Boswell, James
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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
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 ...
, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language. A great mass of Boswell's diaries, letters and private papers were recovered from the 1920s to the 1950s, and their ongoing publication by Yale University has transformed his reputation.


Early life

Boswell was born in Blair's Land on the east side of Parliament Close behind St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh on 29 October 1740 ( N.S.). He was the eldest son of a judge,
Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck, 8th Laird of Auchinleck (1706–1782) was a judge of the supreme courts of Scotland. He was the father of the author and biographer James Boswell, and grandfather of songwriter Alexander Boswell (songwriter), ...
, and his wife Euphemia Erskine. As the eldest son, he was heir to his family's estate of Auchinleck in
Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...
. Boswell's mother was a strict Calvinist, and he felt that his father was cold to him. As a child, he was delicate. Kay Jamison, Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins, in her book ''Touched with Fire'', believes that Boswell may have suffered from bipolar disorder, and this condition would afflict him sporadically all through his life. At the age of five, he was sent to
James Mundell James Mundell (died 1762) was a Scottish educator. He founded and ran the exclusive Mr Mundell's school in the West Bow of Edinburgh, from 1735 to 1762. He was uncle of Robert Mundell, rector of Wallace Hall, which adapted the teaching methods ...
's academy, an advanced institution by the standards of the time, where he was instructed in English, Latin, writing and arithmetic. The eight-year-old Boswell was unhappy there, and suffered from nightmares and extreme shyness. Consequently, he was removed from the academy and educated by a string of private tutors. The most notable and supportive of these, John Dunn, exposed Boswell to modern literature, such as '' The Spectator'' essays, and religion. Dunn was also present during Boswell's serious affliction of 1752, when he was confined to the town of Moffat in northern Dumfriesshire. This afforded Boswell his first experience of genuine society. His recovery was rapid and complete, and Boswell may have decided that travel and entertainment exerted a calming therapeutic effect on him. At thirteen, Boswell was enrolled into the arts course at the University of Edinburgh, studying there from 1753 to 1758. Midway through his studies, he suffered an episode of serious depression but recovered fully. Boswell had swarthy skin, black hair and dark eyes; he was of average height, and he tended to plumpness. His appearance was said to be alert and masculine. Upon turning nineteen, he was sent to continue his studies at the University of Glasgow, where he attended the lectures of
Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptized 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics"——— ...
. While at Glasgow, Boswell decided to convert to Catholicism and become a monk. Upon learning of this, his father ordered him home. Instead of obeying, though, Boswell ran away to London, where he spent three months, living the life of a
libertine A libertine is a person devoid of most moral principles, a sense of responsibility, or sexual restraints, which they see as unnecessary or undesirable, and is especially someone who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behaviour ob ...
, before he was taken back to Scotland by his father. Upon returning, he was re-enrolled at Edinburgh University and forced by his father to sign away most of his inheritance in return for an allowance of £100 a year. On 30 July 1762, Boswell passed his oral law exam, after which his father decided to raise his allowance to £200 a year and permitted him to return to London. In this period, Boswell wrote his ''
London Journal James Boswell's ''London Journal'' is a published version of the daily journal he kept between the years 1762 and 1763 while in London. Along with many more of his private papers, it was found in the 1920s at Malahide Castle in Ireland, and was ...
'' and, on 16 May 1763, met Johnson for the first time. The pair became friends almost immediately, though Johnson became more of a parental figure in Boswell's eyes. Johnson eventually nicknamed him "Bozzy". The first conversation between Johnson and Boswell is quoted in ''Life of Samuel Johnson'' as follows:
oswell:"Mr Johnson, I do indeed come from Scotland, but I cannot help it."
ohnson:"That, Sir, I find, is what a very great many of your countrymen cannot help."


