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Title: A Life of Johnson by James Boswell, Billy Hartman, Perry Keenlyside ISBN: 9-6263452-0-9 Publisher: Naxos Audio Books Pub. Date: September, 1994 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 2 List Price(USD): $13.98 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 (16 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Opens An Intellectual Window To 18th Century London
Comment: I chose the 1,000 or so page Wordsworth Classics paperback edition of The Life Of Johnson (ISBN 1 85326 797 x) and was very pleased I did. The book had a nice heft to it, and the print was large enough for a comfortable read. My only major beef with this edition is that Boswell's text is replete with quotations from a variety of languages including Latin, Greek, French, Italian and others, and very few of them are translated into English. Whether the editor assumed that the average modern reader is a polyglot, or was unable to provide the translations for some other reason, I feel deprived at not having had access to this portion of the book's material, particularly as the quotes are most often used to gild the lily of one of Johnson's witticisms. Nevertheless, the book rewards the diligent reader with a wealth of intellectual stimulation, and offers a fascinating look into the England of the period including: polite London society, Oxford University, and jaunts around the British and Scottish countryside. Johnson's somewhat eccentric life and personal habits are lovingly and affectionately relayed by his close friend Boswell, who somehow managed to preserve a vast amount of Johnson's conversation without the aid of a tape recorder. With everyday life as a backdrop, we see how Johnson, a self-described lazy man, managed to produce such an abundant literary legacy, not the least of which was his groundbreaking dictionary. I recommend this book highly to people with an interest in 18th century England, the literary society of the period, or who simply love a great biography.
Rating: 3
Summary: nice but heavily abridged
Comment: I liked this but prefer the unabridged edition published by Oxford University Press (in their Oxford World's Classics series). If you're willing to read Boswell, spend a few dollars more for the OUP edition.
Rating: 4
Summary: Biography as English literature.
Comment: Typically, I have a bias against abridged editions of literary works. Nevertheless, prudent editing and abridgement enhances the casual reader's appreciation of this literary tome. Undergraduates working a required reading list for English Lit classes are on their own. Anyway, Samuel Johnson was a noted author and editor of the 18th century English literary scene. Instead of an exhaustive study of Johnson's life as author and editor, biographer Boswell compiled a series of anecdotes, quotations, and correspondence that is held together by his friendship with Johnson. Boswell's purpose was to capture the essence of the man. Johnson was adept at articulating pithy remarks with surgical precision. For example, "...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." The 18th century spellings, etc. remain intact. We have Johnson to thank for the familiar "...hell is paved with good intentions," and "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." Boswell takes care to portray Johnson as sexually moral. After the death of his wife, Johnson (according to Boswell) was apparently celibate. Johnson rebuffed "women of the town," and said he wasn't interested in their carnal delights. Johnson told David Garrick, the actor, that he would not go backstage at the theater because "the white bubbies and silk stockings of your Actresses excite my genitals." As an interesting aside, the editor's introduction speculates that Johnson's relationship with the widow Thrale may have been sexual, with bondage overtones. Who knows? The description of London coffeehouses, theaters, and gathering places are heavy with 18th century atmosphere. Bottom line, reading this book is interesting as a curiosity. Its relevance for 21st century readers may seem limited, but don't let that stop you from sampling the fare. ;-)
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Title: Samuel Johnson: The Major Works (Oxford World's Classics) by Donald Greene, Samuel Johnson ISBN: 0192840428 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: July, 2000 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland : with The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides by James Boswell, Allan Massie, Samuel Johnson ISBN: 0375414185 Publisher: Unknown Publisher - Being Researched Pub. Date: 26 March, 2002 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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Title: Boswell's London Journal: 1762-1763 by Frederick A. Pottle, James Boswell ISBN: 0300057350 Publisher: Yale Univ Pr Pub. Date: September, 1992 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Samuel Johnson's Dictionary: Selections from the 1755 Work That Defined the English Language by Samuel Johnson, Jack Lynch ISBN: 0802714218 Publisher: Walker & Co Pub. Date: September, 2003 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
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Title: Boswell's Presumptuous Task: The Making of the Life of Dr. Johnson by Adam Sisman ISBN: 0374115613 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: August, 2001 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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