Record Number: 21135

---

Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Boswell. "I do not know whether there are any well attested stories of the appearance of ghosts. You know there is a famous story of the appearance of Mrs. Veal, prefixed to 'Drelincourt on Death.'" Johnson. " I believe, Sir, that is given up. I believe the woman declared upon her deathbed that it was a lie".'

Century:

1700-1799

Date:

Until: 28 Mar 1772

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

---

Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Samuel Johnson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

18 Sep 1709

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

writer

Religion:

Anglican

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

---

Text Being Read:

Author:

Charles Drelincourt

Title:

Christians Defense against the Fears of Death

Genre:

Other religious, Philosophy

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

fourth edition or after - from 1706

Provenance

unknown

---

Source Information:

Record ID:

21135

Source:

Print

Author:

James Boswell

Editor:

R.W. Chapman

Title:

Life of Johnson

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1980

Vol:

n/a

Page:

472

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 472, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21135, accessed: 18 April 2024

---

Additional Comments:

Originally published 1791. The fiction in question, 'A True Relation of the Apparition of Mrs Veal', was apparently written by Daniel Defoe.