Bailey asks why Samuel Johnson has become something like a national institution, and answers through his character as much as his writings. Chapters treat the genius of Boswell, the parallel lives of biographer and subject, Johnson’s habits and talk in tavern and drawing-room, his works from the Dictionary onward, and the remarkable friends who gathered round him.
A compact, affectionate introduction for anyone meeting Johnson for the first time or returning to Boswell’s Life. Download the free EPUB.