Scottish Pastorals (1801), containing five poems and two songs, was the first book published by James Hogg.
In 1800, most likely August or September, by his own account, Hogg had time on his hands during a trip to Edinburgh to sell sheep.
Geordie Fa's Dirge Dusty, or, Watie an' Geordie's Review of Politics; An Eclogue Willie an' Keatie, A Pastoral A Dialogue in a Country Church-Yard The Death of Sir Niel Stuart, and Donald M'Vane, Esq.
In the most detailed discussion, Elaine Petrie in her edition of 1988 praises 'the raw life and vitality that prevent it from ever becoming a precious little collection of derivative verse' and asserts that 'Hogg's confident use of Scots imbues his subjects with dignity and integrity'.
[6] Four years later, Valentina Bold responded more equivocally, finding the collection at times 'laboured' and 'insipid', but discerning 'a subtle mix of oral and artsong elements' and an ability simultaneously to adopt and subvert established forms which was to be developed richly in Hogg's subsequent works.