Books

First edition of Boswell's masterpiece, the greatest biography in the English language, and among the first complex studies of a major literary figure. The Life draws on unprecedented levels of private, informal research, recorded in diaries over a quarter of a century. Not only had Boswell interviewed Johnson and his associates at length, he also contrived to place Johnson in confrontational situations, from which his reactions could be better observed. The work combines the profound and the prosaic details of Johnson's life in a masterpiece of portraiture. It sold 800 copies in the first two weeks of publication alone. For Gordon Turnbull, "later scholarship has properly supplemented but never supplanted the Life's basic vision" (ODNB). This copy has all the usual cancels and misprints as called for by Pottle, including Volume I, page 135 with the uncorrected state "give" on line ten. As corrections were made in the press, the misprints are variant states for individual sheets and do not indicate priority of issue for any copy. Courtney 172; ESTC T64481; Grolier English 100, 54; NCBEL II, p. 1214; Pottle, Literary Career of James Boswell 79; Rothschild 463; Tinker 338. Two vols, quarto (277 x 213 mm), pp. [iii]-xii, [16], [1]-516; [2], [1]-584, 587-588. Contemporary tree calf, rebacked with original spines laid down, spines ruled and decorated in gilt, with raised bands and red and green morocco labels, covers with double-rule panel in gilt, later marbled endpapers, edges light yellow. Stipple-engraved portrait frontispiece of Johnson by James Heath after Sir Joshua Reynolds, 2 engraved plates by H. Shepherd in Vol. II, reproducing manuscripts in facsimile. Vol. II bound without initial blank, as often. Light bumping and rubbing, minor browning and foxing to contents, small chip to upper edge of leaf Uu3 (Vol. I), small hole to leaf Ccc2 (Vol. II): an excellent copy.

James Boswell's 'The Life of Samuel Johnson' is regarded as one of the greatest biographies written in the English language. It provides an in-depth and vivid recounting of the life of Samuel Johnson, a writer and critic who was a towering figure in 18th-century British literature.