Record Number: 21022
Reading Experience:
Evidence:
'A Lady of Norfolk, by a letter to my friend Dr. Burney, has favoured me with the following solution [to the question of why the St Kildans always got a cold when visited by outsiders]: "Now for the explication of this seeming mystery, which is so very obvious as, for that reason, to have escaped the penetration of Dr. Johnson and his friend, as well as that of the author. Reading the book with my ingenions friend, the late Reverend Mr. Christian of Docking—after ruminating a little, 'The cause, (says he,) is a natural one: The situation of St. Kilda renders a North-East wind indispensably necessary before a stranger can land. The wind, not the stranger, occasions an epidemick cold'."'
Century:1700-1799
Date:Until: 1 Jun 1768
Country:England
Timen/a
Place:county: Norfolk
Type of Experience(Reader):
silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
(Listener):
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown
Reader / Listener / Reading Group:
Reader: Age:Adult (18-100+)
Gender:Female
Date of Birth:n/a
Socio-Economic Group:Gentry
Occupation:n/a
Religion:n/a
Country of Origin:England
Country of Experience:England
Listeners present if any:e.g family, servants, friends
n/a
Additional Comments:
a lady from Norfolk
Text Being Read:
Author: Title:History of St Kilda
Genre:History, Geography / Travel
Form of Text:Print: Book
Publication Detailsn/a
Provenanceunknown
Source Information:
Record ID:21022
Source:James Boswell
Editor:R.W. Chapman
Title:Life of Johnson
Place of Publication:Oxford
Date of Publication:1980
Vol:n/a
Page:391
Additional Comments:
n/a
Citation:
James Boswell, R.W. Chapman (ed.), Life of Johnson, (Oxford, 1980), p. 391, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21022, accessed: 26 March 2025
Additional Comments:
Originally published 1791
