Boswell and the Press: The Ephemeral Writing of James Boswell, Esq.

For two centuries, scholars have considered the ephemeral writing of James Boswell-his periodical writing, his pamphlets, and his broadsides–unworthy of serious critical attention because it is too topical, too superficial, or too trivial to advance our study of Boswell or his literary career. Boswell and the Press challenges that assessment. The essays collected in this volume demonstrate that a study of his ephemeral writing enhances our comprehension of his interests, capabilities, and proclivities as an author, and refines our understanding of how the print environment in which he worked influenced what he wrote and how he wrote it. This collection both contextualizes Boswell’s ephemeral writing in terms of the publishing industry of his day and considers individual works that have received little critical attention or, as in works like The Hypochodriack, that have received inadequate attention. The essays gathered here demonstrate that a study of Boswell’s ephemeral writing can provide a fuller, more nuanced understanding of Boswell the author and his literary career. This collection will also be of interest to scholars studying eighteenth-century British print culture and historians of periodical publishing.