'A Universally Acknowledged Truth'

Boswell recalls several observations made by Johnson on September 22, 1777: “Dr. Johnson advised me to-day to have as many books about me as I could; that I might read upon any subject upon which I had a desire for instruction at the time. ‘What you have read then (said he,) you will remember; but if you have not a book immediately ready, and the subject moulds in your mind, it is a chance if you again have a desire to study it.’ He added, ‘[I]f a man never has an eager desire for instruction, he should prescribe a task for himself. But it is better if a man reads from immediate inclination.’” It’s less of a problem now than it would have been two and a half centuries ago. We have digitalized texts, public and university libraries, e-books and online book dealers, which occasionally offer same-day delivery. Never have I been unable to find a book I wanted to read. Best of all, of course, are the books you find serendipitously in used-book stores. For me, this is the source of the…

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