The General Correspondence of James Boswell ― 1766-1767

The correspondence in this edition begins in February 1766 with Boswell's return from the Grand Tour and ends in December 1769, shortly after his marriage to Margaret Montgomerie.
The major events in Boswell's life during these four years are his involvement with Corsica and the Corsicans' heroic fight for independence, culminating in the publication of his Account of Corsica; his becoming an advocate and his first law causes; and his search for a wife. Among Boswell's correspondents in these volumes are William Pitt the Elder; George Keith, the 10th and last Earl Marischal of Scotland; Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Zelide, the beautiful Dutch bluestocking; Edward and Charles Dilly, publishers; and the engraver Robert Strange. Here, also, are letters to and from tradesmen, farmers, even felons. Historians will find a vast array of subjects illuminated: eighteenth-century politics, religion, landownership, high and low life, domestic life, crime, law, agriculture, theatre, gender, and philosophy. The correspondence in this volume sheds light in particular on Britain's relations with the Continent, India, and North America. The volume offers literary scholars an idea of the literary tastes of the time and a rare glimpse into the world of publishing and bookselling, literary hacks and their search for patronage.