Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
49 used & new from £1.95

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland : AND The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (English Library)
 
 

A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland : AND The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (English Library) (Paperback)

by Samuel Johnson (Author), James Boswell (Author), Peter Levi (Editor) "I had desired to visit the Hebrides, or Western Islands of Scotland, so long, that I scarcely remember how the wish was originally excited; and..." (more)
5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
RRP: £10.99
Price: £7.69 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.30 (30%)
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Want guaranteed delivery by Tuesday, July 7? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
28 new from £4.89 21 used from £1.95
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £39.50 £37.53 9 used & new from £16.72
Paperback Order it used

Frequently Bought Together

A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland : AND The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (English Library) + The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (Wordsworth Classics) + Northanger Abbey (Wordsworth Classics)
Price For All Three: £11.67

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (Wordsworth Classics)

The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (Wordsworth Classics)

by James Hogg
4.3 out of 5 stars (12)  £1.99
Oroonoko: Or the History of the Royal Slave (Penguin Classics)

Oroonoko: Or the History of the Royal Slave (Penguin Classics)

by Aphra Behn
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £5.19
A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland Circa 1695: A Voyage to St Kilda: WITH A Description of the Occidental I.E. Western Islands of Scotland

A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland Circa 1695: A Voyage to St Kilda: WITH A Description of the Occidental I.E. Western Islands of Scotland

by Martin Martin
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £7.49
Northanger Abbey (Wordsworth Classics)

Northanger Abbey (Wordsworth Classics)

by Jane Austen
4.1 out of 5 stars (21)  £1.99
Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (Oxford Paperbacks)

Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (Oxford Paperbacks)

by William Blake
5.0 out of 5 stars (9)  £6.99
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Penguin Classics; Reprint edition (26 Jan 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0140432213
  • ISBN-13: 978-0140432213
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 113,589 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #36 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Essays, Journals & Letters > 16th to 18th Centuries
    #67 in  Books > Poetry, Drama & Criticism > Poetry > By Period > 16th to 18th Centuries

Product Description

Product Description
Book by Samuel Johnson, published in 1775. The Journey was the result of a three-month trip to Scotland that Johnson took with James Boswell in 1773. It contains Johnson's descriptions of the customs, religion, education, trade, and agriculture of a society that was new to him. The account in Boswell's diary, published after Johnson's death as The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, with Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1785), offers an intimate personal record of Johnson's behavior and conversation during the trip.

About the Author
Samuel Johnson was born in 1709 and died in 1784--a long life, though one marred by depression and fear of death. Samuel Johnson's literary reputation rests on such a varied output that he defies easy description: poet, critic, lexicographer, travel writer, essayist, editor, and, with his good friend and fellow traveller James Boswell, a biographer. l

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
I had desired to visit the Hebrides, or Western Islands of Scotland, so long, that I scarcely remember how the wish was originally excited; and was in the Autumn of the year 1773 induced to undertake the journey, by finding in Mr Boswell a companion, whose acuteness would help my inquiry, and whose gaiety of conversation and civility of manners are sufficient to counteract the inconveniencies of travel, in countries less hospitable than we have passed. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
samuel johnson
18th century britlit
scotland
classics

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


 

Customer Reviews

1 Review
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:    (0)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5.0 out of 5 stars Johnson and Boswell. What a Team!, 4 Mar 2009
By Bob Salter "Sandman" (Wiltshire, England) - See all my reviews
If you were able to select guests for a dinner party from any persons living or dead, then I would suggest that you place Samuel Johnson at the top of your list. And if you were to invite him, then you should of course invite James Boswell. Johnson would set the party ablaze with his forthright remarks and his caustic wit. His curious mind always thirsting for knowledge he would be full of questions. Boswell might interject occasionally but mostly he would be paying attention to the musings of Johnson, and would put his pearls of wisdom in pen and ink at the earliest opportunity. And so the two are captured in these fascinating travelogues/memoirs.

In 1773 when Johnson was sixty-three years old and Boswell thirty-two, the two set out on an arduous journey around Scotland. Prior to the trip Boswell had mentioned the idea to Voltaire. Wrote Boswell. "He looked at me as if I had talked of going to the North Pole....". Johnson and Boswell had already been friends for ten years and. Their journals of this journey are published here together. "A journey to the Western Isles of Scotland" was written by Johnson and "The journal of a Tour to the Hebrides" was written by Boswell. Johnson's incredible interest in the world and his close observations of subjects as diverse as ancient arrowheads to the medicinal waters of Loch Ness are carefully recorded.

In Boswells account we get a very personal observation of the character of Johnson. Whilst Johnson was meticulously observing Scotland he was being meticulously observed by Boswell. His record is very entertaining and full of Johnson's sardonic wit. Johnson was expecting Scotland to be a wild and barbaric country. Bearing in mind this was less than thirty years after Culloden that is not an unreasonable assumption. But no, he was surprised to learn when asking a Highlander " Do you use the Dirk to cut up your meat". The man replied, " No we use knives and forks". What a disappointment!

It is a remarkable journey that the two made. It would have been arduous enough for a young man let alone one of Johnson's age. The old military/cattle roads of those days were not the pleasant green roads we tend to think of. Others have struggled to follow the route. A few years ago there was a documentary on TV where they tried to drive cattle along part of the route. It ended in farce with the cattle refusing to go through the lochs and wandering off at night.

As a result of the trip, their friendship grew even stronger. This no doubt helped Boswell in preparation for his monumental classic biography "Life of Johnson". Despite Johnson's irascibility he had a soft heart and you will enjoy his skilled observations and wit through his own pen, and his agreeable company through the observant eyes of his friend and companion Boswell. This is a joy to read.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]

   


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Look for similar items by subject


Feedback


Waverley (English Library)

Waverley (English Library)

Set against the backdrop of the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, Waverley... Read more
£9.99 £6.49

Find similar items

 

More From Samuel Johnson

The Major Works

The Major Works by Samuel Johnson...

This authoritative edition was formerly published in the acclaimed... Read more
£11.99 £7.19

 

Boys Smell

Lynx Africa Body Spray and After Shave Gift set
But we make sure they smell good...

Discover male grooming at Amazon.co.uk

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates