The New York herald., 1922-08-06


regarding personal publicity. They
We're concerned over their possible
fate in the book. And they asked
themselves, IF Boswell had created
SO great a disturbance in Scotland
by his account of three months in
Johnson's life, what would be the
result in England when he published
a history of the whole seventy-fiv
years of it?' Fanny Burney wrote
in her Diary: Il feel sorry TO be
named or remembered by that bio
graphical, anecdotal memorandum
mer till his book of poor DIR. John
sons life is finished and published"
1t was six years before the Life"
was finished and published, TO use
Fanny Burney's phrase, for it ap-
peared on May 16, 1871. The biog-
raphy was brought out in two quarto
volumes-the edition was LOO sets
the original looked like he can find
in the New York Public Library the
presentation copy given by Boswell
to Warren Hastings. 1t is not an
attractive work in its typographical
appearance, and the fact that it has
no chapter divisions makes the read
ing of the life in the original form
decidedly trying. Edmond Malone,
the famous Shakespearean commen-
tator. helped Boswell in preparing
the manuscript and reading the
proofs. two sets of proof shoots in
existence having been read in whole
or in part by Malone. One of these
sets of proof sheets was bought by
Mr.. Adam of Buffalo in 1893 for 127
pounds sterling. and is practically
complete. the second set having been
bought by his son. Mr. r. e. Adam,
in 1920. One note, in Boswelrs hand,
on one of the proof pages shows the
world he lived in, for it reads: let
me have another Rerise sent to Sir
Joshua Reynolds's in leicester (sicl
Square, where j dine, and it shall be
returned Instantly a study of these
proof sheets made by Prof. Tinker
shows how many helpful suggestions
Malone made and how many ex-
cisions in favor OF good taste were
due TO him as long as he was able
to help Boswell. which was until
November, 1890.
With the publication of the Life
arose phenomenon that has never
failed of recurrence in more or less
brief cycles of years. This is a re-
vival of interest in Boswell and his
immortal work that has resulted in
over hundred editions of the Life"
and of books on Boswell himself.
these cycles of revived interest rang
ing from two to ten years apart. The
reading world is enjoying one of
these reviyals at the present time,
ani it has brought ont in this coun-
try Prof. Tinker's fascinating study
of the biographer called Young Bos-
wen." and the superb ten volume
Temple Edition" of the Life" and
the Tour TO the Hebrides'' published
by Gabriel Wells. This latest edition
of the Life" in addition to being
edited by Clement Shorter, has intro
ductions to the various volumes writ
ten by such Boswell authorities as
Aleyn Lyell Reade twho has pub
lished books on Johnson and Boswell
that are little known to the general
public owing to their cost or from
having been privately printed; Au-
gustine Birrell twho edited an edi-
ton of Boswen). r. b. Adam (the
Buffalo collector of Johnsoniana and
BoswelIiana) and Prof Tinker,
among others. The Yale professors
contribution to EoSweliiana appears
in his Young Boswell in the form
of hitherto unknown correspondence
of Bos we'll with Rousseau, written in
the winter of 1894 and 1865. (which
have never been published or even
read by scholars" The size of the
Wells Temple Edition has only
been eauale twice before. that being
the Croker editions. which were pub
lished in London in 1881 and in 1899.
III.
Two years elapsed before the sec
ond edition of the Life" appeared
and Boswell was at work on the third
edition when he died, ON May 10.