Alexander Anderson; railwayman, poet and librarian. (original) (raw)

PRINTED BY
FRASER, ASHER & CO. LIMITED
164 HOWARDSTREET
GLASGOw

PREFACE
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THE Illustrated Large-paper Edition of the LATER POEMS of "Surfaceman," published in 1912, received a hearty welcome, alike from the public and the press, but, at half a guinea, it was beyond the reach of many who desired to possess the volume; and the publishers have been frequently urged to issue a cheaper edition. The present volume is the result. It contains the Biographical Sketch and all the poems published in the first edition, but none of the illustrations except the portrait frontispiece.

PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION
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THE present volume is the outcome of a frequently expressed desire by many of Alexander Anderson's friends and admirers, who, after his death, felt that it would be a becoming tribute to his worth as a man, and to his merits as a poet, to collect and publish a Memorial Volume of his poems, a large number of which had never appeared in book form, and many of which, as was well known, had never got beyond the manuscript stage.

The idea at first was to make a selection partly from the poet's four published volumes, and partly from his unpublished and fugitive pieces; but the latter were found to be so numerous that it was decided to leave the poems in the published volumes to be dealt with on some future occasion. With the exception, therefore, of "Cuddle Doon," which has been admitted because it is the first of a sequence of poems which would not be complete without it, no poem that has appeared in any of the former volumes finds a place in this collection.

The task of collecting the poems, which were scattered abroad in various magazines and periodicals, over a long series of years, has been one of no small difficulty; and, though a very large number have been secured, it is more than possible that some may up till now remain undiscovered.

The work of selection has been scarcely less arduous�the chief difficulty being the abundance of material�and many pieces of great merit have had to be left out for lack of space. In the selection, the design has been to make the book representative of the poet in all his moods, with a bias, perhaps, in favour of those pieces which seemed most likely to meet with general acceptance.

No attempt has been made to classify or group together the poems that show the varied characteristics of the poet's work. The order adopted is in the main chronological so far as the poems that have already been printed are concerned; but there was nothing to indicate the dates of many of those left in manuscript. The method followed has been chosen with a view to preserving the charm of variety, and increasing the interest of the collection as a whole.

Of the previously published pieces included in this volume, the greater part appeared in The People's Friend, but a considerable number of them were first published in Chambers's Journal,Good Words, the Evening Dispatch, and the Dundee Weekly News; and the editor gratefully acknowledges the courtesy of the editors and publishers of these newspapers and magazines in permitting their reproduction. "Anvil and Newspaper," which appeared in The British Workman, is inserted by permission of the publishers, Messrs S. W. Partridge & Co., Ltd.

For much valuable assistance in preparing the work for the press, and revising of the proofs, I am indebted to Mr Alexander Kennedy, Kenmill House, Bothwell; Mr Alan Reid, F.E.I.S., The Loaning, Edinburgh; Mr Thomas Fraser, Maxwellknowe, Dalbeattie, and others. To them, and to the artists who have contributed drawings for the illustrations, and to Mr Robert T. Rose, who secured and collected the drawings, I tender most cordial thanks.

The book, which is made up largely of poems written in his maturer years, when the lyrical faculty of the poet had become fully developed, is now submitted to the generous consideration, not only of Scotsmen at home and abroad, but of all lovers of Scottish literature.

A. B.

EDINBURGH, 24th August, 1912.