BOSWELL'S TOUR TO THE HEBRIDES, with 1773 MAP OF SCOTTLAND and the HEBRIDES
$195.95
James Boswell's
(1785) is a vivid travelogue and personal journal chronicling an 83-day journey through the Scottish Highlands and Islands with the famous English writer Samuel Johnson in 1773.
While both men wrote accounts of the trip, Boswell’s version is celebrated for being more anecdotal and intimate, focusing heavily on Johnson’s personality and their shared conversations rather than just the landscape.
Core Themes and Content
- Portrait of Samuel Johnson: The book serves as a "teaser" for Boswell's later masterpiece, The Life of Samuel Johnson. It records Johnson’s witty, often critical reactions to unfamiliar territory and his conversations on literature, religion, and philosophy.
- A Changing Society: The travelers captured a society in transition. They encountered a "lost age" of the declining clan system, illegal whisky, and a primitive land lacking modern roads.
- Cultural Contrast: The journal highlights the friction between the sophisticated, Enlightenment-era travelers and the Hebridean locals, ranging from highly educated clergymen to impoverished tenants.
James Boswell's Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1785) is a detailed travelogue and biographical, 83-day account of a 1773 journey through the Scottish Highlands and islands. It captures daily conversations, social customs, and landscapes, showcasing the friendship between Boswell and the renowned English writer, Dr. Samuel Johnson, while exploring 18th-century Scottish culture.
Key aspects of the tour include:
- Purpose and Focus: The journey aimed to show Dr. Johnson, known for his cynical views on Scotland, the rugged beauty and cultural traditions of the region.
- Key Locations: The duo traveled through the Highlands, visiting areas like St Andrews, Aberdeen, and Inverness, before spending weeks on Hebridean islands including Skye, Coll, and Mull.
- Conversations and Observations: Boswell meticulously records their discussions on philosophy, literature, and society, as well as the decline of the Highland clan system, rural poverty, and local customs like drinking smuggled whisky.
-
Product details
- ASIN : B001NHJPP0
- Publisher : Viking Press/ William Heinemann
- Publication date : January 1, 1936
- Language : English
- Print length : 435 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1125923482
- ISBN-13 : 978-1125923481
- Item Weight : 1 pounds
- Best Sellers Rank: #9,939,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews: 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)