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THE BRUCE; OR, THE HISTORY OF ROBERT I, KING OF SCOTLAND.
(London: Printed by H. Hughs, for G. Nichol, 1790). 205 x 123 mm. (8 1/8 x 4 3/4"). Half-titles lacking. Three volumes. With notes and a glossary by J. Pinkerton.
Entirely original contemporary marbled boards backed in cream paper, volume numbers written in manuscript on spine, edges untrimmed. Each volume with an engraved title vignette by Barlow after Ansell, vol. I with engraved headpiece, vol. III with a facsimile manuscript page. Pastedowns of volumes I & II with armorial bookplate of Stuart of Torrance; pastedowns of all three volumes with pencil ownership inscription of Hudleston(?), Glasgow. ESTC T87007. Bindings in excellent original condition with mostly minor issues (spines a little darkened and with a couple small tears, boards a bit rubbed and abraded, corners worn and lightly bumped, etc.); contents with a few rough openings, staining to top margins of first couple leaves in vol. III, a few other leaves with marginal soiling, but extremely fresh, bright, and crisp throughout, with the ample margins that come with untrimmed copies.
The first scholarly edition of Scotland's earliest epic poem is offered here in its remarkably well-preserved original publisher's boards. "The Bruce" was composed circa 1375 by cleric, writer, and courtier John Barbour (ca. 1330-95), who served for many years as the archdeacon of Aberdeen and was involved in diplomatic negotiations surrounding the ransom of the Scottish king David II. The poem is a romance of the First War of Scottish Independence, with the central action focusing on the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. It is a heroic portrayal of King Robert the Bruce (1274? - 1329; king from 1306) and his contemporaries, with, in DNB's words, "emphasis on loyalty, bravery, and wisdom." Even though the poem survived in only two manuscripts, DNB tells us that it was "clearly influential upon all later Scottish historiography and pseudo-history." It was first published in 1571 in Edinburgh, and had enjoyed some popularity following the better-known 1616 printing, but the present edition, taken directly from the 1489 manuscript in the Advocate's Library, Edinburgh, and accompanied with scholarly notes, marks the first effort to preserve the orthography of the original Medieval text. Our copy's bookplate indicates that it belonged to the library of the Stuart family of Torrance, Lanarkshire, Scotland, most likely to Alexander Stuart (1725-1801), a Member of Parliament from 1744-1801 and the final Stuart to hold the family seat in Torrance. The Stuarts apparently took excellent care of the book: the uncommon publisher's boards--attractive in their humble state--are retained here in very pleasing condition. (ST21002)
Price: $1,900.00