In preparation for his biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson and as a celebration of their friendship, James Boswell invites his friend to accompany him on a tour of the Scottish highlands and neighboring islands as well as back to his own estate at Auchinleck. Boswell records the details of their travels in this The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. In this record, he forgoes the more showy form of travel narrative which became common in this era in favor of a much more personal and thorough diary, after all he was performing editorial research in a sense.
The manner by which Boswell relates to Johnson is most curious and stands out among the various other nuances of the text. As a potential biographer, Boswell is not careful to conceal his admiration for his companion. He devotes page after page to lauding his friend for his various accomplishments, his extensive general knowledge, and his eccentricities. Boswell appears to be trying to trace his friend's genius back through time in a sort of expose on the events and activities which shaped a genius celebrity. Although the two men encounter various discords with one another, they remain constantly focused upon the task at hand which is leisure and appreciation of the land.
Comparing Boswell's journal to Johnson's own account of the journey, the reader quickly realizes the source of discord between the two. They possess quite different temperaments as well as skill sets. For Boswell, the primary concern is to keep a carefully maintained record of the various sights and events along their journey. He is primarily documenting the trip, with little emphasis upon holding his reader's attention. This being said, his temperament is humorous and relatable. In his descriptions even of conflicts, Boswell retains a good humor and a meticulous relationship to detail, despite sometimes taking liberties in his personal estimation of people whom they encounter along the way.
