Autograph letter signed on The Life of Samuel Johnson - photo 1
Autograph letter signed on The Life of Samuel Johnson - photo 2

Autograph letter signed on The Life of Samuel Johnson

Lot 91
06.10.2022 12:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 23 940
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
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The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 813634
Lot 91 | Autograph letter signed on The Life of Samuel Johnson
Estimate value
$ 10 000 – 15 000
Autograph letter signed on The Life of Samuel Johnson

James Boswell, 5 April 1792

BOSWELL, James (1740-1795). Autograph letter signed (“James Boswell”) to Reverend [Ralph Churton of Brasenose College], London, 5 April 1792.



4 pages, 220 x 185mm, bifolium, date of receipt annotated at upper margin of first page by the recipient. Provenance: T.P. Churton, Esq. (Sotheby’s, 16 June 1930, lot 171a) [bought by Gabriel Wells] – Christie’s New York, 22 May 1981, lot 44 – Sotheby's, 13 July 2000, lot 19 – Christie's, 8 June 2005, lot 45.



An important letter from Boswell discussing Johnson's "morbid melancholy" and The Life. Writing at length to his friend Reverend Churton, Boswell makes reference to Johnson’s notion of the unhappiness of human life, and, indeed, his own, as well as his plans to include these observations in the next edition. Churton had written a long letter to Boswell on 9 March, expressing the delight that he and Dr Thomas Howson had taken in reading the Life together. Here Boswell first thanks his friend for this praise and continues, "As to Johnson's notion of the unhappiness of human life, I have when mentioning the Rambler (Vol. 1, p. 116) in some degree obviated any reflections against him on that head; and when mentioning Rasselas (Vol. 1, p. 186) I suggest that his 'morbid melancholy' may have made life appear to him more miserable than it generally is. But the truth, Sir, is as you have judiciously observed that I myself have a large portion of melancholy in my constitution for which I am satisfied that allowance should be made. Your remark upon this important subject is so good that if you will give me permission, I will insert it as a note on 'the unhappiness of human life' in my second Volume, p. 242 ... My Octavo edition is now in the press; and therefore you will be so good as to let me hear from you with your first convenience ..." William Ralph Churton (1837-1897) was an Anglican churchman and author, and in his reply dated 10 April, he would assent to Boswell including his remarks. The resulting footnote added to the second edition would ultimately take up nearly three columns. See Thomas F. Bonnell, James Boswell's Life of Johnson: An Edition of the Original Manuscript, in Four Volumes, Edinburgh University Press, 2020, vol. 4 p. 219.

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