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A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
by Samuel Johnson
- Used
- Good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Good
- Seller
-
BATH, Somerset, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: W. Strahan; and T. Cadell, 1775 . First edition. Leather. Good. 8.5" by 5.5". Not Stated. The first edition, second issue of this popular travel work by Samuel Johnson, providing an account of his tour of the Hebrides with James Boswell. The first edition, second issue, with six line errata. With the verso of leaf U4 correctly paginated.Some refer to this second issue as a second edition, as the text was significantly reset.Samuel Johnson's vivid account of his 1773 expedition to Scotland with his friend James Boswell, an important early travel work.Boswell encouraged Johnson on this tour through the highlands and western islands of Scotland, setting out from Edinburgh in 1773. They travelled for 83 days from the late summer to autumn, and saw the wildness of the Highlands.Boswell and Johnson met in 1763 when Johnson was fifty-four, and they became fast friends. Their friendship resulted in the influential biography 'The Life of Samuel Johnson'. Boswell later published his own account of this trip in 1785.Rebound, with endpapers renewed. Bound without the half title.ESTC T83702With crossed out contemporary ink inscriptions to the title page. Rebound in half morocco, with cloth covered boards. Endpapers renewed. Joints starting, with boards tenderly held to heads. Internally, firmly bound. Contemporary ink inscriptions to title page. Small closed tear to fore edge of errata leaf. Pages age toned due to paper type, with instances of spotting and light handling marks throughout. Good
Synopsis
"I mentioned our design to Voltaire," wrote Boswell. "He looked at me as if I had talked of going to the North Pole …" As it turned out, Johnson enjoyed their Scottish journey (although the land was not quite so wild and barbaric as perhaps he had hoped), and Boswell delighted in it. The year was 1773, they were sixty-three and thirty-two years old, and had been friends for ten years. Their journals, published together here, perfectly complement each other. Johnson's majestic prose and hawk eye for curious detail take in everything from the stone arrowheads found in the Hebrides, to the 'medicinal' waters of Loch Ness and 'the mischiefs of emigration'. Meanwhile, it is very lucky that as Johnson was observing Scotland, Boswell was observing Johnson. His record is perceptive, highly entertaining and full of sardonic wit; for him, as for us, it is an appetizer for The Life of Johnson .
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Details
- Bookseller
- Rooke Books
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 902F35
- Title
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
- Author
- Samuel Johnson
- Illustrator
- Not Stated
- Format/Binding
- Leather
- Book Condition
- Used - Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- W. Strahan; and T. Cadell
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1775
- Size
- 8.5" by 5.5"
- Keywords
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland Samuel Johnson Hebrides scotland Samuel Johnson
Terms of Sale
Rooke Books
Books are sent on approval and may be returned in like condition for any reason within 14 days of receipt. Responsibility of return to be with the purchaser.
About the Seller
Rooke Books
Biblio member since 2007
BATH, Somerset
About Rooke Books
Welcome to Rooke Books Antiquarian Bookseller
We are a small team dedicated to bringing you very scarce books at reasonable prices. We specialise in rare and hard to come by works on all subjects over the last 500 years, together with modern first editions and decorative sets and bindings. Our library has something for every interest and specialism. We deliver worldwide using a fully tracked and insured courier delivery service.
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Based in the literary city of Bath, our offices are housed in the Eastern Dispensary. Built in 1845, the building originally existed as a charitable institution providing medical care. The building now houses our collection of over twenty thousand books and has five full time members of staff.
We are a small team dedicated to bringing you very scarce books at reasonable prices. We specialise in rare and hard to come by works on all subjects over the last 500 years, together with modern first editions and decorative sets and bindings. Our library has something for every interest and specialism. We deliver worldwide using a fully tracked and insured courier delivery service.
Where are We?
Based in the literary city of Bath, our offices are housed in the Eastern Dispensary. Built in 1845, the building originally existed as a charitable institution providing medical care. The building now houses our collection of over twenty thousand books and has five full time members of staff.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Fore Edge
- The portion of a book that is opposite the spine. That part of a book which faces the wall when shelved in a traditional...
- Verso
- The page bound on the left side of a book, opposite to the recto page.
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Title Page
- A page at the front of a book which may contain the title of the book, any subtitles, the authors, contributors, editors, the...
- Errata
- Errata: aka Errata Slip A piece of paper either laid in to the book correcting errors found in the printed text after being...
- Half Title
- The blank front page which appears just prior to the title page, and typically contains only the title of the book, although, at...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Rebound
- A book in which the pages have been bound into a covering replacing the original covering issued by the publisher.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
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