EVERYBODY'S BOSWELL Being the Life of Samuel Johnson abridged from James Boswell's complete text and from the "Tour to the Hebrides". Illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard

First Edition, the Large Paper Edition Limited to Three Hundred and Fifty Copies, Signed by the Artist. This copy is number 35. With an engraved and illustrated title-page featuring Johnson and Boswell strolling through London, and with 54 additional full-page engravings throughout as well as a map at the rear endleaves featuring the journey of Boswell and Johnson to Scotland and the Hebrides. Thick royal 8vo, handsomely bound in the publisher's polished grained cloth, the spine lettered in gilt, the upper cover with a gilt illustrative device showing Boswell and Johnson strolling with one another, top edge gilt. xx, 609 pp. A very fine copy of this edition, beautifully preserved and in a very pleasing condition, a tight, clean and crisp copy, the text and plates all bright and especially fresh, the binding strong, solid and very attractive, virtually pristine.

Edizione: a very handsome copy of two of the great books of the age bound together into this famous presentation with illustrations by ernest shepard, signed by him. celebrated for its intimacy and vividness, boswell's life of johnson "is one of the best books in the world. it is assuredly a great, very great work. homer is not more decidedly the first of heroic poets,--shakespeare is not more decidedly the first of dramatists,--demosthenes is not more decidedly the first of orators, than boswell is the first of biographers." (macauley, in the edinburgh review, 1831). boswell learned a great deal about the art of biography from his subject, and brought to his task boundless curiosity, persistence, and zest.<br> the tour proved to be inspirational for both men. johnson published a journey to the western islands of scotland in 1775 and boswell, in addition to this work, used his notes from the tour extensively in his life of johnson, published in 1791. "as a narrative of personal adventures, boswell's account is to be preferred to johnson's. naturally such a work, as was true of everything concerning dr. johnson, aroused great interest, which was heightened by boswell's frankness in expressing opinions about his hosts as well as by his naivet? in relating incidents that did not reflect credit to himself" (cox).<br> this is a very handsomely bound and readable copy of these two masterworks.