May 17, 2006: The General Correspondence of James Boswell, 1757-1763 finally shipping

After several years delay, The General Correspondence of James Boswell, 1757-1763 is finally shipping. Amazon sells the volume, the 9th in the Yale Research Editions, at a fair discount (34% in the UK).

March 05, 2006: Edinburgh airport to be named after Boswell?

Harvard historian Niall Ferguson has suggested that Glasgow Airport be named after economist, and one of Boswell's professors at Glasgow University, Adam Smith. At the same time he suggests that Edinburgh Airport should be named after James Boswell himself.

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October 24, 2005: Tory Frontrunner related to Boswell?

According to The Times Online, Tory leadership contender David Cameron (38) is related to the Talbot family. One of his ancestors married into that family in the mid-19th century. As some of you no doubt knows, the first major batch of Boswell papers were discovered at Malahide Castle in the 1920s, which was owned by Boswell's ancestor, then Lord Talbot de Malahide.

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October 7, 2005: Correspondence 1757-1763 further postponed

The publication of The General Correspondence of James Boswell, 1757-1763 by Yale University Press has now been further postponed, at least until June 5, 2006.

July 12, 2005: Correspondence 1757-1763 postponed

It would appear that the long awaited publication of Boswell's early correspondence has been postponed. Earlier this year, it was scheduled for publication during the summer, but Yale University Press now gives the release date as November 14, whereas Edinburgh University Press gives the date May 15, 2006. As with many academic titles these years, it seems that seperate US and European editions are being printed, possibly for copyright reasons.

June 4, 2005: Auchinleck reviewed

The Scotsman journalist Lynn Cochrane has written a feature article about Boswell's own Auchinleck House and the possibilities of renting it for holiday stays.

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March 14, 2005: New Boswell-inspired play

new play based on Boswell's London Journal 1762-63, Boswell's Dreams, premiered on Off-Broadway Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 10th. It is written by local Milwaukee playwright Marie Kohler. The first act takes place in 1762-3 and is about Boswell and his friends. The second act is about a present day female researcher going to Scotland to research Dr. Johnson. She quickly discovers that Boswell is much more fascinating and so gets sidetracked.

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February 21, 2005: The General Correspondence of James Boswell, 1757-1763 to be published

The long awaited publication of Boswell's early letters are set to July 2005. The book will cover the period 1757-1763, although only one letter written prior to his 1760 London jaunt seems to have gotten into the volume. The volume has been prepared by Associate Professor Emeritus David Hankins, University of Connecticut and Associate Editor of the Private Papers of James Boswell, James J. Caudle. Apparently, Boswell was a keen Crambo player, and some mentions of the now forgotten game are in his early letters. To get an idea of what Crambo is all about, read this interview with James J. Caudle in Yale Alumni Magazine. The 256 p. volume will be priced at £50 (for the Edinburgh edition) and $75 (for the Yale edition), and contains 121 letters exchanged between Boswell and 26 other correspondents. Ordering information will be publicized on this page when available.