Evidence: | 'he read a great deal in a desultory manner, without any scheme of study, as chance threw books in his way, and inclination directed him through them. He used to mention one curious instance of his casual reading, when but a boy. Having imagined that his brother had hid some apples behind a large folio upon an upper shelf in his father's shop, he climbed up to search for them. There were no apples; but the large folio proved to be Petrarch, whom he had seen mentioned in some preface, as one of the restorers of learning. His curiosity having been thus excited, he sat down with avidity and read a great part of the book'. |
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Century: | 1700-1799 | ||||||||||
Date: | Between 1 Jan 1712 and 18 Sep 1727 | ||||||||||
Country: | England | ||||||||||
Time: | n/a | ||||||||||
Place: | city: Lichfield county: Staffordshire other location: his father's shop |
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Type of Experience (Reader): |
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Type of Experience (Listener): |
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Reader: | Samuel Johnson |
Age | Child (0-17) |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | 18 Sep 1709 |
Socio-economic group: | Professional / academic / merchant / farmer |
Occupation: | later writer |
Religion: | n/a |
Country of origin: | England |
Country of experience: | England |
Listeners present if any: (e.g. family, servants,
friends, workmates) |
n/a |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Author: | Petrarch |
Title: | [works] |
Genre: | Essays / Criticism, Poetry |
Form of Text: | Print: Book |
Publication details: | n/a |
Provenance: | borrowed (other) owned by his father |
Record ID: | 20708 | |
Source - | ||
Author: | James Boswell | |
Editor: | R. W. Chapman | |
Title: | Life of Johnson | |
Place of Publication: | Oxford | |
Date of Publication: | 1980 | |
Vol: | n/a | |
Page: | 43-4 | |
Additional comments: | n/a |
Citation: | James Boswell, R. W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson (Oxford, 1980), p. 43-4, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/reading/recorddetails2.php?id=20708, accessed: 28 March 2024 |
Originally published 1791. |
Reading Experience Database version 2.0. Page updated: 27th Apr 2016 3:15pm (GMT)