Peter Buchan

Peter Buchan (4 August 1790 – 19 September 1854) was a Scottish editor, publisher, and collector of ballads and folktales.

Biography Born in Peterhead, Buchan apprenticed with a , and in 1814 produced his first book, a collection of verse which failed to be taken notice of. As his hometown lacked any printer shops, in 1816 Buchan went to Stirling to learn the printing process, becoming proficient enough to produce samples within a matter of ten days.

He established business as a printer in Peterhead in March 1816, with the support of the Earl of Buchan who recommended a friend to fund the purchase of the press. His The Annals of Peterhead (1819) had copper-plate illustrations which he himself engraved. Scarce Ancient Ballads (1819), Gleanings of Scarce Old Ballads (1825) were early publications that foreshadowed what would be his lifelong interest.

Animal rights

Buchan was an early animal rights writer. In 1824, he authored a book that argued that animals have souls and are immortal. Buchan argued that God must recompense the "undeserved pain" of animals by appointing them a "future state".

Selected publications

The Annals of Peterhead (1819) Scarce Ancient Ballads (1819) Scriptural & Philosophical Arguments; or Cogent Proofs From Reason & Revelation that Brutes Have Souls; and That Their Souls are Immortal (1824) Gleanings of Scarce Old Ballads (1825) Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland (1828)

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