London Journal Boswell S

BOSWELL, James. An account of Corsica, the journal of a tour to that island; and memoirs of Pascal Paoli. Glasgow, printed by Robert & Andrew Foulis for Edward & Charles Dilly London, 1768.
First edition of this delightful travel book by James Boswell (1740-1795), today mainly known as the friend and biographer of Samuel Johnson. The work was so popular that three more editions appeared during that same year (1768). The book is divided in two parts, the first giving a detailed description and history of Corsica, and the second containing a journal of Boswell's voyage to the island. It was especially this latter part which excited the public, being a lively account of Boswell's quixotic adventures in Corsica and his association with General Paoli. Pascal Paoli was a Corsican patriot, who in 1755 succeeded in liberating the island from Genoese oppression and was chosen president under a republican constitution. In 1769, however, his troops were defeated by the French, and he had to flee to England. Boswell brought Paoli to London, introduced him to the circle of Samuel Johnson, and succeeded in getting official British support for the island's struggle to become an independent nation. With the help of Admiral Hood, the French were defeated in 1794, but after only two years of British reign the French took over again, with Corsica coming under jurisdiction of Napoleon Bonaparte. Boswell enjoyed his role as promoter of Corsica's interests so much that he appeared in Corsican costume at Garrick's anniversary party in honour of Shakespeare in Stratford-on-Avon in 1769. Johnson said about Boswell's book: "Your History is like other histories, but your Journal is in a very high degree curious and delightful". The large folding map, newly made for Boswell's account by his servant Thomas Phinn and dated 1768, is one of the rare maps solely devoted to the island. The book was translated within a few years into Dutch, German, French, and Italian.
Good copy with armorial bookplate of Benjamin Hartley Foote.- (Rebacked, small tear in map).
Cox I, pp. 138-9; Lowndes, <I>The Bibliogr. Manual of Engl. Lit. </I>I, p. 242 (first ed.); Pottle 24; Rotschild 442; Gaskell 473.

8vo. Contemporary calf, rebacked with original spine pasted over, red morocco title label. Engraved coat of arms on title and large engraved folding map (273 x 443 mm) of Corsica engraved in Edingburg by Thomas Phinn in 1768. (5), VI-XXI, (3), 382 pp.

[SW: Corsica; Travel & Voyages]

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BOSWELL, JAMES [FREDERICK A. POTTLE - ED.]. Boswell's London Journal 1762-1763. Now first published from the original manuscript. Melbourne-London-Toronto., William Heinemann Ltd., 1951.

Original publisher's black leather binding, gilt title spine, red & gilt illustration & gilt ornamentation spine, gilt coat-of-arms frontcover, top-edge gilt, white ribbon, reprint [1950], tall 8vo: frontispiece large folding map of Londen, portrait Boswell, xiv, 370pp., footnotes, bibliographical notes, appendices, index. Very fine copy - excellent condition.

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Boswell. - Pottle, Frederick A. Boswell's London Journal 1762-1763.

Now first published from the original manuscript ... London, Heinemann 1950. 8°. 370 S. OLn. OU. (The Yale Edition of the Private Papers of James Boswell). Name verso Frontispiz. -CHF 35.00

[SW: Literatur]

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Pottle, Frederick A. (Hrsg.): Boswell's London Journal 1762- 1763,

Harborough Publishing, London, 1958. 267 S., TB

[SW: Engl. Literatur]

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