JAMES HOGG, THE ETTRICK SHEPHERD
1770-1835

A signed portrait of James Hogg
(after a painted portrait by Charles Fox, 1784-1849)
from Memorials of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd
edited by his daughter, Mrs. Garden, Alexander Gardner, London, 1887.

James Hogg was perhaps the most remarkable man that ever wore the maud of a shepherd. Under the garb, aspect, and bearing of a rude peasant (and rude enough he was in most of these things, even after no inconsiderable experience of society), the world soon discovered a true poet. He taught himself to write, by copying the letters of a printed book as he lay watching his flock on the hillside, and believed that he had reached the utmost pitch of his ambition when he first found that his artless rhymes could touch the heart of the ewe-milker who partook the shelter of his mantle during the passing storm. If 'the shepherd' of Professor Wilson's Noctes Ambrosianae may be taken as a true portrait of James Hogg, we must admit that, for quaintness of humour, the poet of Ettrick Forest had few rivals. Sir Walter Scott said that Hogg's thousand little touches of absurdity afforded him more entertainment than the best comedy that ever set the pit in a roar. Among the written productions of the shepherd-poet, is an account of his own experiences in sheep-tending, called 'The Shepherd's Calender.' This work contains a vast amount of useful information upon sheep, their diseases, habits, and management. The Ettrick Shepherd died in 1835.

This remarkable description of James Hogg
appeared in the Book of Household Management 1859-1861
by Isabella Beeton, among the recipes for mutton.

The bulk of this three-part article first appeared in three parts in the Shepherd's Dogge, Vol. IV, Nos. 1, 2, and 3, Spring, Summer, and Fall, copyright 1991. Hogg has been frequently quoted by shepherds and sheepdog handlers and owners for more than 150 years. We hope you enjoy reading about him.

BOOKS BY JAMES HOGG AVAILABLE FOR SALE

Because of his involvement with the shepherd's dog in his work as a shepherd, and his devotion to his working collies, Hector and Sirrah, both of whom he wrote about extensively, describing their personalities and working style in great detail, James Hogg is an icon in the history of the Border Collie. Although his works are much reprinted, these particular books are the genuine articles, the antique, out-of-print, and rare volumes of his work. We hope to find more of these books in the future.

#00110 Memorials of James Hogg edited by his daughter, Mrs. Garden.
1887 by Alexander Gardner, Paisley, second edition.
Hardcover. Fair. There is some wear on the edges of the spine and covers; the cover is a little loose; the frontisepiece, which has a signed lithographic portrait of James Hogg is completely loose; the pages are in good condition.
These are a collection of letters and memorials written to and about James Hogg, and edited by his daughter.
$150.00 SOLD

#00111 The Poems of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd by Hogg, James
1887 Walter Scott, London and Newcastle-on-Tyne
Hardcover. Good; some wear, some pages have not yet been cut; front edges of pages a bit ragged; binding inside front cover a bit loose.
Selected poems
$150.00 SOLD

#00112 The Works of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd: Tales and Sketches by the Ettrick Shepherd by Hogg, James
1878 William P. Nimmo, London and Edinborough
Hardcover. Good; a little warping; cover and binding show some wear; pages in very good condition.
Includes three works: "the Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Fanatic"; "Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of an Edinburgh Baillie"; and "Julia M'Kenzie"
$150.00 SALE $75.00

#00112a The Works of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd: Tales and Sketches by the Ettrick Shepherd by Hogg, James
1878 William P. Nimmo, London and Edinborough
Hardcover. Good; a little warping; cover and binding show some wear; pages in very good condition.
Includes the Life of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd; and five works: "The Brownie of Bodsbeck"; "The Wool-Gatherer"; "The Surpassing Adventures of Allan Gordon"; "A Tale of Penland"; and "Ewan M'Gabher".
$150.00 SALE $75.00 SOLD

#00112b The Works of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd: Tales and Sketches by the Ettrick Shepherd by Hogg, James
1878 William P. Nimmo, London and Edinborough
Hardcover. Good; cover shows some wear; binding loose but intact; pages in very good condition.
Includes three works: "the Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Fanatic"; "Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of an Edinburgh Baillie"; and "Julia M'Kenzie"
$150.00 SALE $75.00

#00112c The Works of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd: Tales and Sketches by the Ettrick Shepherd by Hogg, James
1878 William P. Nimmo, London and Edinborough
Hardcover. Good; cover shows some wear; binding loose but intact; pages in very good condition.
ncludes three works: "the Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Fanatic"; "Some Remarkable Passages in the Life of an Edinburgh Baillie"; and "Julia M'Kenzie"
$150.00 SALE $75.00

#00113 The Tales of James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd by Hogg, James
No date; Hamilton, Adams and Co. London, and Thomas D. Morison, Glasgow; Library Edition, Eildon Series.
Hardcover. Good; some wear on spine; binding loosened inside covers; some yellowing at page borders; but overall in good cond.
Includes many of the Ettrick Shepherd's tales, including "The Hunt of Eildon" and "The Shepherd's Calendar" (itself containing 19 short stories or essays, including a tale called "The Shepherd's Dog"). Classic, classic, classic.
$80.00 SOLD

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