Poems by the man ridiculed as “the world’s worst poet” are expected to fetch up to £6,500 at auction in Edinburgh.

Thirty-five of William McGonagall’s works - many of them autographed - are going under the hammer on Friday.

The ditties by “The Tayside Tragedian” have been valued in the same league as Harry Potter first editions signed by JK Rowling.

McGonagall, who died in 1902, was often mocked and had food thrown at him during readings in Dundee.

Alex Dove, from auctioneers Lyon and Turnbull, said: “Poetry didn’t really come to him until I think he was 47 and the voices in his head told him that he’d be able to write poems.

“Then he thought he was the best thing since sliced bread, he thought he should be the poet laureate and all sorts.

“He tried to hawk these poems around the streets of places like Dundee and he was notoriously encouraged to give performances just so people could make fun of him.

“Poet-baiting became an ongoing activity, they used to throw vegetables at him and all sorts.”
The poems which are being auctioned in Edinburgh are expected to fetch more than rare first editions of James Bond novels, a Mickey Mouse book from 1931 and a first edition of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Posted: 05|16|08 at 7:09 am. Filed under: UK News.