European travels

It was around three months after this first encounter with Johnson that Boswell departed for Europe with the initial goal of continuing his law studies at Utrecht University. He spent a year there and although desperately unhappy the first few months, eventually quite enjoyed his time in Utrecht. He befriended and fell in love with Isabelle de Charrière, also known as Belle van Zuylen, a vivacious young Dutchwoman of unorthodox opinions, his social and intellectual superior. Boswell admired the young widow Geelvinck who refused to marry him. After this, Boswell spent most of the next two years travelling around the continent, his Grand Tour. During this time he met Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire with a recommendation letter of Constant d'Hermenches, and made a pilgrimage to Rome, where his portrait was painted by George Willison. Boswell also travelled to
Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
to meet one of his heroes, the independence leader
Pasquale Paoli Filippo Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli (; french: link=no, Pascal Paoli; 6 April 1725 – 5 February 1807) was a Corsican patriot, statesman, and military leader who was at the forefront of resistance movements against the Genoese and later ...
. His well-observed diaries and correspondence of this time have been compiled into two books, ''Boswell in Holland'' and ''Boswell on the Grand Tour''.


Mature life

Boswell returned to London in February 1766 accompanied by Rousseau's mistress, with whom he had a brief affair on the journey home. After spending a few weeks in the capital, he returned to Scotland, buying (or perhaps renting) the former house of David Hume on James Court on the
Lawnmarket The Royal Mile () is a succession of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. The term was first used descriptively in W. M. Gilbert's ''Edinburgh in the Nineteenth Century'' (1901), des ...
. He studied for his final law exam at Edinburgh University. He passed the exam and became an
advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...
. He practised for over a decade, during which time he spent no more than a month every year with Johnson. Nevertheless, he returned to London annually to mingle with Johnson and the rest of the London literary crowd, and to escape his mundane existence in Scotland. He found enjoyment in playing the intellectual rhyming game
crambo Crambo is a rhyming game which, according to Joseph Strutt (engraver and antiquary), Joseph Strutt, was played as early as the 14th century under the name of the ABC of Aristotle. It is also known as capping the rhyme. The name may also be used t ...
with his peers. Some of his journal entries and letters from this period describe his amatory exploits. Thus, in 1767, in a letter to
William Johnson Temple William Johnson Temple (also Johnstone) (1739–1796) was an English cleric and essayist, now remembered as a correspondent of James Boswell. Early life William Johnson Temple was the son of William Temple of Allerdean, near Berwick-on-Tweed, whe ...
, he wrote, "I got myself quite intoxicated, went to a Bawdy-house and past a whole night in the arms of a Whore. She indeed was a fine strong spirited Girl, a Whore worthy of Boswell if Boswell must have a whore." A few years earlier, he wrote that during a night with an actress named Louisa, "five times was I fairly lost in supreme rapture. Louisa was madly fond of me; she declared I was a prodigy and asked me if this was not extraordinary for human nature." Though he sometimes used a condom for protection, he contracted venereal disease at least seventeen times. Boswell was a major supporter of the Corsican Republic. Following the island's invasion by France in 1768, Boswell attempted to raise public awareness and rally support for the Corsicans. He sent arms and money to the Corsican fighters, who were ultimately defeated at the
