New find in Sir Walter Scott’s library

A major literary discovery has been made in Sir Walter Scott's library at Abbotsford House. The Grotesquiad was recently uncovered by the Faculty of Advocates during efforts to catalogue Sir Walter's collection. Gerard Carruthers and Rhona Brown of the University's College of Arts have identified the author as James Beattie (1735-1803), who is known to have written a poem of this title, long thought to be lost. Brown is currently preparing the poem for publication in collaboration with the Faculty of Advocates and the Abbotsford Trust. 'The discovery of The Grotesquiad in Sir Walter's collection at Abbotsford is significant for many reasons,' said Brown. 'The world is able, for the first time, to see one of the most substantial of Beattie's productions and to recognise a new facet of his literary personality.' Beattie is a major figure in eighteenth-century Scottish culture, famous as an opponent of David Hume's scepticism and of the evils of slavery. In his philosophical writings he made an important contribution to the Scottish Enlightenment, while his most celebrated poem, The Minstrel (1771 & 1774), was a key influence on later Romantic writers, including William Wordsworth.