The World in Thirty-Eight Chapters or Dr Johnson’s Guide to Life
11 July 2019Imprint: Picador
Synopsis
'Hitchings is extremely good at unravelling Johnson’s most bullish assertions . . . lucid and empathetic, scholarly but lively. A model Johnsonian, in fact.' The Times
The World in Thirty-Eight Chapters or Dr Johnson’s Guide to Life is a source of profound good sense about what it means to teach, read, write and travel. More than that, though, Henry Hitchings continually...
Details
11 July 2019368 pages
9781509841943Imprint: Picador
Reviews
Hitchings himself could be said to provide positive proof of Dr Johnson’s benign influence on the world. As this delightful book goes on, his own aphorisms grow more like Dr Johnson’s, as though infected with that robust sympathy and intelligence. Looking through my notes for this review, I sometimes found it hard to recall which phrase was coined by H Hitchings, and which by S Johnson.Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
Witty, engaging ... Hitchings proves an amiably convincing advocate for his hero’s enduring significance.Nick Rennison, Sunday Times
'A sprightly companion and guide, full of enjoyable surprises and learned digressions even for those who think they know all there is to know about the great man.'Christopher Hart, TLS
Enjoyable ... Hitchings is at his best when un-entwisting some of Johnson’s most quoted and misquoted sayings.The Times
