Henry Home Lord Kames – författare

Henry Home, Lord Kames (1696-1782) gained recognition as an advocate at the Scottish bar, and subsequently as a judge whose writings on the philosophy, theory and practice of the law were hugely influential. However, he also took great interest in agriculture, and his wife's inheritance of a large estate in 1766 particularly focused his energies. The first edition of this work, published in 1776, rapidly became popular: reissued here is the enlarged second edition of 1779. Kames makes it clear that 'there never was in Scotland a period more favourable to agriculture than the present'. He begins with necessary equipment and moves on to describe the preparation of the ground, and the appropriate crops to grow for feeding to humans or cattle. This thoroughly practical work ends with an appendix in which the 'imperfection of Scotch husbandry' and a proposal for 'a board for improving agriculture' are discussed.

Elements of Criticism (1762) is a philosophical work by Henry Home, Lord Kames. Published at the height of his career as a leading legal and cultural figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, Elements of Criticism has been credited as a crucial academic work in the development of modern English literary studies. “The science of criticism tends to improve the heart not less than the understanding…A just taste in the fine arts, by sweetening and harmonizing the temper, is a strong antidote to the turbulence of passion and violence of pursuit. Elegance of taste procures to a man so much enjoyment at home, or easily within reach, that in order to be occupied, he is, in youth, under no temptation to precipitate into hunting, gaming, drinking; nor, in middle age, to deliver himself over to ambition; nor, in old age, to avarice.” Although he is largely unheard of today, Henry Home was an integral figure in the elevation of the art of literary criticism as a subject in universities around Britain and the world. His central thesis is that criticism itself stems from the senses and directly relates to humanity’s capacity for reason. Through art, Home believed, humanity could live both morally and in harmony with the natural world, thereby creating a civilization rooted in virtue and creativity. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Henry Home, Lord Kames’ Elements of Criticism is a classic of English literature reimagined for modern readers.