At an auction in Edinburgh a collection of William McGonagall’s poems has been bought by a private collector for £6,600. Once ridiculed as “the world’s worst poet” McGonagall has apparently redeemed himself with this massive bid for his poems, some of them autographed, beating a collection of Harry Potter first editions signed by J. K. Rowling. The new owner’s bid for the poems was £5,500, but once commission is included the price will reach £6,600. The Harry Potter books only brought in £6,000.
Despite the execrable rhymes, the terrible scansion, the ludicrous subject matter, William McGonagall remains one of Scotland’s favourite poets. Born in Edinburgh in 1830, McGonagall spent many years as a weaver until he discovered his true vocation in 1877. Since then, thousands of people the world over have enjoyed the verse of Scotland’s alternative national poet.
Two collections of McGonagall’s poetry are available from Birlinn:
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William McGonagall: Collected Poems
McGonagall: A selection