Striking and Picturesque Delineations of the Grand, Beautiful, Wonderful, and Interesting Scenery Around Loch-Earn

early 19th century) that led the local-history populariser Archie McKerracher to call him "the world's worst author".

McDiarmid's writing style is characterized by obscure and misused words, leading to its classification as a literary curiosity.

The preface praises the "unparalleled sublimity" of the book's style, which it connects with the rugged Highland landscape and offers as the reason that McDiarmid's sentences "overleap the mounds and impediments of grammar".

There are three sections: McDiarmid's dedication is in grammatical English, but the main text is not, and is full of obscure and misused words.

The paragraph about an earthquake in the Grampian Mountains may give an idea:[4] It merits the trouble to exhibit a description of a part of Glenogle's Grampian mountains, disjointed in the time of the generations past ; which event happen about the twilight, that the dread of the horrible sight seized the beholders with fear, ultera the comprehension of the individual, discernible to their sight.

The pillars of fire rising from the parting of the rock, where there was a cement, the stones forcibly dashing one against another, that the melancholy sight was similar to a corner of mountain set wholly on fire, also overhearing such a loud noise of the stones break at juncture ; which vociferous might reach the ears of the people living at great distant.

", another commentator in Notes and Queries, refers to McDiarmid's "rough eloquence", and despite "[w]hatever may be thought of M'Diarmid's style as a writer of English", praises his perception of natural beauty and his "generous ardour" in narrating feats of heroism.

Robert Southey used it twice (with credit to McDiarmid) in his Life of Cowper to describe William Hayley's eccentricities[10] and used it in at least three letters.

said that McDiarmid's native language was Scottish Gaelic, and in translating his writings into English, he used a dictionary extensively, choosing the most impressive word without regard to its part of speech.

mentions meeting McDiarmid a few years later and describes him as dressing more poorly than the other ghillies, in a black coat and a hat instead of like them "in the highland fashion" (presumably the Scottish kilt and associated clothing).

[7] The preface assures the reader that visitors to Lochearnhead could confirm McDiarmid's existence and his sole authorship of the book.