"We are all prompted by the same motives, all deceived by the same fallacies, all animated by hope, obstructed by danger, entangled by desire, and seduced by pleasure."

This book is a biography of the man who wrote those words about 300 years ago, the great man of letters of the 18th century Samuel Johnson. And it has a special purpose: presenting the story of Sam’s life in a shorter form than any other researched biography and conveying that story in a style that’s clear and accessible for any general audience.

During his productive life, Sam started by doing basic writing and editing for a magazine, but he went on to produce some major literary works: essays and poetry, biographies, an edition of the plays of Shakespeare with his own insightful comments, and of course the first modern dictionary of English. My Sam Johnson is yours as well, and one of the main goals is to explain Sam’s style in order to encourage you to explore more of his writing.

Sam’s character is also examined. He was successful but also very self-critical, and in between the visits to clubs and pubs where he reveled in talking about writing and everything else, he was often depressed and sleepless.

Sam is a fascinating and complex man, and My Sam Johnson will introduce you to him for the first time or make you appreciate him even more.

Wayne Jones is a writer, podcaster, and editor in Ottawa, Canada. He has published a book about personal minimalism called Less and Less, as well as the novel The Killing Type. Wayne also hosts the podcast Writing & Editing.