A laudable effort . . . Davis's study offers a refreshing and affectionate look at Johnson as a presence.

The book looks at various aspects of Johnson's thought and personality and meditates upon their complexity and abiding wisdom. . . . One particularly nice touch is Davis' tendency to compare Johnson with writers of other periods, such as Tolstoy, Bellow, and even Malamud. Generally, our tendency is to see Johnson in a far narrower context than his own range, depth, and importance can justify.

Davis, directing his book at 'the serious common reader, ' turns, as one middle-aged wisdom-seeker to another, to Johnson for 'practical advice about how to live.' . . . [Davis] can be seen as following the Rambler's injunction that we ought to be reading in order to become better and wiser, to benefit our hearts and actions, as well as our minds.