Author: R. W. Chapman

The work of James Boswell (1740–95) is so well known that the dictionary defines “Boswell” as “a person who records in detail the life of a usually famous contemporary.” In his case, the famous contemporary was Samuel Johnson, and Boswell”s record of the great sage”s life — combining memoir, conversation, and historical record — created a startlingly new and intimate approach that forever changed the genre of biography. With the 20th–century publication of his long-lost London Journal, Boswell emerged from behind Johnson”s substantial shadow to prove himself as fascinating a subject as his friend and mentor.