Books

Oxford: Printed for William Pickering, London; and Talboys and Wheeler, Oxford, 1825. Later Edition. Full tree calf leather bindings, repaired with attractive new spines, twin red and green title labels, gilt tooled bands, the year of publication to the base of the spine, blind tooled decoration to the compartments, marbled end papers, blue speckled page edges. The boards still attractive, worn and rubbed with minor loss. The binding is still sound and tight. Provenance: bookplate for Bernard B Harrison tipped into the front of all volumes. Pagination: Vol I frontispiece, vii advertisement, blank, v-vi contents, i-lxxxi Essay on the Life and Genius of Johnson, half title for Poems, i-iv Prefatory Observations (which should have been bound before the Contents), 394pp. [Life & Poems]. Vol II xviii, 499pp. [Rambler Vol I] Vol III viii, 465pp. [Rambler Vol II] Vol IV xvi, 453pp. [Adventurer & Idler] Vol V vi, 486pp. [Miscellaneous Pieces] Vol VI vi, 520pp. [Eminent Persons Etc.] Vol VII xii, 484pp. [Lives of the Poets Vol I] Vol VIII [ii], 495pp. [Lives of the Poets Vol II] Vol IX vi, [ii], 525, [1], i-lixpp Index to the Works of Johnson. [Journey to the Hebrides etc.] Vol X xv, [i], 524pp. [Parliamentary Debates Vol I] Vol XI 526pp. [Parliamentary Debates Vol II] Approximately 8 � inches tall (22cm). Condition Report Externally Spine good to very good condition gilt titles to red and green labels, gilt bands, blind tooled decoration, minor marks and scratches, loss to a small part of the green label to Vol I. Joints good condition repaired and sound. Corners good condition bumped and worn. Boards good condition nicely patinated tree calf boards, sound, worn with minor loss and brittle to the edges. Page edges good condition top edge darkened, all blue speckled. See above and photos. Internally Hinges good condition repaired. Paste downs good condition marbled, bookplate. End papers good condition marbled. Title good condition tanned with minor foxing. Pages good condition tanned with minor foxing. Binding good condition attractive, historically repaired.

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.