Early Journals and Letters of Fanny Burney: Volume V, 1782-1783

The third volume of The Early Journals and Letters of Fanny Burney covers the two years from January 1778 to December 1779 - a fascinating period in her career, as it was then that she published Evelina, and became a `celebrity'. It reveals her mixed terror and delight at her welcome, aged twenty-five, into London's literary society; and the beginning of her friendship with Henry and Hester Thrale at Streatham Park. Particularly interesting is her record of friendship with Samuel Johnson, another regular visitor to the Thrales: she observes and records the playful and affectionate side of Johnson's character, a side often missed by Boswell.