I read this for background on Boswell before I tackle his biography of Johnson, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The young Boswell's writing skills are on again/off again, but still the writer to come is evident. Boswell's London Journal outshines most any other journal you can read, and provides insight not only into the young (and maddeningly self-absorbed and trivial) Boswell, but also into a London culture that seems only remotely related to the 21st century western world.

A must read for any Boswell fan,and a good read for anyone interested in late 18th century London society.

Os. ( )

the fun the monty python people might have had with the silly man. ( )

This is the best known, but by no means the only, published journal of James Boswell. It is an excellent look into the mind of a slightly excentric, facetious and sometimes immature young man in the midst of London Society in the 1760s. Boswell was shockingly honest in his journals, but of course, they were never meant for actual publication.

The journal is of some psychological interest, in as much as it gives a comprehensive picture of Boswell's mental state, but most of all it is entertaining and of immense historical value as we get first hand descriptions of famous historical characters and events.

I really can't recommend this book enough... ( )