[Gutenberg 652] • Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia

Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 [O.S. 7 September] - 13 December 1784), often referred to as Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and committed Tory, and is described by the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history." He is also the subject of perhaps the most famous biography in literature, namely The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell. The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia, often abbreviated to Rasselas, is a 1759 novella by Samuel Johnson. In it, Rasselas leaves his home in company with his sister, Nekayah, and a philosopher, Imlac, to seek adventure. His observation of other kinds of people eventually leads to the conclusion that there is no easy path to happiness.