The collection and editing of the papers of James Boswell, the Author of the biographical works on Samuel Johnson, was a very useful action. Few eighteenth century literary men are as well documented as Boswell. The eighteenth century was a period of great changes, and without Boswell it would be considerably harder to gather an impression of the British society that was his home. Just enough of an outsider to be an accurate recorder, his impressions often strike a chord in the modern reader.
This volume covers the period when Boswell established himself in his profession, and got married. While fashionable/literary London moved on, Boswell found himself less interested in it. Boswell took up a case of sheep-stealing and was unsucessful in preventing the execution of his client, an evemt that affecterd him deeply.
Thr reader will have a good time sorting out the nuances of Boswell's life at this time, where he appears at his most likeable. ( )