"In 1773, literary giant Samuel Johnson set off with his friend James Boswell on a tour of Scotland's remote Highlands and Western Isles. What followed was a vivid travelogue capturing the landscapes, people, and customs of a region on the brink of change. With wit, insight, and curiosity, Johnson reflects on everything from ancient clan traditions to the decline of the Gaelic language—offering a rare glimpse into 18th-century Scotland through the eyes of one of England's greatest minds.
Part travel diary, part cultural critique, A Journey to the Western Isles of Scotland is both a historical snapshot and a thoughtful meditation on identity, society, and the passage of time."
"The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia is a philosophical tale by Samuel Johnson that explores the nature of happiness and the human condition.Rasselas, the prince of Abyssinia, lives in the idyllic and seemingly perfect 'Happy Valley,' where all desires are met, yet he feels a profound sense of dissatisfaction. This restlessness leads him to question the purpose of life and the nature of true happiness.
Despite the comforts surrounding him, Rasselas longs to understand life beyond the confines of his sheltered existence.Driven by his discontent, Rasselas escapes the valley with his sister Nekayah, her maid Pekuah, and their wise companion Imlac. Together, they embark on a journey to Cairo, seeking to uncover what brings genuine fulfillment. Throughout their travels, they encounter various individuals—pleasure-seekers, philosophers, and those burdened by life's hardships—each providing insights into the complexities of happiness."
"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.
Imprisoned by pleasure. Rasselas, prince of Abyssinia, lives a life of luxury within the Happy Valley, a paradise built to shield him from the world's harsh realities. Yet, a gnawing discontent festers within him. Yearning for truth and purpose, Rasselas hatches a daring escape with his sister Nekayah and the wise poet Imlac. Together, they embark on a quest beyond the gilded walls, venturing into a world teeming with contrasting lives and philosophies. Will they find happiness in bustling cities or serene countryside? Can true fulfillment be found in love, knowledge, or power? Lend your ears to Samuel Johnson's timeless tale, 'Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia,' and join the search for meaning in a life of endless possibilities."
"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."
"Above all, Samuel Johnson's Rasselas (1759) is concerned with the nature of happiness. Rasselas and his companions remove themselves from the pleasure of the 'happy valley' so that they can make their 'choice of life'. In the course of their travels they come across scholars, astronomers, shepherds, hermits and poets, explore their way of life. Rasselas finds that complete happiness is elusive and, in the words of his mentor Imlac, 'while you are making the choice of life, you neglect to live'.
In his treatment of this popular tale from the Orient, Johnson deploys his customary wit and perspicacity. Popular in its own day, Rasselas is a journey of the mind and soul, raising important questions concerning the human condition, which remain pertinent today."
"This vast and teeming metropolis that many of us call home sits astride a small river on a small island anchored off the north-west shores of Europe. Yet its very name 'London' is famed, admired and known worldwide. Its growth from hamlet, town, fortification, city and centre of Empire is one of rich reward. Within its ever-changing borders that are forever moving outwards are gems of architecture across cultures, times and influences that exist in very few other places. Its diaspora of peoples and cultures overlap, thrive, compete and influence this leviathan of a world city. Within this volume poets, including the likes and stature of Samuel Johnson and William Blake to Thomas Hardy and Katherine Mansfield, with mere words conjure up the City and its life; its hopes, its troubles, its follies and it's people."
"This book contains grammar points with examples and exercises for learners. With many chapters on various grammatical theories, A Grammar of the English Tongue is the complete guide to the correct usage of English. With its numerous concepts and terms, it serves as a handy reference book for personal or academic usage.
A Grammar of the English Tongue can help you get the basic skills you need for a career and for further educational pursuits."
"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."
"The published dictionary was a huge book: with pages nearly 1½ feet tall and 20 inches wide, it contained 42,773 words; it also sold for the huge price of £4/10s. ($400?). It would be years before "Johnson's Dictionary", as it came to be known, would ever turn a profit; authors' royalities being unknown at that time, Johnson, once his contract to deliver the book was fulfilled, received no further monies connected to the book.
Johnson, once again a freelance writer, albeit now a famous one, faced a grim hand-to-mouth existence; however, in July 1762 the twenty-four year old King George III granted Johnson an annual pension of £300. While not making Johnson rich, it allowed him a modest yet comfortable independence for the remaining thirty years of his life. (Summary from Wikipedia)."
"In this enchanting fable (subtitled The Choice of Life), Rasselas and his retinue burrow their way out of the totalitarian paradise of the Happy Valley in search of that triad of eighteenth-century aspiration - life, liberty and happiness.
According to that quirky authority, James Boswell, Johnson penned his only work of prose fiction in a handful of days to cover the cost of his mother's funeral. The stylistic elegance of the book and its wide-ranging philosophical concerns give no hint of haste or superficiality.
Among other still burning issues Johnson's characters pursue questions of education, colonialism, the nature of the soul and even climate alteration.
Johnson's profoundest concern, however, is with the alternating attractions of solitude and social participation, seen not only as the ultimate life-choice but as the arena in which are played out the deepest fears of the individual: "Of the uncertainties of our present state, the most dreadful and alarming is the uncertain continuance of Reason." (Summary by Martin Geeson)"
"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."