Battle of Ponte Novu The Battle of Ponte Novu took place on May 8 and 9, 1769 between royal French forces under the Comte de Vaux, a seasoned professional soldier with an expert on mountain warfare on his staff, and the native Corsicans under Carlo Salicetti. It ...
in 1769. Boswell attended the
masquerade Masquerade or Masquerader may refer to: Events * Masquerade ball, a costumed dance event * Masquerade ceremony, a rite or cultural event in many parts of the world, especially the Caribbean and Africa * Masqueraders, the performers in the West ...
held at the
Shakespeare Jubilee The Shakespeare Jubilee was staged in Stratford-upon-Avon between 6 and 8 September 1769. The jubilee was organised by the actor and theatre manager David Garrick to celebrate the Jubilee of the birth of William Shakespeare. It had a major impac ...
in
Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...
in September 1769 dressed as a Corsican Chief. He was also, much to the chagrin of his friend Johnson, a strong defender of the American Revolution. Boswell married his cousin,
Margaret Montgomerie Margaret "Peggy" Boswell born Margaret Montgomerie (1738 – 4 June 1789) was the Scottish wife and cousin of the diarist James Boswell. Life She was born in about 1738 at Lainshaw in Ayrshire. She was soon an orphan as her father James Boswell ( ...
, on 25 November 1769. She remained faithful to Boswell, despite his frequent liaisons with prostitutes, until her death from tuberculosis in 1789. After his infidelities, he would deliver tearful apologies to her and beg her forgiveness, before again promising her, and himself, that he would reform. James and Margaret had four sons and three daughters. Two sons died in infancy; the other two were Alexander (1775–1822) and
James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...
(1778–1822). Their daughters were Veronica (1773–1795), Euphemia (1774 – c. 1834) and Elizabeth, known as 'Betsy', (1780–1814). Boswell also had at least two extramarital children, Charles (1762–1764) and Sally (1767 – c. 1768). 250px, A commemorative plaque to Boswell at his former home at James Court, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh. Despite his relative literary success with accounts of his European travels, Boswell was only a moderately successful advocate, with the exception of the copyright infringement case of '' Donaldson v Beckett'', where Boswell represented the Scottish bookseller Alexander Donaldson. By the late 1770s, Boswell descended further and further into alcoholism and gambling addiction. Throughout his life, from childhood until death, he was beset by severe swings of mood. His depressions frequently encouraged and were exacerbated by his various vices. His happier periods usually saw him relatively vice-free. His character mixed a superficial
Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
sensibility for reason and taste with a genuine and somewhat romantic love of the sublime and a propensity for occasionally puerile whimsy. The latter, along with his tendency for drink and other vices, caused many contemporaries and later observers to regard him as being too lightweight to be an equal in the literary crowd that he wanted to be a part of. However, his humour and innocent good nature won him many lifelong friends. In 1773 Boswell bought the house of David Hume (who moved to a new house on South St David Street/St Andrew Square) on the south east corner of James Court. He lived there until 1786. Boswell's residency at James Court has been well established, but not the exact location. For example, a later edition of ''Traditions of Edinburgh'' by Robert Chambers suggests that Boswell's residence at James Court was actually in the Western wing. His James Court flat was notable for having two levels, and although a modern renovation in the Eastern section reveals such a possibility, it is likely that Boswell's residence was a similarly equipped one in the Western section that no longer exists, having burned down in the mid 1800s.


