New Book Explores Friendships Among Literary, Legal Giants

Friendships Across Ages: Johnson and Boswell; Holmes and Laski
by Jeffrey O'Connell and Thomas E. O'Connell

List Price: $60.00
Hardcover: 188 pages
Publisher: Lexington Books (December 2007)
ISBN-10: 0739120344
ISBN-13: 978-0739120347

From the UVa press release:

A new book exploring the friendships among 18th century literary figure Samuel Johnson and his biographer James Boswell and 20th century U.S. Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. and British socialist Harold Laski reveals how the relationships helped establish the legacies of Johnson and Holmes.

All four men were fascinated by, and wrote about, the law, although only Boswell and Holmes were lawyers, according to Jeffrey O’Connell, Samuel McCoy II Professor of Law, who co-wrote Friendships Across Ages: Johnson and Boswell; Holmes and Laski, with his brother, Thomas E. O’Connell, president emeritus of Berkshire (Mass.) Community College.

[JH]