Narrative

Price Point

17. Price: 4s.

The Poems of Ossian (1825) is a single-volume book of poetry, including ‘Preliminary Discourse’, ‘A Dissertation Concerning the Area of Ossian’, ‘A Dissertation Concerning the Poems of Ossian’, and ‘A Critical Dissertation on the Poems of Ossian, the Son of Fingal.’ With such extensive additional content this 455-page tome is far from light reading. It is an expensive version of a popular text, one of many ‘British Classics’ advertised at the back cover, including Paul & Virginia for three shillings and Robinson Crusoe for five shillings. This is a prime example of differentiation at the upper end of the print market; publishers produced works otherwise available for a fraction of the cost but designed for upmarket readers with ample resources or leisure, and likely a library. The distinction manufactured from one penny to sixpence continues and is in some ways magnified as publishers go to great lengths to attract upmarket readers to older, popular, and new works.