Earl of Dumfries

Boswell became quite friendly with the 6th Earl of Dumfries, as well as seeing him in Scotland he also visited him in Rosemount, London in 1787 and 1788. In Boswell's of November 2, 1778 journal he writes, ''“
he Earl of Dumfries He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
was exceedingly attentive to me ..I was upon my guard, as I well knew that he and his Countess flattered themselves that they would get from me that road through our estate which my father had refused, and which in truth I was still more positive for refusing tc.'' - He saw the Earl as ''“very attentive”''. Having hosted the Earl, Boswell and his wife also decide to visit Dumfries House ''“ r visit was a little awkward, as there had been no communication between the families for several of the last years of my father’s life ..I, however, wished to live on civil terms with such near neighbours tc..'' On October 27, 1782, Boswell writes ''“we looked at Lord Dumfries’s gate and the famous road. ..I showed him that granting it would make the Auchinleck improvements appear part of the Earl of Dumfries’s domains. ..If Lord Eglinton - if my Earl - were Earl of Dumfries and living at Dumfries House, he should have the road, but not to him and his heirs. tc..''


Later life

Boswell was a frequent guest of
Lord Monboddo James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (baptised 25 October 1714; died 26 May 1799) was a Scottish judge, scholar of linguistic evolution, philosopher and deist. He is most famous today as a founder of modern comparative historical linguistics. In 1767 ...
at Monboddo House, a setting where he gathered significant observations for his writings by association with
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 ...
,
Lord Kames Henry Home, Lord Kames (169627 December 1782) was a Scottish writer, philosopher, advocate, judge, and agricultural improver. A central figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, a founding member of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh, and act ...
and other notable attendees. After Johnson's death in 1784, Boswell moved to London to try his luck at the English
Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...
, which proved even less successful than his career in Scotland. In 1792 Boswell lobbied the Home Secretary to help gain royal pardons for four Botany Bay escapees, including
Mary Bryant Mary Bryant (1765 – after 1794) was a Cornish convict sent to Australia. She became one of the first successful escapees from the fledgling Australian penal colony. Early life Bryant was born Mary Broad (referred to as Mary Braund at the E ...
. He also offered to stand for Parliament but failed to get the necessary support, and he spent the final years of his life writing his '' Life of Samuel Johnson''. During this time his health began to fail due to venereal disease and his years of drinking. Boswell died in London in 1795. Close to the end of his life he became strongly convinced that the " Shakespeare papers", including two previously unknown plays '' Vortigern and Rowena'' and ''Henry II'', allegedly discovered by
William Henry Ireland William Henry Ireland (1775–1835) was an English forger of would-be Shakespearean documents and plays. He is less well known as a poet, writer of gothic novels and histories. Although he was apparently christened William-Henry, he was known a ...
, were genuine. After Boswell's death they proved to be forgeries created by Ireland himself. Boswell's remains were interred in the
crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...
of the Boswell family
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
in what is now the old Auchinleck Kirkyard in
Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of Re ...
. The mausoleum is attached to the old Auchinleck Kirk.


''Life of Samuel Johnson''

When the '' Life of Samuel Johnson'' was published in 1791. Its style was unique in that, unlike other biographies of that era, it directly incorporated conversations that Boswell had noted down at the time for his journals. He also included more personal and human details than those to which contemporary readers were accustomed. Instead of writing a strictly fact-based record of Johnson's public life in the style of the time, he painted a more personal and intimate portrait of the man than was normal in biographies of the day. Macaulay and
Carlyle Carlyle may refer to: Places * Carlyle, Illinois, a US city * Carlyle, Kansas, an unincorporated place in the US * Carlyle, Montana, a ghost town in the US * Carlyle, Saskatchewan, a Canadian town ** Carlyle Airport ** Carlyle station * Carly ...
, among others, have attempted to explain how a man such as Boswell could have produced a work as detailed as the ''Life of Johnson''. The former argued that Boswell's uninhibited folly and candour were his greatest qualifications; the latter replied that beneath such traits was a mind to discern excellence and a heart to appreciate it, aided by the power of accurate observation and considerable dramatic ability.


As an abolitionist

Boswell was present at the meeting of the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade in May 1787 set up to persuade William Wilberforce to lead the abolition movement in Parliament. However, the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson records that by 1788 Boswell "after having supported the cause ... became inimical to it". Boswell's most prominent display of support for slavery was his 1791 poem "No Abolition of Slavery; or the Universal Empire of Love", which lampooned Clarkson, Wilberforce and
Pitt Pitt most commonly refers to: *The University of Pittsburgh, commonly known as Pitt, a university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States **Pitt Panthers, the athletic teams of the University of Pittsburgh * Pitt (surname), a surname o ...
. The poem also supports the common suggestion of the pro-slavery movement, that the slaves actually enjoyed their lot: "The cheerful gang! – the negroes see / Perform the task of industry."


