The Life of Samuel Johnson

While The Life of Samuel Johnson is more about James Boswell’s impressions of Samuel Johnson than Johnson himself, it is articulate and well-written, and full of interesting observations. (On Johnson: “Everything about his character and manners was forcible and violent; there never was any moderation; many a day did he fast, many a year did he refrain from wine; but when he did eat, it was voraciously; when he did drink wine, it was copiously. He could practice abstinence, but not temperance.”) This is not a book to read in one sitting, but it's a delight to dip into occasionally.