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The Life of Samuel Johnson
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 51 hrs and 2 mins
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The Life of Samuel Johnson
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Publisher's Summary
Charming, vibrant, witty and edifying, The Life of Samuel Johnson is a work of great obsession and boundless reverence. The literary critic Samuel Johnson was 54 when he first encountered Boswell; the friendship that developed spawned one of the greatest biographies in the history of world literature.
The book is full of humorous anecdote and rich characterization, and paints a vivid picture of 18th-century London, peopled by prominent personalities of the time such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, John Wilkes, Oliver Goldsmith and David Garrick, while also giving a compelling insight into Johnson's complex humanity - his depression, fear of death, intellectual brilliance and rough humor.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What listeners say about The Life of Samuel Johnson
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Omar Shubeilat
- 16-02-2022
extraordinary
extraordinary biography of a giant of literature! a bit long and had to take a break in the middle but it's perfect for vacations
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- L. White
- 28-02-2024
AN IMMORTAL BIOGRAPHY
A thoroughly absorbing biography by the Scottish barrister James Boswell of the great 18th century English literary figure Samuel Johnson. Best known for his English dictionary, Johnson is perhaps less read today than Boswell, an irony that would not be lost on the former. Apart from containing a handy biography of Johnson himself, bit parts are played by luminaries of the time including painter Sir Joshua Reynolds and actor David Garrick, explorer James Cook and naturalist Joseph Banks. This work also contains a great deal of literary gossip and commercial talk about the production of books of considerable interest, as well as critical discussion of a great many authors ancient and modern, foreign and English. Johnson's high Tory and High Church outlook is perhaps less attractive to modern sensibilities, but he treated his black manservant and other dependants kindly and was against slavery. Excellently read with many regional accents, also Scottish.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lrbwood
- 07-08-2023
Excellent by any & every measure.
A fascinatingly vivid step back in time.
Well written,well read,vast yet intimate.
Essential listening.
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