Abridgement

This text requires no abridgement.

In making this abridgement of Boswell's Life of Johnson I have omitted most of Boswell's criticisms, comments, and notes, all of Johnson's opinions in legal cases, most of the letters, and parts of the conversation dealing with matters which were of greater importance in Boswell's day than now.

The work of abridgement has been skilfully done by excluding financial, administrative and general engineering terms.