The Life of Samuel Johnson, Vol. I
James Boswell
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Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson is widely considered to be the greatest English-language biography ever written. It was revolutionary in its efforts to represent Johnson as he was, celebrating his flaws as well as his genius, and in Boswell's decision to represent Johnson primarily by quoting his writings and relating personal anecdotes rather than relying on matters of public record. From the time of its publication till now, The Life of Johnson has been one of the most popular and influential books ever written. (Summary by Kirsten Ferreri.)
N.B. This recording does not include the Preface, Appendices and Footnotes. (14 hr 0 min)
Chapters
| Part 1 | 25:22 | Read by Denny Sayers (d. 2015) |
| Part 2 | 21:00 | Read by Jim Mowatt |
| Part 3 | 48:58 | Read by Andrew Coleman |
| Part 4 | 21:46 | Read by Joshua B. Christensen |
| Part 5 | 17:53 | Read by Gesine |
| Part 6 | 19:53 | Read by Patti Brugman |
| Part 7 | 18:11 | Read by Jason Isbell |
| Part 8 | 16:44 | Read by Michael Yourshaw |
| Part 9 | 21:01 | Read by Michael Yourshaw |
| Part 10 | 41:03 | Read by Andrew Coleman |
| Part 11 | 23:48 | Read by Andrew Coleman |
| Part 12 | 29:30 | Read by Andrew Coleman |
| Part 13 | 20:47 | Read by Cori Samuel |
| Part 14 | 16:07 | Read by Janice |
| Part 15 | 33:29 | Read by Brendan Hodge |
| Part 16 | 19:41 | Read by Sibella Denton |
| Part 17 | 25:41 | Read by Sibella Denton |
| Part 18 | 22:44 | Read by Sibella Denton |
| Part 19 | 29:29 | Read by Sibella Denton |
| Part 20 | 24:50 | Read by Sibella Denton |
| Part 21 | 27:06 | Read by Sibella Denton |
| Part 22 | 32:10 | Read by Christian Pecaut |
| Part 23 | 26:34 | Read by Michael Yourshaw |
| Part 24 | 25:17 | Read by inkwelldragon |
| Part 25 | 34:16 | Read by Janice |
| Part 26 | 33:44 | Read by Michael Yourshaw |
| Part 27 | 28:01 | Read by Sibella Denton |
| Part 28 | 28:04 | Read by Justin Brett |
| Part 29 | 27:45 | Read by Nick Marsh |
| Part 30 | 34:55 | Read by Andrew Coleman |
| Part 31 | 21:39 | Read by Philippa |
| Part 32 | 22:43 | Read by Philippa |
Reviews
Most of the readers did quite well, & Boswell is a fine writer.
Robert Cruthirds
I'm pleasantly surprised at Boswell's talent as a writer and observer. But in this volume at least, he mostly quotes Johnson through various letters, essays, and conversations. Apparently, Boswell was some 20-30 years younger than Johnson and lived in Edinburgh while Johnson resided in London. Almost every year, Boswell spent 2 weeks in the summer with Johnson in London. Unfortunately, Johnson burned his diaries a few days before his death. This makes it difficult for Boswell to verify whether certain events or conversations attributed to Johnson actually occurred.