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When the subject of Ossian’s influence in Germany first occurred to me, it seemed a simple matter to exhaust the topic in the limits set by a work of this character. A little search, however, revealed that if the entire field were to be covered, the different authors could not be discussed with any degree of completeness. Another obstacle stood in the way of the fulfilment of the original scheme. The amount of material discovered at the outset in the British Museum led to the preparation of a card index of German Ossianiana; in Germany each library furnished additions at such a rapid rate, that the idea of a chronological bibliography soon suggested itself. The latter developed into such proportions, that it seemed advisable to publish it as an introduction to the literary material to follow. Nothing remained, therefore, but to confine the literary discussion to a certain period, and in order to retain the chronological sequence, as well as in consideration of the difficulty of obtaining material on the bardic poets in this country, the beginning was made with Klopstock and the “bards.” It is the intention of the writer to discuss in later publications Ossian’s influence upon Herder, Goethe, and Schiller, as also upon the poets of the Storm and Stress, of the Göttinger Hain, and of the Romantic School, some of the material for which has been collected. A short bibliography of Ossianic material in other languages has also been prepared, which will gladly be placed at the disposal of any one desirous of working up the subject. The author will be pleased to receive any corrections or additions to the bibliography that may suggest themselves to the reader.

It is fitting that I should here acknowledge my indebtedness to the men who made this thesis possible. Prof. Wm. H. Carpenter, Prof. Calvin Thomas, and Prof. A. V. W. Jackson have been true and untiring guides and a never–failing source of inspiration, and I shall ever consider it a most rare privilege to have been enabled to carry on the major part of my advanced studies under their direction. My gratitude is due also to the men who contributed to make my stay abroad such a pleasant and profitable one, to the professors under whom I studied at the University of Leipzig, as well as to the several librarians who were of service to me, and whom I always found most courteous and accommodating.