In 1773, James Boswell made a long-planned journey across the Scottish Highlands with his English friend Samuel Johnson; the two spent more than a hundred days together. Their tour of the Hebrides resulted in two books,
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
(1775), a kind of locodescriptive ethnography and Johnson's most important work between his Shakespeare edition and his
Lives of the Poets
. The other, Boswell's
Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson
(1785), a travel narrative experimenting with biography, the first application of the techniques he would use in his
Life of Samuel Johnson
(1791).
These two works form a natural pair and, owing that they cover much of the same material, are often read together, focusing on the Scottish highlands.
The text presents a lightly-edited version of both works, preserving the original orthography and corrected typographical errors to fit modern grammar standards.
The introduction and notes provide clear and concise explanations on Johnson and Boswell's respective careers, their friendship and grand biographical projects. It also examines the Scottish Enlightenment, the status of England and Scotland during the Reformation through to the Union of the Crowns, and the Jacobite