Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides (1785)

This is the only journal published by Boswell himself, although in a slightly edited version. It deals entirely with his and Samuel Johnson's journey through Scotland and round the Hebrides in the late summer and autumn of 1773.

Availability

This is probably Boswell's most widely available work, if possibly second to his Life of Johnson. It has been reprinted numerous times since it's initial publication in 1785.

Most useful to Boswell enthusiasts are probably the two William Heinemann editions published in 1936 and 1961 respectively. The 1936 was the first edition of a Boswell text based on the discovery of his manuscript notes discovered in the 1920s and 1930s, which was made available to a wider audience. The 1961 edition is a photographic reprint of the 1936 edition, but with a new introduction and numerous endnotes added to fully take advantage of the huge progress in research that had taken place since 1936. The first edition was edited by Charles Bennett and Frederick Pottle, while the last was completed by Pottle alone following Bennett's death in 1957.

Literally hundreds of copies, new and old, are available from AbeBooks.