The Edinburgh History of the Book in Scotland, Volume 3: Ambition and Industry 1800-1880

577 Pages·2008·2.85 MB·English

by  Bill Bell

Bill Bell is Director of the Centre 3 T H E E D I N B U R G H THE EDINBURGH HISTORY OF
for the History of the Book at the
THE BOOK IN SCOTLAND
University of Edinburgh. He has
H I S T O R Y
published widely on nineteenth- of General Editor
century literature and culture and
Bill Bell
has been a visiting fellow at the ‘A remarkable achievement of collective scholarship. This volume
Australian National University, the T H E B O O K
does full justice to Scotland’s extraordinary contribution to the Whether in the creation of early
University of Ottawa, and St John’s A T
manuscripts, in the formation of
history of the book while successfully embedding that story in the H
College, Oxford. M
E libraries, through fine printing, or
broader context of nineteenth-century Scottish development.’ B
the development of mass media,
IT ED in SCOT L AND Scotland’s contributions to the
I
Volume 1 From the Earliest Times to 1707 Tom Devine, Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and O IN history of the book, both within the
Edited by Alastair Mann and Sally Mapstone N B nation and beyond its boundaries,
Palaeography, The University of Edinburgh
Volume 2 Enlightenment and Expansion A U have been remarkable.

1707–1800 N R
Edited by Stephen Brown and Warren D G Published in four volumes, The
McDougall H Edinburgh History of the Book
I
Volume 4 Professionalism and Diversity N H in Scotland brings together the
1880–2000 D I work of leading scholars in order
Edited by David Finkelstein and Alistair ‘I emerge from reading this book with a heightened sense of the U S to investigate the history of the
McCleery S T
importance of the Scottish book trade in the nineteenth century, T O Scottish book from earliest times
R R to the present.
not only through its authors and publishers, but also the ways in Y Y