Discovery of papers

In the 1920s a great part of Boswell's private papers, including intimate journals for much of his life, were discovered at
Malahide Castle Malahide Castle ( ga, Caisleán Mhullach Íde), parts of which date to the 12th century, lies close to the village of Malahide, nine miles (14 km) north of central Dublin in Ireland. It has over of remaining parkland estate, forming the ...
, north of Dublin. These provide a hugely revealing insight into the life and thoughts of the man. They were sold to the American collector Ralph H. Isham and have since passed to Yale University, which has published popular and scholarly editions of his journals and correspondence. A second cache was discovered soon after and also purchased by Isham. A substantially longer edition of ''The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides'' was published in 1936 based on his original manuscript, edited by
L. F. Powell Lawrence Fitzroy Powell (9 August 1881, Oxford – 17 July 1975, Banbury) was an English literary scholar. The son oHarry Powell (1830–1886) a trumpeter who had been wounded in the Charge of the Light Brigade, Powell was educated at a London boa ...
. His ''London Journal 1762–63'', the first of the Yale journal publications, appeared in 1950. The last popular edition, ''The Great Biographer, 1789–1795'', was published in 1989. Publication of the research edition of Boswell's journals and letters, each including never before published material, was ceased by Yale University in June 2021, prior to the completion of the project. These detailed and frank journals include voluminous notes on the Grand Tour of Europe that he took as a young man and, subsequently, of his tour of Scotland with Johnson. His journals also record meetings and conversations with eminent individuals belonging to The Club, including
Lord Monboddo James Burnett, Lord Monboddo (baptised 25 October 1714; died 26 May 1799) was a Scottish judge, scholar of linguistic evolution, philosopher and deist. He is most famous today as a founder of modern comparative historical linguistics. In 1767 ...
,
David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...
,
Edmund Burke Edmund Burke (; 12 January NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS">New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style">NS/nowiki>_1729_–_9_July_1797)_was_an_ NS.html"_;"title="New_Style.html"_;"title="/nowiki>New_Style"> ...
,
Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...
and
Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his pl ...
. It is since the discovery of these journals that Boswell has become recognized as a major literary artist. In his openness to every nuance of feeling, his delicacy in capturing fugitive sentiments and revealing gestures, his comic self-regard and (at times) self-contempt, Boswell was willing to express what other authors of the time repressed.


Freemasonry

Boswell was initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning on 14 August 1759. He subsequently became Master of that Lodge in 1773 and in that year was Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. From 1776 to 1777 he was the Depute Grand Master of that Grand Lodge.


In fiction and popular culture

Boswell's surname has passed into the English language as a term (''Boswell'', ''Boswellian'', ''Boswellism'') for a constant companion and observer, especially one who records those observations in print. In " A Scandal in Bohemia", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
affectionately says of
Dr. Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle fe ...
, who narrates the tales, "I am lost without my Boswell." The comedy ''Young Auchinleck'' (1962) by Scottish playwright
Robert McLellan Robert McLellan OBE (1907–1985) was a Scottish renaissance dramatist, writer and poet and a leading figure in the twentieth century movement to recover Scotland’s distinctive theatrical traditions. He found popular success with plays and s ...
depicts Boswell's various courtships and troubled relations with his father in the period after his return to Scotland in 1766, culminating in his eventual marriage to his cousin Margaret Montgomery (Peggy) in 1769 on the same day as his father's second marriage in a different part of the country. The play was first produced at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1962 and adapted for
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
in 1965. In 1981 the cartoonist
R. Crumb Robert Dennis Crumb (; born August 30, 1943) is an American cartoonist and musician who often signs his work R. Crumb. His work displays a nostalgia for American folk culture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and satire of contem ...
published the piece "Boswell's London Journal" in the anthology magazine ''
Weirdo Weirdo may refer to: * An eccentric * ''Weirdo'' (comics), an alternative comics anthology published by Last Gasp * "Weirdo" (song), a single by the Charlatans UK off their album ''Between 10th and 11th'' * ''Weirdos'' (film), a 2016 Canadian d ...
''. Presented as a "Klassic Komic," the piece featured meticulous cross-hatched illustrations and excerpts from Boswell's writing to tell a satirical story of the young Boswell attempting to establish himself in London society, dallying with prostitutes and suffering from venereal disease. Boswell was played by
John Sessions John Marshall (11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020), better known by the stage name John Sessions, was a British actor and comedian. He was known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', as a panellist o ...
in '' Boswell & Johnson's Tour of the Western Isles'', a 1993
BBC 2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
play. In February and March 2015, BBC Radio 4 broadcast three episodes of "Boswell's Lives", writer Jon Canter's comedic take on Boswell meeting later historical figures (Sigmund Freud, Maria Callas and Harold Pinter, respectively) for the purposes of biographing them. Boswell was played by
Miles Jupp Miles Hugh Barrett Jupp (born 8 September 1979) is an English actor, singer, and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian before playing the role of the inventor Archie in the children's television series ''Balamory''. He also played ...
. American novelist
Philip Baruth Philip E. Baruth (born February 10, 1962) is an American politician, novelist, biographer, professor, and former radio commentator from Vermont. A Democrat and member of the Vermont Progressive Party, he represents Chittenden County in the Vermo ...
wrote a fictional account of James Boswell's early life in ''The Brothers Boswell'' (Soho Press 2009). The novel, which includes scenes that feature Samuel Johnson, is a thriller that focuses on the tense relationship between James and his younger brother John. Boswell also features as a character in James Robertson's novel, '' Joseph Knight'' (2003). On 14 November 2020, ''New York Times'' columnist Maureen Dowd called reporter Maggie Haberman "Trump's Boswell", referring to Ms. Haberman's tenacious and in-depth reporting of Donald Trump's presidential years.


