PUBLIC LECTURE: Samuel Johnson and the Wide Brown Land

An IAS public lecture by John W Byrne, a Governor of Dr Johnson’s House, London and Bibliophile.

In this lecture, John Byrne will discuss the faint but fascinating presence of Johnson and his circle in this continent, from the earliest days of English exploration and settlement on the east coast of Australia through to the growth of Johnsonian scholarship in the present day.

Mr Byrne will give a summary of the life of Samuel Johnson, consider his place in English literature, his impact on our society in Australia today and the reasons why he is considered such a towering intellectual figure. He will illustrate his lecture with a selection of important material from his internationally recognised library of Johnson’s works and Johnsoniana.