1 O
which Scottish enterprise and ambition is woven into the fabric of
8 F Volume 3
nineteenth-century printed discourse. As a corrective to London- 0 T
0 H AMBITION AND INDUSTRY
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Robert L. Patten, Lynette S. Autrey Professor of Humanities, 8
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Throughout the nineteenth century
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Scotland was transformed from an
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Cover image: Sir William Fettes Douglas, David Laing. thirty leading experts to explore a
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Cover design: Cathy Sprent Bd production technology, bookselling
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ISBN 978 0 7486 1779 1
Volume 3
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THE EDINBURGH HISTORY OF THE BOOK IN SCOTLAND
General Editor: Bill Bell
University of Edinburgh
WHETHER in the creation of early manuscripts, in the formation of
libraries, through fine printing, or the development of mass media,
Scotland’s contributions to the history of the book, both within the
nation and beyond its boundaries, have been remarkable. Published in
four volumes, The Edinburgh History of the Book in Scotland brings
together the work of leading scholars in the field in order to investigate
the history of the Scottish book from earliest times to the present.
Volume 1: From the Earliest Times to 1707
Editors: Alastair Mann and Sally Mapstone
Volume 2: Enlightenment and Expansion 1707–1800
Editors: Stephen Brown and Warren McDougall
Volume 3: Ambition and Industry 1800–80
Editor: Bill Bell
Volume 4: Professionalism and Diversity 1880–2000
Editors: David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery
ADVISORY BOARD
John Barnard, University of Leeds
Jonquil Beavan, University of Edinburgh
Iain Gordon Brown, National Library of Scotland
Patricia Fleming, University of Toronto
Douglas Gi≠ord, University of Glasgow
Christopher Harvie, University of Tübingen
Lotte Hellinga, British Library
John Hench, American Antiquarian Society
Brian Hillyard, National Library of Scotland
Wallace Kirsop,Monash University
Alasdair MacDonald, University of Groningen
Bertrum MacDonald, Dalhousie University
Keith Maslen, University of Otago
Jane Millgate, University of Toronto
Michael Moss, Glasgow University Library
John Sutherland, University College, London
I. R. Willison, University of London
T E
HE DINBURGH
H
ISTORY OF THE
B S
OOK IN COTLAND
Volume 3
Ambition and Industry
1800–80
EDITED BY BILL BELL
EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY PRESS
© in this edition, Edinburgh University Press, 2007. Copyright in the individual
contributions is retained by the authors.
Edinburgh University Press Ltd
22 George Square, Edinburgh
Typeset in 11/13 Miller Text
by Servis Filmsetting Ltd, Manchester, and
printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wilts
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 0 7486 1779 1 (hardback)
The right of the contributors
to be identified as authors of this work
has been asserted in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Published with the support of the Edinburgh University Scholarly Publishing
Initiatives Fund.
CONTENTS
Figures viii
Tables xi
Abbreviations xiii
Acknowledgements xvi
Chronology xix
Introduction 1
I. PRODUCTION
Chapter One The Organisation of the Trade
Papermaking John Morris 17
Typefounding John Morris 26
Printing Trevor Howard-Hill 32
Illustration John Scally 49
Binding John Morris 64
II. PUBLISHING, DISTRIBUTION AND READING
Chapter Two Publishing
Publishing 1800–30 Peter Garside 79
1825–6: Years of Crisis? Simon Eliot 91
Publishing 1830–80 David Finkelstein 96
Gaelic Printing and Publishing Donald E. Meek 107
Chapter Three Distribution and Reading
Bookselling Iain Beavan 123
The Railways Stephen Colclough 141
vi edinburgh history of the book in scotland
Gaelic Communities and
the Use of Texts Donald E. Meek 153
Reading Jonathan Rose 173
Libraries John Crawford 189
III. MARKETS AND GENRES
Chapter Four Literature in the Marketplace
The Rise of the Scottish
Literary Market Peter Garside 203
Authorship: Six Case Studies
Walter Scott and the
Management of Copyright Jane Millgate 212
Waverleyand the National
Fiction Revolution Peter Garside 222
John MacLean, the Gaelic Donald E. Meek
Bard and Rob Dunbar 232
Thomas Carlyle and the
Lure of London Ian Campbell 240
Margaret Oliphant and the
Profession of Writing Zsuzsanna Varga 247
Robert Louis Stevenson
and the Pursuit of Fame Jenni Calder 256
The Making of a Scottish
Literary Canon Cairns Craig 266
Chapter Five The Diversity of Print
Antiquarianism Padmini Ray Murray 278
Religion Padmini Ray Murray 287
Science Aileen Fyfe 296
Reference Padmini Ray Murray 304
Maps Diana Webster 313
Education Padmini Ray Murray 324
Printing for Everyday Life Gen Harrison 333
Chapter Six Periodicals and Newspapers
The Age of the Periodical Bill Bell 340
Reviews and Monthlies Joanne Shattock 343
The Popular ‘Weeklies’ Laurel Brake 358
Newspapers Padmini Ray Murray 370
contents vii
IV. BEYOND SCOTLAND
Chapter Seven Greater Britain and Ireland
Agencies and Joint Ventures Ross Alloway 385
The London Scots Robin Myers 396
Wales Philip Henry Jones 408
Ireland Charles Benson 418
Chapter Eight Bookseller to the World
Continental Europe Sharon Brownand
Barbara Scha≠ 430
North America Fiona Black 442
India Graham Shaw 455
The Pacific Wallace Kirsop 465
Appendix A: Personnel in the Print
and Allied Trades Ross Alloway 476
Appendix B: Statistical Evidence
for the 1825–6 Crisis Simon Eliot 486
Contributors 494
Bibliography 499
Index 525
FIGURES
Chapter 1
1.1 Fourdrinier Papermaking Machine, NMS 21
1.2 Type Specimen, NLS 28
1.3 Common Wooden Press, 1800s 38
1.4 Columbian Press, 1820s 38
1.5 Nelson Rotary Press, 1850 39
1.6 Walter Press, 1870s 39
1.7 Composing Room, NLS 47
1.8 Wood Engraving, 1800 52
1.9 Copper-plate Engraving, 1815 54
1.10 Steel Engraving, 1840, NLS 56
1.11 Photomechanical Printing, 1845, NLS 60
1.12 Forging Tools, Bank of Scotland 62
1.13 Wheel Binding, 1802, NLS 68
1.14 Mauchline Binding, 1857, EUL 72
Chapter 2
2.1 Archibald Constable 81
2.2 Premises of Blackwood & Sons,
Royal Commission on Historical and
Ancient Monuments of Scotland 89
2.3 Parkside Works, SAPPHIRE 98
2.4 Adam Black, NLS 100
2.5 William Chambers, NLS 100
2.6 Thomas Boyd, Pearson Education 101
2.7 Thomas Clark, NLS 101
2.8 An t-Oranaiche, 1879 119
figures ix
Chapter 3
3.1 Penicuik Bookshop, Midlothian County Library Service 125
3.2 Travellers’ Log Book, NLS 131
3.3 William ‘Hawkie’ Cameron, NLS 134
3.4 Newspaper Boy, NLS 149
3.5 Sàr-Obair nam Bàrd Gaëlach, D. Meek 157
3.6 Gaelic Notebook, D. Meek 169
3.7 Edinburgh Interior, NLS 182
3.8 11th Duke of Hamilton, Lennoxlove House 183
3.9 Hugh Miller, Getty Images 184
3.10 Lady Hawarden’s daughter, Victoria and Albert Museum 185
3.11 Diary of Robert Hamilton, Aberdeen University Historic
Collections 186
3.12 Leadhills Book Plate, Leadhills Mining Museum 191
3.13 Leadhills Reading Room, Leadhills Mining Museum 191
3.14 Itinerating Library, East Lothian Museums Service 195
3.15 Ladies’ Edinburgh Debating Society, Edinburgh Central
Library 198
Chapter 4
4.1 The Lady of the Lake, 1810, NLS 207
4.2 Letter from Constable to Scott, EUL 221
4.3 WaverleyFrontispiece, NLS 228
4.4 Orain Nuadh Ghaedhlach, D. Meek 233
4.5 Proofs of Carlyle’s Frederick the Great 245
4.6 Margaret Oliphant, NLS 253
4.7 Young Folks, NLS 262
4.8 William McGonagall, Dundee Public Library 264
Chapter 5
5.1 Aberdeen Breviary, Bannatyne Edition, EUL 283
5.2 Aberdeen Breviary, Advertisement, EUL 283
5.3 Broadside, Heather Jock, NLS 286
5.4 Broadside, Hieroglyphic Love Letter, NLS 286
5.5 Anatomical Male Figure, Royal College of Surgeons 303
5.6 Maver’s Genuine Scottish Melodies, 1866, EUL 311
5.7 Thomson’s Atlas of Scotland, 1823, NLS 314
5.8 Bartholomew’s Reduced Ordnance Maps of Scotland,
1883, NLS 320
5.9 Embossed Printing for the Blind, 1834, NLS 322