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A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
by Samuel Johnson
- Used
- very good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good
- Seller
-
BATH, Somerset, United Kingdom
Item Price
A$573.98A$516.58
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Dublin: A. Leathley; J. Exshaw; H. Saunders; D. Chamberlain; et al, 1775. Leather. Very Good. 7" by 4". None. An unauthorised Dublin edition of this popular travel work by Samuel Johnson, published in the same year as the first London edition. Published in the same year of the first London edition, this is an unauthorised Dublin edition.Complete as two volumes bound in one.ESTC citation number T147766.The second volume continues the pagination of the first but has own register. Error in pagination to Volume II, page 121 misnumbered 289, the pagination then continuing from 289 to 384, however the text is continuous. 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. In a full calf rebacked binding. Externally, generally smart. A little discolouration and a few minor marks to the boards. Wear to the extremities. Light rubbing to the spine and extremities. Bookplate to the front paste down. Internally, firmly bound. Pages are lightly age toned with some occasional spots. Small chip to the head of the title page. Very 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 #
- 828P25
- Title
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
- Author
- Samuel Johnson
- Illustrator
- None
- Format/Binding
- Leather
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- A. Leathley; J. Exshaw; H. Saunders; D. Chamberlain; et al
- Place of Publication
- Dublin
- Date Published
- 1775
- Size
- 7" by 4"
- Keywords
- A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland samuel johnson travel scotland samuel johnson james boswell
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
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.
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.
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:
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Rebacked
- having had the material covering the spine replaced. ...
- 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...
- 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...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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