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Book Details
  • Image
    Cover of Life of Johnson, Manuscript edition, Volume 4
Long title
James Boswell's Life of Johnson: An Edition of the Original Manuscript in Four Volumes. Volume 4: 1780-1784

Author(s)

Year of 1st publication
2020
Book description

This volume documents the final, dramatic years of Samuel Johnson's life, from 1780 to his death in December 1784. It captures his completion of the monumental Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets amidst profound personal trial and public unrest. Boswell’s manuscript reveals Johnson's observations of the Gordon Riots, his sorrow at the death of Henry Thrale, and his strained final interactions with Hester Thrale. These pages chronicle Johnson's struggle with declining health while showcasing his fortitude. The edition's comprehensive annotations further illuminate this raw material, detailing Boswell’s intricate revisions and contextualizing the events of Johnson’s final years.