''The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D.'' is a travel journal by

Scotsman The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic-speaking peoples, the Picts and Gaels, who fou ...

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 ( N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the English writer ...

first published in 1785. In 1773, Boswell enticed his English friend

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

to accompany him on a tour through the highlands and western

islands An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

of Scotland. Johnson was then in his mid-sixties and well known for his literary works and his Dictionary. The two travellers set out from

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and skirted the eastern and northeastern coasts of Scotland, passing through

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fourt ...

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

and

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histor ...

. They then passed into the highlands and spent several weeks on various islands in the

Hebrides The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebri ...

, including

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

Coll Coll (; gd, Cola; sco, Coll)Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and for ...

, and Mull. After a visit to Boswell's estate at

Auchinleck Auchinleck ( ; sco, Affleck ;
gd, Achadh nan Leac

, the travellers returned to Edinburgh. Johnson published his '' Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland'' on 18 January 1775. It was widely read, discussed and criticised, especially for some skeptical remarks Johnson made questioning the authenticity of the

Ossian Ossian (; Irish Gaelic/Scottish Gaelic: ''Oisean'') is the narrator and purported author of a cycle of epic poems published by the Scottish poet James Macpherson, originally as ''Fingal'' (1761) and ''Temora'' (1763), and later combined unde ...

poems, which were then all the rage. After Johnson's death in 1784, Boswell published his ''Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides''. This work was based on a diary Boswell had kept during the 1773 tour and included detailed descriptions of where he and Johnson had gone and what Johnson had said. The Journal served as a teaser for the longer biography Boswell was preparing for publication, his '' Life of Samuel Johnson'', which would exhibit the same qualities. Boswell's ''Journal'' and Johnson's ''Journey'' make an interesting study in contrasts. Johnson considers things philosophically and maintains a high level of generality. Boswell's approach is more anecdotal, even gossipy, and succeeds in large part because of Boswell's keen eye and ear for detail. Both accounts are still widely read and admired today.

External links

''The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides''
at

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(scanned books color illustrated original editions)
''The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides''
1936 edition, expanded from the original manuscript. Reviewed i

''

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

'', 1936. (plain text) *
The Native Scottish Diet in Boswell's ''Tour to the Hebrides''
18th century in Scotland Scottish non-fiction books 1785 non-fiction books British travel books Books about Scotland Books by James Boswell Works about Samuel Johnson {{travel-book-stub

See also

External links