An Account of Corsica is the earliest piece of writing related to the Grand Tour literature that was written by the Scottish author James Boswell.

The book is an account of Boswell's travels in Corsica during a period of military and social upheaval and his subsequent befriending of the Corsican independence movement leader, General Pasquale Paoli.

[4] In a letter from Marseilles in 1765, Boswell wrote upon meeting General de Paoli in Corsica:[5] Sir, I am upon my travels, and have lately visited Rome: I am come from seeing the ruins of one brave and free people: I now see the rise of another.It was a dangerous time as occupational forces from France and Genoa sought to quell the rebellious Corsican independence movement which brought about the short lived Corsican Republic.

These continued to be distributed on his return to London; he also approached the Prime Minister William Pitt about it to highlight the plight of his Corsican friends.

This identifies the epigraph as from the Scottish Declaration of Arbroath; it may be translated "We do not fight for honour, riches, or glory, but solely for freedom which no true man gives up but with his life.

"[7] The foreword includes a letter from George Lord Lyttelton that thanks Boswell for the book and at the same time berates the Government of that period for its stance on Corsica.

[10] The book was well received and is credited with catapulting Boswell to fame 23 years before his best known work, The Life of Samuel Johnson, was produced.

[2][11] While Boswell was alive, sales of An Account of Corsica were greater than any of his other publications, including The Life of Samuel Johnson book.

"[12][15] At the time the book was published Boswell was twenty-eight years of age and his work was widely read throughout Europe.

After the publication of An Account of Corsica Anna Barbauld, a prominent literary critic and poet, wrote a poem about him, which was described by Lucas as a "heroic verse".

[20] Armstrong Starkey wrote in 2003 that Boswell's description of Paoli made him a figure of romance and characterised him as a sage and virtuous "ancient Roman patriot" who only had the interests of his country at heart rather than self glory.