Boswell's London Journal 1762-1763 [B0390]

1950 HC 1st Yale Edition (without dust jacket). In 1762 James Boswell, then twenty-two years old, left Edinburgh for London. The famous and classic Journal he kept during the next nine months is an intimate account of his encounters with the high-life and the low-life in London. Frank and confessional as a personal portrait of the young Boswell, the Journal is also revealing as a vivid portrayal of life in eighteenth-century London.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Best known for his biography of Samuel Johnson, James Boswell was also an avid journal writer and a shrewd observer of humanity. This account of his stay in London while in his early 20s offers a window into more than 250 years ago. Boswell recorded his sexual escapades, his first meeting with Johnson, his social life, his moods, conversations he heard in coffee houses, people he met and a host of other matters in a charming, even vulnerable style. The annotations by Frederick Pottle are useful and instructive. So is the introduction by Peter Ackroyd. Simply one of the most charming and insightful primary sources we have on the 18th century which continues to delight. Highest recommendation."; "Boswell is an awful person, but a great conversationalist, and his journal is a fascinating insight into what it was like to be a young man in search of romance and a career in 18th century London."; "so bad and terrible!!!! having to read the misogynistic ramblings of a narcissist is not what I came to uni to study....."