Description
The Poems of Ossian, as translated by James Macpherson, published in 1805.
Octavo, [three volumes], xvii, [3], 243pp, [1]; [6], 306pp; [6], 359pp, [1]. Finely bound in quarter red morocco, marbled paper-covered boards. Five raised bands, title in gilt on spine. Solid text blocks, rubbing to boards and corners. Previous ownership inscription on title page, dated 1808. Features a frontispiece portrait of Macpherson in Volume I.
James Macpherson claimed to have found these poems in the Scottish Highlands and translated them from the original Scottish Gaelic. This claim was doubted by scholars, including Dr. Samuel Johnson, resulting in a literary scandal at the time. Macpherson never produced the original poems.
