The Life of Samuel Johnson

What it is

This is a biography of the English writer Samuel Johnson by James Boswell, first published in London in 1791 by Charles Dilly. The image shows the title page of the first edition. Boswell based the book on his detailed journals, recording conversations and daily life. The text is a long work, and the copy in this archive is a modern abridgement, not the original 1791 edition.

Why it matters

The book is widely regarded as one of the great biographies in English. It is a major source for Johnson's life and for the literary world of eighteenth-century London, including the Literary Club. Boswell's account also shows Burke as part of that circle, through conversations and Johnson's judgements of him. Modern scholars have pointed out that Boswell sometimes corrected quotations, censored remarks and presented Johnson as a myth as well as a man.

Look closer

• Why might Boswell have chosen to record conversations rather than write only about Johnson's achievements?
• How does the book's claim to be an accurate record compare with the fact that Boswell edited Johnson's words?
• Whose voices are missing from a book centred on one man's conversations?