THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF SAMUEL JOHNSON

Pioneer British lexicographer Samuel Johnson continues to fascinate more than two hundred years after his death. This biography is far shorter than Boswell's classic and stresses the human side of the eccentric genius, whose slovenly appearance and compulsive mannerisms were offset by brilliant conversation and lucid writing. The familiar voice of David Case reads with his usual casual, British. faintly sardonic cadences, nicely complementing the milieu in which Johnson lived and the mostly wealthy semi-aristocrats with whom he associated. Case is not required to portray a large number of characters, thank heavens. Instead he reads the story, and that's about it. D.R.W. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 02]