The Poems of Ossian I-II

The Poems of Ossian. In two volumes. A new Edition. Translated by James Macpherson, Esq. Volume first ? second. Printed for J. Elder and T. Brown, North Bridge Street, Edinburgh 1797. Large 12:mo [17 x 11 cm]. Two volumes. (2) + xx + (8) + 282 & (4) + 314 pp. Both volumes with engraved title, with the portrait of Ossian. Bound in two contemporary, very worn halfcalf bindings. All covers detatched from the textblock and all edges and corners severely bumped. The titles are printed on low quality paper and are therefore very damp-stained. Capitals very worn and spines with cracks due to reading. Some pages dampstained and a little faded. Page 96-98 in the first volume with two minor holes in the margin. The first volume with a handwritten list over the characters in 'Fingal'. The first volume with previous owner?s signature on first flyleaf: Walter Carson, 2nd January 1842. James Macpherson (1736-1796) was a Scottish writer, poet and politician, best known for his 'translation' of the Poems of Ossian, first published in 1765. The Poems of Ossian was an immediate success, and they were soon translated into most European languages. Few literary works have made such an impact on its time. Many of the time?s greatest artists and writers admired the works of Ossian, and read and interpreted, what they thought to be, a Gaelic epic of the 3rd century. Napoleon, Goethe and Herder were among his admirers'. The authenticity of the Poems of Ossian was questioned at a rather early stage while Macpherson never could present any trustworthy Gaelic sources to the translation. It was furthermore questioned whether Macpherson was able to translate anything from Gaelic. But it was first after Macpherson?s death, and three years after this edition was printed, that Malcolm Laing finally proved that the epic had been written by Macpherson, not by Ossian. This edition is accompanied with several criticising appendixes: ?Dissertation concerning the Æra of Ossian', 'Dissertation concerning the Poems of Ossian', 'A critical dissertation of the Poems of Ossian by Dr Hugh Blair' and 'Critical observations on the Poems of Ossian by Lord Kaimes'. Even though the poems to a large extent were fake, they were still widely admired, and parts of the story is, if not from the 3rd century, perhaps from the 14th or 15th century. Artists and writers such as Felix Mendelssohn, Jules Verne, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Alfred Tennyson, William Turner, Sir Walter Scott and August Strindberg were inspired of Macpherson?s tales of Ossian and wandered in the footsteps of the invented poet and created many astonishing works of art dedicated to the world of Ossian. Among the most famous tales in the Poems of Ossian are 'Fingal', 'Darthula' (to which songs have been composed by among others Brahms and Palmgren) and 'Temora'.