The Poems of Ossian (1805, first Laing edition, two volumes)

Contianing Malcolm Laing's line by line examination of Ossian / James Macpherson's poems

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Publisher

Printing Details

First edition thus. Hardback, two volumes (complete). Half leather binding, marbled paper covered boards. Spines with gilt titling and blindstamped design. Each 22 × 13.5cm. lxix [3], 579pp, ii + 634pp.

Full title: The Poems of Ossian, &c. Containing the Poetical Works of James MacPherson, Esq. in Prose and Rhyme: with Notes and Illustrations by Malcolm Laing, Esq.

James Macpherson had published the original Ossian poems in the 1760s, claiming they were translations of ancient third-century Gaelic epics. A fierce debate over their authenticity raged for decades (most famously with Dr. Samuel Johnson). Malcolm Laing used his introduction and notes in this 1805 Ballantyne edition to present a exhaustive line-by-line critical analysis. He tracked Macpherson’s sources, showing direct parallels to Classical poets (Homer, Virgil), the Bible, Milton, Shakespeare, and Gray. Laing's rigorous commentary in this edition effectively dealt the decisive blow to claims of Ossian’s ancient Celtic origin, establishing for the wider scholarly public that the work was largely Macpherson’s own modern invention.

As well as Laing's introduction, these books contain Ossian's poetical works including Fingal, Comala, War of Caros, Conlath and Cuthona, Temora etc

Condition

Both books are in good condition for age. There is some marking to the leather and rubbing to the corners. There is light and intermittent foxing throughout but most pages clean. The frontispiece portrait to volume one is starting to work loose but still attached. Both books remain in strong readable condition.