No one is more representative of the eighteenth century than Dr Johnson, a sceptic and a rationalist (though a supporter of religion) whose advice to his friend Boswell was: 'Clear you mind of cant.'

Johnson achieved fame with his Dictionary and his edition of Shakespeare, but he lives for us in Boswell's racy Life, judged by many to be the best biography in the English language, which records his conversation over twenty years. This concise collection draws on Boswell's Life and the whole range of Johnson's own writings to present a comprehensive sample of his wit and deepest thoughts on life and books.