Folio Archives 119: Boswell’s London Journal 1762-63 by James Boswell 1985
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1wcarter
Boswell’s London Journal 1762-63 by James Boswell
James Boswell is now known as a famous diarist, but in 1762 he was a boisterous young Scot who defied his father’s wish that he become a lawyer, and moved to London where he unsuccessfully tried to join a Guards Regiment as a junior officer. His father provided him with an allowance of £25 every six weeks so that he could keep himself in modest style.
The diary covers the period from November 1762 to August 1763, when he started his famous perambulation around Europe with a trip to Oostend. He writes about his daily activities in great detail, and he interacts with many of the famous citizens of London, particularly Samuel Johnson (who wrote the dictionary) with whom he became good friends. The ins and outs of London society can be elucidated from his innumerable visits to members of the aristocracy, and others not so noble.
Everything from his diet, clothing, transport and particularly his frank descriptions of numerous intimate encounters with whores, trollops and ladies of loose morals are particularly detailed, so that the reader gets a very good sense of what life was like for a young gentleman in London some 250 years ago.
The diary was not published until 1950, when it was released by Yale University, which holds the original manuscript. Sections of the manuscript were considered to raunchy for earlier publication, and some subsequent editions were censored. The Folio Society has published an unexpurgated edition. The censored sections are really quite tame by 21st. century standards.
The 365 page book has an amazingly long (38 page) introduction by Frederick A Pottle, who also edited the book. There are 46 pages of notes explaining entries in the diary, and an extensive index. There are twenty tipped in pages of black and white contemporary images, and the endpapers feature an image of an eighteenth century gentleman. The book is quarter bound in black cloth, with paper sides printed with a facsimile of Boswell’s handwriting in the diary on both front and back covers. The slipcase is plain off white and 26x16.6cm.
Endpapers
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
James Boswell is now known as a famous diarist, but in 1762 he was a boisterous young Scot who defied his father’s wish that he become a lawyer, and moved to London where he unsuccessfully tried to join a Guards Regiment as a junior officer. His father provided him with an allowance of £25 every six weeks so that he could keep himself in modest style.
The diary covers the period from November 1762 to August 1763, when he started his famous perambulation around Europe with a trip to Oostend. He writes about his daily activities in great detail, and he interacts with many of the famous citizens of London, particularly Samuel Johnson (who wrote the dictionary) with whom he became good friends. The ins and outs of London society can be elucidated from his innumerable visits to members of the aristocracy, and others not so noble.
Everything from his diet, clothing, transport and particularly his frank descriptions of numerous intimate encounters with whores, trollops and ladies of loose morals are particularly detailed, so that the reader gets a very good sense of what life was like for a young gentleman in London some 250 years ago.
The diary was not published until 1950, when it was released by Yale University, which holds the original manuscript. Sections of the manuscript were considered to raunchy for earlier publication, and some subsequent editions were censored. The Folio Society has published an unexpurgated edition. The censored sections are really quite tame by 21st. century standards.
The 365 page book has an amazingly long (38 page) introduction by Frederick A Pottle, who also edited the book. There are 46 pages of notes explaining entries in the diary, and an extensive index. There are twenty tipped in pages of black and white contemporary images, and the endpapers feature an image of an eighteenth century gentleman. The book is quarter bound in black cloth, with paper sides printed with a facsimile of Boswell’s handwriting in the diary on both front and back covers. The slipcase is plain off white and 26x16.6cm.
Endpapers
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2LesMiserables
Very nice. I shall have to acquire this to compliment my Modern Library biography of Johnson.
