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A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
by Johnson, Samuel
- Used
- first
- Condition
- Contemporary sprinkled calf, red morocco spine label, board edges gilt. Some wear to joints and extremities, a few mostly margin
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: W. Strahan and T. Cadell, 1775. First edition, first issue, with 12-line errata and with "afford" on p. 199, l. 13. [ii], 384, [2, errata on recto] pp. Errata leaf, D8 and U4 are cancels (U4 in corrected state numbered 296). 8vo. Contemporary sprinkled calf, red morocco spine label, board edges gilt. Some wear to joints and extremities, a few mostly marginal stains. First edition, first issue, with 12-line errata and with "afford" on p. 199, l. 13. [ii], 384, [2, errata on recto] pp. Errata leaf, D8 and U4 are cancels (U4 in corrected state numbered 296). 8vo. The scarce first printing. "I had desired to visit the Hebrides ... and was ... induced to undertake the journey, by finding in Mr. Boswell a companion ... " Though Johnson's name does not appear on the title-page, the opening sentence left no doubt in the minds of his earliest readers who the author was. Courtney & Smith p. 122; Chapman & Hazen p. 151; Fleeman 75.1J/1a; Rothschild 1257. Provenance: Sir George Howard, 6th Earl of Carlisle (armorial bookplate); the Howards of Effingham (bookplate); unidentified armorial bookplate; sold Bernard Quaritch (pencil note dated May 1964); Louis & Anne Marie Davidson (bookplate)
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
- James Cummins Bookseller
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 308078
- Title
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
- Author
- Johnson, Samuel
- Format/Binding
- [ii], 384, [2, errata on recto] pp. Errata leaf, D8 and U4 are cancels (U4 in corrected state numbered 296). 8vo
- Book Condition
- Used - Contemporary sprinkled calf, red morocco spine label, board edges gilt. Some wear to joints and extremities, a few mostly margin
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First edition, first issue, with 12-line errata and with "afford
- Publisher
- W. Strahan and T. Cadell
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1775
- Keywords
- British | Scottish | Samuel Johnson
- Bookseller catalogs
- Literature; History, Travel & Geography;
Terms of Sale
James Cummins Bookseller
All items, as usual, are guaranteed as described and are returnable within 30 days if not as described. Within the United States, all books are shipped UPS unless otherwise requested (please provide a street address). Overseas orders should specify shipping preference. All postage is extra. New clients are requested to send remittance with your orders. Libraries may apply for deferred billing. All New York and New Jersey residents must add the appropriate sales tax. We accept American Express, Master Card, and Visa. All items are subject to prior sale; prices are subject to change.
About the Seller
James Cummins Bookseller
Biblio member since 2009
New York, New York
About James Cummins Bookseller
Founded in 1978 by James Cummins, the firm has grown to include two New Jersey locations as well as the main store at 699 Madison Avenue (between 62nd and 63rd Streets) in New York City.Hours: Monday - Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (During July & August, until 4:00 p.m. on Fridays.)The Madison Avenue store is a seventh-floor oasis for book-lovers, a quiet and pleasantly furnished book room with a carefully chosen, expertly catalogued and broad-based selection of fine and rare books, autographs, manuscripts, and works of art. We have built notable private collections for American and international clients. Our stock is always changing, and our steady input from private buying and public auctions assures our clients of new surprises (and temptations!) at each visit. Our stock covers a wide range of collecting interests, with particular emphasis in the following fields: British and American Literature, Sporting Books, Private Press and Illustrated Books, 19th-Century Color Plate Books, Americana, Travel, Sets and Fine Bindings, History, and Authors' Manuscripts and Letters. Our catalogued inventory exceeds 50,000 titles, much of which can be searched on the internet. In addition, our New Jersey warehouse contains over 400,000 books in all subject areas. We might have the books you're looking for.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Spine Label
- The paper or leather descriptive tag attached to the spine of the book, most commonly providing the title and author of the...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- 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...
- A.N.
- The book is pristine and free of any defects, in the same condition as ...
- 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...
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Errata
- Errata: aka Errata Slip A piece of paper either laid in to the book correcting errors found in the printed text after being...
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