Major works

* ''The Cub at Newmarket'' (1762, published by
James Dodsley James Dodsley (1724–1797) was an English bookseller. Life Dodsley was born near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire in 1724. He was probably employed in the shop of his prosperous brother, Robert, by whom he was taken into partnership—the firm trad ...
) * ''Letters Between the Honourable Andrew Erskine, and James Boswell, Esq.'' (1763) * ''Dorando, a Spanish Tale'' (1767, anonymously) *
Account of Corsica, The Journal of a Tour to That Island, and Memoirs of Pascal Paoli
' (1768) * "The Rampager" (1770–82, a series of 20 essays published sporadically in the ''Public Advertiser'') * ''The Hypochondriack'' (1777–83, a series of 70 essays published monthly in the ''London Magazine'') * '' The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D'' (1785) * '' The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D'' 2 vols. (1791, reprinted in Everyman's Library) *
No Abolition of Slavery
(1791) (poem)


Published journals

After Boswell's private papers were recovered, and brought together by Ralph Isham, they were acquired by Yale University, where a dedicated office was established to edit and publish his journals and correspondence. The journals have been published in 13 volumes, as follows. *'' Boswell's London Journal, 1762–1763,'' ed. F. A. Pottle (1950) *
Boswell in Holland, 1763–1764
including his correspondence with Belle de Zuylen (Zelide)'', ed. F. A. Pottle (1952) *'' Boswell on the Grand Tour: Germany and Switzerland, 1764'', ed. F. A. Pottle (1953) *
Boswell on the Grand Tour: Italy, Corsica, and France, 1765–1766
', ed. Frank Brady and F. A. Pottle (1955) *
Boswell in Search of a Wife, 1766–1769
', ed. Frank Brady and F. A. Pottle (1957) *''Boswell for the Defence, 1769–1774'', ed. W. A. Wimsatt and F. A. Pottle (1960) *'' Boswell: the Ominous Years, 1774–1776'', ed. Charles Ryskamp and F. A. Pottle (1963) *''Boswell in Extremes, 1776–1778,'' ed. C. McC. Weis and F. A. Pottle (1970) *''Boswell, Laird of Auchinleck, 1778–1782'', ed. J. W. Reed and F. A. Pottle (1977) *''Boswell: The Applause of the Jury, 1782–1785'', ed. I. S. Lustig and F. A. Pottle (1981) *''Boswell: The English Experiment, 1785–1789'', ed. I. S. Lustig and F. A. Pottle (1986) *''Boswell: The Great Biographer, 1789–1795'', ed. Marlies K. Danziger and Frank Brady (1989)


References

Notes Sources * Pierce, Patricia. ''The Great Shakespeare Fraud: The Strange, True Story of William-Henry Ireland''. Sutton Publishing, 2005. *


