/ Dr Johnson, his club and other friends
Dr Johnson, his club and other friends
The National Portrait Gallery's Character Sketches is a series of compact, fully illustrated, historical guides to literary and artistic personalities and themes. Written by well-known writers of today, they use images from the Gallery's unique collection to examine the public and the private faces, the lives, thoughts and relationships, both artistic and personal, within each selected group
Jenny Uglow
Dr Johnson, man of powerful intellect, quick tongue and bullish stubbornness, created a position for himself in eighteenth-century London society with stern determination. With his friends, who included historical greats such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, David Garrick and James Boswell, Johnson formed an exclusive 'Club' and revolutionised the capital's cultural life in the process. Bringing together the literary, artistic and political giants of the period, Johnson's Club was a focus for intellectual rivalry and debate, but also for conversation, friendship and support. Jenny Uglow's book provides a fascinating insight into the personalities of Johnson's circle, and the force that bound them together: the mighty Dr Johnson himself.
Jenny Uglow has written widely on eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century literature and culture. Her previous books include the highly acclaimed biographies of Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot. Her study of the life of Hogarth (1997) met with widespread praise and was nominated for the Whitbread Award for Biography.
166 x 121mm, 64 pages
41 illustrations, 20 in colour
ISBN 1 85514 232 5
£5.99 (hardback)
Special offer price: £5.00
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