0192835319 9780192835314 17 6 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178868269m/847982.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/847982.Life_of_Johnson 4 0 false Sat Jul 12 16:57:55 -0700 2008 Sat Jul 12 17:03:20 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5637443 0140436626 9780140436624 8 4 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255951999m/5637443.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5637443.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 0 1 false Thu Nov 05 09:38:06 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 05 09:41:42 -0800 2009 Life of Johnson.]]> 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 5 0 false Wed Sep 16 18:21:03 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 18:20:03 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 18:22:29 -0700 2009 688826 0679417176 9780679417170 160 18 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177242050m/688826.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/688826.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 0 0 false Wed Oct 01 10:29:55 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 11 07:03:39 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 01 10:29:55 -0700 2008 dramat...more...]]> 721015 0140431160 9780140431162 26 3 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1177624073m/721015.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/721015.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 0 0 false Mon Mar 30 07:30:36 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 07:30:36 -0700 2009 294464 1417969857 9781417969852 3 2 3.98 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173472094m/294464.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/294464.The_Life_of_Samuel_Johnson 4 0 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Jul 08 09:46:10 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 18:36:45 -0700 2007 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=688826