Samuel Johnson: A Biography
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears, some chipping. Page Condition: Good. Markings: previous owner. Binding: Appears intact. The dust jacket shows some wear consistent with age but no major damage.
A landmark work of literary biography, Samuel Johnson by John Wain presents a vivid and authoritative portrait of one of eighteenth-century England's most towering intellectual figures. Wain chronicles Johnson's life from his humble origins in Lichfield through his triumphant rise as the dominant force in London's literary world, capturing the man behind the celebrated wit and dictionary. With the insight of a fellow poet and novelist, Wain illuminates Johnson's complex character — his melancholy, his fierce moral courage, and his extraordinary conversational genius — while situating him firmly within the cultural and political currents of Georgian Britain. The biography draws richly on Johnson's own writings, his friendships with Boswell, Burke, and Reynolds, and the broader sweep of Augustan literature to construct a portrait that is both scholarly and deeply human. Wain's prose is elegant and assured, making this an essential volume for anyone seeking to understand the age Johnson came to define.
Author: John Wain
Format: Hardback
Published: 1975, The Viking Press
Genre: Biography
Condition remarks:
Condition: Good. Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears, some chipping. Page Condition: Good. Markings: previous owner. Binding: Appears intact. The dust jacket shows some wear consistent with age but no major damage.
A landmark work of literary biography, Samuel Johnson by John Wain presents a vivid and authoritative portrait of one of eighteenth-century England's most towering intellectual figures. Wain chronicles Johnson's life from his humble origins in Lichfield through his triumphant rise as the dominant force in London's literary world, capturing the man behind the celebrated wit and dictionary. With the insight of a fellow poet and novelist, Wain illuminates Johnson's complex character — his melancholy, his fierce moral courage, and his extraordinary conversational genius — while situating him firmly within the cultural and political currents of Georgian Britain. The biography draws richly on Johnson's own writings, his friendships with Boswell, Burke, and Reynolds, and the broader sweep of Augustan literature to construct a portrait that is both scholarly and deeply human. Wain's prose is elegant and assured, making this an essential volume for anyone seeking to understand the age Johnson came to define.