A Life of James Boswell
A Life of James Boswell

Author: Peter Martin

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2002-04-30

Total Pages: 644

ISBN-13: 9780300093124

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"Born in Edinburgh, the 'Athens of the North', a Scot who hated living in Scotland and nourished a lifelong love affair with London, Boswell was biographer, journalist, laird, advocate, social lion, incurable rake, lover, life of the party, traveller, steadfast friend, endearing charmer, exhibitionist fool, and drunken sot. In this moving biography, Peter Martin assesses Boswell's literary achievements and uncovers the pulsating and dynamic world he thrived in, from the royal courts and the drawing rooms of fashionable ladies and gentlemen to the fleshpots of London's unsavoury underworld and the chambers of the insane. He also poignantly reveals a man in agony, easily misunderstood, relentlessly plagued by hypochondria or melancholia, buffeted like a straw in the wind by a multitude of anxieties and 'horrible imaginings'."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The Duel Between Sir Alexander Boswell and James Stuart
The Duel Between Sir Alexander Boswell and James Stuart

Author: Michael Moss

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2019-08

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 9781527534957

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Sir Alexander Boswell (1775-1822) wrote Scottish songs that are still performed today, such as â oeJennyâ (TM)s Bawbeeâ . An extravagant character and a Tory, he wrote flagrant lampoons of his Whig opponents. One of them greatly incensed his Whig cousin James Stuart of Dunearn, who challenged him to a duel in which Boswell was killed. At his trial for murder, Stuart was represented as a peaceable man unaccustomed to the use of firearms. Nothing could be further from the truth. He served in the militia, was irascible and, at times, violent. This book tells the compelling stories of the remarkable tangled events that led to their quarrel. The duel marked a turning point in Scottish politics away from a turbulent and fractious past to a quieter future. The Whigs triumphed, paving the way for liberal Scotland. In addition, this volume includes, for the first time, many of Boswellâ (TM)s poems and witty lampoons.

Tales From the Back Green
Tales From the Back Green

Author: Bill Paterson

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Published: 2009-08-06

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13: 1848945779

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When these captivating Tales from the Back Green were broadcast on BBC Radio they were described by The Herald as 'a vividly engaging portrait of a vanished city' and The Scotsman as 'an engaging series fondly and wittily rendered'. Now published for the first time, actor Bill Paterson's stories brilliantly evoke his 1950s Glasgow boyhood. This is a world of intriguing characters and extraordinary events set against the background of the changes and challenges of the post-war era – the nuclear threat, the fading dominance of the kirk, Rock and Roll, the disappearance of the beloved trams, and why penny whoppers were not worth tuppence. As a young surveyor, Paterson was witness to the dramatic transformation of the city, as austere tenements were swept away to make way for new roads and high-rise blocks. Tales From the Back Green is a brilliant realisation of childhood and youth; of memories Paterson describes as 'suspended in amber like Jurassic Park's mosquito, with its DNA still intact.' He wonders whether our memories change from grey to gold as the years pass - do we naturally recall our childhood as a time of optimism and hope?