Reading Experience Database
1450-1945

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Record 20708

Reading Experience:

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'.
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
   
Type of Experience (Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Type of Experience (Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Reader/Listener/Reading Group:

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

 

Text Being Read:

Author: Petrarch
Title: [works]
Genre: Essays / Criticism, Poetry
Form of Text: Print: Book
Publication details: n/a
Provenance: borrowed (other)
owned by his father

 

Source Information:

Record ID: 20708  
Source - Print  
  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

Additional comments:

Originally published 1791.

 

 

Reading Experience Database version 2.0.  Page updated: 27th Apr 2016  3:15pm (GMT)