The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides

The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. is a travel journal by Scotsman James Boswell first published in 1785. In 1773, Boswell enticed his English friend Samuel Johnson to accompany him on a tour through the highlands and western islands of Scotland. Johnson was then in his mid-sixties and well known for his literary works and his Dictionary. The two travellers set out from Edinburgh and skirted the eastern and northeastern coasts of Scotland, passing through St Andrews, Aberdeen and Inverness. They then passed into the highlands and spent several weeks on various islands in the Hebrides, including Skye, Coll, and Mull. After a visit to Boswell's estate at Auchinleck, the travellers returned to Edinburgh. Johnson published his Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland on 18 January 1775.

It was widely read, discussed and criticised, especially for some sceptical remarks Johnson made questioning the authenticity of the Ossian poems, which were then all the rage. After Johnson's death in 1784, Boswell published his Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. This work was based on a diary Boswell had kept during the 1773 tour and included detailed descriptions of where he and Johnson had gone and what Johnson had said.

The Journal served as a teaser for the longer biography Boswell was preparing for publication, his Life of Samuel Johnson, which would exhibit the same qualities. Boswell's Journal and Johnson's Journey make an interesting study in contrasts. Johnson considers things philosophically and maintains a high level of generality. Boswell's approach is more anecdotal, even gossipy, and succeeds in large part because of Boswell's keen eye and ear for detail. Both accounts are still widely read and admired today.

See also

• Scottish literature

External links

• The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides at Internet Archive (scanned books color illustrated original editions)
  • The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, 1936 edition, expanded from the original manuscript. Reviewed in "Boswell in Full", Time Magazine, 1936.

• The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides at Project Gutenberg (plain text)
• The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides public domain audiobook at LibriVox
• The Native Scottish Diet in Boswell's Tour to the Hebrides

• v
• t
• e

Samuel Johnson

Life and topics

• Birthplace, home, and museum
• Early life
• Health
• Edial Hall School
• Dr Johnson's House
• The Club
• Literary criticism
• Political views
• Religious views
• Samuel Johnson Prize

People

• Francis Barber
• James Boswell
• David Garrick
• John Hawkins
• Arthur Murphy
• Elizabeth Johnson (wife)
• Henry Thrale
• Hester Thrale
• Anna Williams
• Hodge

Essays and periodicals

• Birmingham Journal
• The Gentleman's Magazine
• The Idler
• The Rambler
• Taxation no Tyranny

Biography and
criticism

• Life of Mr Richard Savage
• Lives of the Poets
• Miscellaneous Observations on the Tragedy of Macbeth
• The Plays of William Shakespeare
  • Proposals for an Edition of Shakespeare
  • Preface to Shakespeare

Miscellaneous prose

• A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
• A Dictionary of the English Language
• Letter to Chesterfield

Fiction and poetry

• Messiah translation
• London
• Irene
• The Vanity of Human Wishes
• The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia

Contemporary
accounts

• James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson
• James Boswell's The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides
• John Hawkins' Life of Samuel Johnson
• Arthur Murphy's Essay on the Life and Genius of Samuel Johnson
• Hester Thrale's Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson
• Thraliana
• Thomas Tyer's A Biographical Sketch of Dr Samuel Johnson

Category

This Scotland-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

This article about a travel book is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e