Boswell's Political Career was published in 1965 as volume 155 of the series Yale Studies in English.  The basis of the book was Brady's own doctoral dissertation, which was revised extensively for publication.

In the book, Brady takes the reader through Boswell's lifelong, but ultimately unsuccessful, quest for a political career. It also provides a brief introduction to the political life in Scotland at the time, which was dominated for most of Boswell's adult life by the Dundas family of Arniston.

It is divided into 5 chapters 

1) Introduction
2) Opinions and Directions: 1760-1773
3) Ayrshire and Practical Politics: 1774-1782
4) Dependence and Independence: 1782-1786
5) Lonsdale and the Final Phase: 1786-1795