Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and committed Tory and has been described as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history.”
All Books By Samuel Johnson
A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland
- By: Samuel Johnson
- Narrator: Samuel Johnson
- Length: 4 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: March 04, 2008
- Language: English
In 1773, an unlikely pair-a dominant figure of English literature and a young lawyer-set out on horseback to follow roads and cattle-trails across the Highlands to the Western Islands of Scotland. Their conversation and accounts are filled with curious detail, flashing wit and fascinating encounters with the high and low of the country.
... Read moreRasselas, Prince of Abyssinia
- By: Samuel Johnson
- Narrator: Graham Scott
- Length: 4 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2023
- Language: English
Young prince Rasselas is discontented with life in the idyllic Happy Valley, where the children of the King of Abyssinia are confined for life amid every pleasure that the heart could desire. Along with his sister Nekayah, and his friend the poet Imlac, Rasselas escapes the Valley to explore the world and the human condition, so that they may each make their own choice of life. As they encounter different classes of people and modes of life, they come to understand better the elusive nature of happiness.
... Read moreThe History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
- By: Samuel Johnson
- Narrator: Samuel Johnson
- Length: 4 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: October 14, 2016
- Language: English
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3.47(5122 ratings)
Rasselas and his companions escape the pleasures of the “happy valley” in order to make their “choice of life.” By witnessing the misfortunes and miseries of others they come to understand the nature of happiness, and value it more highly. Their travels and enquiries raise important practical and philosophical questions concerning many aspects of the human condition, including the business of a poet, the stability of reason, the immortality of the soul, and how to find contentment. Johnson’s adaptation of the popular oriental tale displays his usual wit and perceptiveness; skeptical and probing, his tale nevertheless suggests that wisdom and self-knowledge need not be entirely beyond reach.
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