Further reading

* Boswell, James. ''Boswell's Book of Bad Verse (A Verse Self-Portrait) or 'Love Poems and Other Verses by James Boswell. Edited with Notes by Jack Werner. London. White Lion, 1974. . * Boswell, James. ''Boswell's Column. Being his Seventy Contributions to The London Magazine under the pseudonym The Hypochondriack from 1777 to 1783 here First Printed in Book Form in England''. Introduction and Notes by
Margery Bailey Margery Bailey (May 12, 1891 - June 17, 1963) was a professor of English and Dramatic Arts and Literature at Stanford University. She is regarded as "one of Stanford’s most celebrated teachers in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s." Biography Margery Bail ...
. London. William Kimber, 1951. * Boswell, James. ''Facts and Inventions: Selections from the Journalism of James Boswell''. Edited by Paul Tankard. New Haven. Yale University Press, 2014. * Boswell, James. ''The Journal of a Tour to Corsica; and Memoirs of Pascal Paoli''. Edited, with an Introduction, by Morchard Bishop. London. Williams & Norgate, 1951. * Boswell, James. ''Letters of James Boswell to the Rev. W. J. Temple''. Introduction by
Thomas Seccombe Thomas Seccombe (1866–1923) was a miscellaneous English writer and, from 1891 to 1901, assistant editor of the ''Dictionary of National Biography'', in which he wrote over 700 entries. A son of physician and episcopus vagans John Thomas Se ...
. London. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1908. *
William C. Dowling William Courtney Dowling (; born April 5, 1944, in Warner, New Hampshire) is University Distinguished Professor of English and American Literature emeritus at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, specializing in 18th-century English l ...
. ''The Boswellian Hero''. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press, 1979. . * Finlayson, Iain. ''The Moth and the Candle. A Life of James Boswell''. London. Constable, 1984. . * Maurice Lévy : James Boswell. Un libertin mélancolique, Grenoble, éd. Ellug, 2001, 412 pages. * McLaren, Moray: ''The Highland Jaunt. A Study of James Boswell and Samuel Johnson upon their Highland and Hebridean Tour of 1773''. London. Jarrolds, 1954. *
Mallory, George George Herbert Leigh Mallory (18 June 1886 – 8 or 9 June 1924) was an English mountaineer who took part in the first three British expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s. Born in Cheshire, Mallory became a student at Winchester ...
. ''Boswell the Biographer''. London. Smith, Elder, 1912. * Martin, Peter. "A Life of James Boswell". London. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999. * Pottle, Frederick A. ''Boswell and the Girl from Botany Bay''. London. Heinemann, 1938. * Tinker, Chauncey g Brewster. ''Young Boswell. Chapters on James Boswell the Biographer Based Largely on New Material''. Boston.
Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
, 1922. *
Uglow, Jenny Jennifer Sheila Uglow (, (accessed 5 February 2008).
(accessed 19 August 2022).
born 1947) is an English biographer, hi ...
, "Big Talkers" (review of
Leo Damrosch Leopold Damrosch Jr. (born 1941) is an American author and professor. In 2001, he was named the Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature at Harvard University. He received a B.A. from Yale University, an M.A. from Cambridge University, where he was ...
, '' The Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age'', Yale University Press, 473 pp.), '' The New York Review of Books'', vol. LXVI, no. 9 (23 May 2019), pp. 26–28. * Wyndham Lewis, D.B. ''The Hooded Hawk or The Case of Mr. Boswell''. London. Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1946.


External links


James Boswell
at th
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA)
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Online catalogue (in progress) of James Boswell's library
at
LibraryThing LibraryThing is a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book metadata. It is used by authors, individuals, libraries, and publishers. Based in Portland, Maine, LibraryThing was developed by ...

James Boswell – a Guide

James Boswell's "An Account of Corsica" – Full text and illustrations

Young Boswell, by Chauncey Brewster Tinker, Boston: Atlantic monthly press, 1922, University of Michigan Library (Digital Collection)

Boswell Book Festival celebrates the art of biography and memoir at Boswell's home, Auchinleck House, in Ayrshire, Scotland
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Portraits of James Boswell and Dr. Johnson
at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Boswell, James 1740 births 1795 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Alumni of the University of Glasgow People from East Ayrshire Writers from Edinburgh Samuel Johnson People educated at James Mundell's School 18th-century biographers 18th-century Scottish writers Proslavery activists Scottish Freemasons 18th-century diarists Conversationalists Streathamites