James Boswell (1778–1822) facts for kids

as a boy

James Boswell the Younger (born in 1778 – died on February 24, 1822) was a lawyer. He was the second son of James Boswell, who was famous for writing about Samuel Johnson.

Growing Up and Becoming a Lawyer

James Boswell the Younger was the second son of James Boswell and his wife, Mary.

He went to school at an academy in Soho Square and then at Westminster School. His father thought he was a very special boy, much like himself. His father wanted him to become a lawyer.

In 1797, James started studying at Brasenose College, Oxford. He earned his first degree in 1801 and a master's degree in 1806. He also became a special scholar there. While he was a student, he helped with the third edition of his father's book, Life of Samuel Johnson. He later carefully checked and fixed the text for the sixth edition of the book.

On May 24, 1805, he became a barrister, which is a type of lawyer, at the Inner Temple.

Working on Books with Edmond Malone

From a young age, James was close to his father's friend, Edmond Malone. He helped Malone gather and organize information for a new edition of Malone's book, The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare. When Malone was very ill, he asked James to finish the book, which James did. James also wrote a short story about Malone for The Gentleman's Magazine in June 1813. He later printed this story for friends.

James was one of the first members of the Roxburghe Club, which was a group of people who loved old books. In 1816, he gave the club a copy of the poems of Richard Barnfield. In 1817, he gave them A Roxburgh Garland, which included some old songs and a song he wrote himself about the club.

In 1821, a very important edition of Shakespeare's plays came out. It was called The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare, with the corrections and illustrations of various commentators, comprehending a life of the poet and an enlarged history of the stage, by the late Edmond Malone, with a new glossarial index. This huge collection had 21 volumes. James Boswell the Younger was the editor. He wrote a long introduction and added notes. He also finished Malone's "Essay on the Phraseology and Metre of Shakespeare" and the "Glossarial Index." After James died, Malone's brother gave the collection of old English books that Malone had left to James to the Bodleian Library.

His Final Years

James Boswell the Younger died suddenly in his rooms in the Temple on February 24, 1822. He was not married. He passed away just a few weeks before his brother, Sir Alexander, died in a duel. Sir Alexander wrote a poem about James, saying he had "never lost one friend or found one foe."

John Gibson Lockhart, who wrote about Walter Scott, described James Boswell as a very smart person with great social skills. Both Walter Scott and Sir Alexander were very fond of him. James was also part of a group of writers and thinkers who met at Albemarle Street with John Murray, a famous publisher. Murray thought James's good opinion of Scott's Tales of My Landlord was important enough to tell Scott about it.