33 Facts About James Boswell

James Boswell is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary, the English writer Samuel Johnson, which is commonly said to be the greatest biography written in the English language.

James Boswell was the eldest son of a judge, Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck, and his wife Euphemia Erskine.

James Boswell's mother was a strict Calvinist, and he felt that his father was cold to him.

The eight-year-old James Boswell was unhappy there, and suffered from nightmares and extreme shyness.

At thirteen, James Boswell was enrolled into the arts course at the University of Edinburgh, studying there from 1753 to 1758.

James Boswell had swarthy skin, black hair and dark eyes; he was of average height, and he tended to plumpness.

James Boswell's appearance was said to be alert and masculine.

The first conversation between Johnson and James Boswell is quoted in Life of Samuel Johnson as follows:.

James Boswell spent a year there and although desperately unhappy the first few months, eventually quite enjoyed his time in Utrecht.

James Boswell befriended and fell in love with Isabelle de Charriere, known as Belle van Zuylen, a vivacious young Dutchwoman of unorthodox opinions, his social and intellectual superior.

James Boswell admired the young widow Geelvinck who refused to marry him.

James Boswell travelled to Corsica to meet one of his heroes, the independence leader Pasquale Paoli.

James Boswell's well-observed diaries and correspondence of this time have been compiled into two books, Boswell in Holland and Boswell on the Grand Tour.

James Boswell studied for his final law exam at Edinburgh University.

James Boswell practised for over a decade, during which time he spent no more than a month every year with Johnson.

James Boswell found enjoyment in playing the intellectual rhyming game crambo with his peers.

James Boswell sent arms and money to the Corsican fighters, who were ultimately defeated at the Battle of Ponte Novu in 1769.

James Boswell was, much to the chagrin of his friend Johnson, a strong defender of the American Revolution.

James Boswell remained faithful to Boswell, despite his frequent liaisons with prostitutes, until her death from tuberculosis in 1789.

Boswell's residency at James Court has been well established, but not the exact location.

For example, a later edition of Traditions of Edinburgh by Robert Chambers suggests that Boswell's residence at James Court was actually in the Western wing.

James Boswell's James Court flat was notable for having two levels, and although a modern renovation in the Eastern section reveals such a possibility, it is likely that Boswell's residence was a similarly equipped one in the Western section that no longer exists, having burned down in the mid 1800s.

James Boswell became quite friendly with the 6th Earl of Dumfries, as well as seeing him in Scotland he visited him in Rosemount, London in 1787 and 1788.

James Boswell was a frequent guest of Lord Monboddo at Monboddo House, a setting where he gathered significant observations for his writings by association with Samuel Johnson, Lord Kames and other notable attendees.

In 1792 James Boswell lobbied the Home Secretary to help gain royal pardons for four Botany Bay escapees, including Mary Bryant.

James Boswell offered to stand for Parliament but failed to get the necessary support, and he spent the final years of his life writing his Life of Samuel Johnson.

James Boswell's remains were interred in the crypt of the James Boswell family mausoleum in what is the old Auchinleck Kirkyard in Ayrshire.

James Boswell included more personal and human details than those to which contemporary readers were accustomed.

Macaulay and Carlyle, among others, have attempted to explain how a man such as James Boswell could have produced a work as detailed as the Life of Johnson.

The former argued that James Boswell's uninhibited folly and candour were his greatest qualifications; the latter replied that beneath such traits was a mind to discern excellence and a heart to appreciate it, aided by the power of accurate observation and considerable dramatic ability.

James Boswell subsequently became Master of that Lodge in 1773 and in that year was Senior Grand Warden of the Grand Lodge of Scotland.

James Boswell's surname has passed into the English language as a term for a constant companion and observer, especially one who records those observations in print.

On 14 November 2020, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd called reporter Maggie Haberman "Trump's James Boswell", referring to Ms.