Annals of Scottish Printing from the Introduction of the Art in 1507 to the Beginning of the Seventeenth Century

Macmillan & Bowes, Cambridge, first edition, 1890. 1 of 500 numbered and signed small paper-copies from a total edition limited to 600 copies. Modern black half-calf and boards, spine gilt, fore-edge untrimmed, large 4to, 30 cm,. xv, 530 pp, ills. Remains the standard reference for early Scottish printing. Includes bibliographic descriptions of 333 books, many of which are illustrated with facsimiles (some in red and black). A contemporary review noted: "..the Scottish printers between 1507 and 1601 numbered scarcely more than a dozen in all, and it has, therefore, been possible for their historians to enrich their chronicle with a wealth of detail... Of the manner in which our two authors have executed their task it is difficult to speak too highly. As a rule three chapters are devoted to each printer, the first dealing with his biography, the second with his dated works, and the third with those sine anno. Of the earliest books, such as the Aberdeen Breviary, the collations frequently occupy several pages, and all the descriptions are alike full and scholarly in form. Legal documents are quoted at length, and the most important title-pages, printer's devices and types reproduced in facsimile. The early Scottish printers have waited long for their historian, but in the work of Dr. Dickson and Mr. Edmond their enforced patience has been richly rewarded. Copy No. 51, signed by J.P. Edmond. . Occasional small circular library stamps (including one on title-page), otherwise Very Good.