Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 5 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 25 minutes

"A Journey to the Western Islands of Scotland" is a travel narrative written by Samuel Johnson in 1775. The book details Johnson's eighty-three-day journey through Scotland, specifically the Hebrides islands, in the late summer and autumn of 1773. Johnson was accompanied by his friend James Boswell, who also booked the trip in his own book. The two narratives are often published together, offering different perspectives on the same events. The Highlands of Scotland in 1773 were still relatively wild, with marauding privateers and slave-ships along the coasts. The destruction of Scottish forests was ongoing, and the clan system had been dismantled. Johnson and Boswell traveled by carriage, horseback, and boat, staying at the houses of local gentry. Scotland at the time was a romantic place, relatively empty and unspoiled. Johnson observed and commented on various aspects of Scottish life, including language, religion, and education. The book was not the first to report on Scotland, but it provided valuable insights into the changing landscape of the country.