Selections from James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson, Chosen and Edited by R.W. Chapman

Originally published by Oxford University Press in 1919, this edition was prepared by R.W. Chapman, a distinguished scholar and secretary to the Delegates of the Oxford University Press who was widely regarded as a preeminent authority on Samuel Johnson and Jane Austen. Chapman’s approach was to provide an accessible bridge for readers daunted by the massive scale of the original multi-volume biography, carefully curating key passages to maintain the integrity of Boswell’s portrait of Johnson while emphasizing the most vibrant anecdotal evidence of the lexicographer's personality.

The editorial design reflects the scholarly rigor characteristic of the early twentieth-century Oxford series, which aimed to bring canonical English literature to a broader academic and public audience. By extracting the most poignant and characteristic exchanges, Chapman succeeded in preserving the conversational wit that defines Boswell’s work, resulting in a volume that remains a standard reference for students of eighteenth-century literature and the history of English letters.