James Boswell's impact on the development of biography as a genre and on the understanding of the requirements for good biographical writing can hardly be overstated. The discovery of Boswell's journals has not only enhanced his reputation as one of literary history's most fascinating characters but has also heightened awareness of the strengths and limitations of his biographical methods. Boswell has stimulated more vigorous personal and critical response than perhaps any other author whose major works were either biographical or historical. Boswell's writing also causes spirited reactions: it delights, charms, infuriates, and perplexes.

Some of Boswell's experiences in his youth encouraged a strong interest in the lives of "the ablest and worthiest men in the world" (from an autobiographical sketch Boswell composed for Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1764). When Euphemia Erskine Boswell gave birth to James in Edinburgh on 29 October 1740, she intended that her son would grow up properly influenced...