This abridged edition of Boswell's famous biography of Samuel Johnson provides an intimate look at one of the greatest literary figures of the 18th century. Boswell, a close friend of Johnson and noted diarist, presents a detailed portrait of Johnson's life, including his relationships with other writers, his struggles with depression, and his witty and sometimes outrageous conversational style. This edition distills the most important and entertaining parts of the original work into a more accessible format for modern readers.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.