Current Stock - O, P (last online update: 11th May 2010)

The first two volumes being among 150 large (and hand-made) paper copies, by Mrs. Oliphant, containing much the publishers' relations with Hogg, Scott, Wilson, Lockhart, etc. The third, by Mrs. Porter on the firm under her father, John Blackwood, of which no deluxe copies were published, includes an account of the "grand tour," the publication of works by George Eliot, Trollope, John Speke and other travel writers, and a significant section on golf, John B.'s passion, which includes accounts of Tom Morris, Blackwood's frequent partner on the links of St. Andrews.

Goldsmiths' Library 34311. An extraordinarily detailed work, which ran to a second edition in 1846, and a third in 1847.

STC 19290. Early armorial bookplate of Exeter College, and nineteenth century armorial bookplate of Alexander Thomson of Banchory, on front pastedown.
The chronica majora of the thirteenth-century historian and monk Matthew Paris was first published in an edition prepared by Archbishop Parker in 1551. The present edition is by William Watts, who corrected numerous errors in his predecessor's work, added variant readings, adversaria, a glossary and an index. Like Parker's, his edition extends from 1067 to 1272, but he adds other works written by or attributed to Paris, together with numerous related documents, and "in the great learning which it embodied, it was one of the most notable productions of its time." (Douglas)

The first edition to bring together the accounts of both expeditions. The extensive memoir of Park is appended by recollections of him by Walter Scott, given in the third person.

Arctic Bibliography 13145 & 13142; Hill p.225; Sabin 58860 & 58864; Staton & Tremaine 1205 & 1295; not in Abbey. Without the rare, separately-issued, Supplement to the Appendix of the first voyage, published in 1824.
Parry's first expedition is one of the most memorable of all the Arctic voyages, and made him the most renowned Arctic explorer of his day. When he reached his "Winter Harbour," named Melville Island after the First Lord of the Admiralty, he had travelled further west than any previous seeker for the North-West Passage. He proved Lancaster Sound to be a strait (not closed by mountains as assumed by Ross), a way to the Magnetic Pole was discovered down Prince Regent Inlet; and it was the first voyage to winter intentionally in the Arctic, thus laying down the foundations for all future British attempts on the North West Passage and the Pole. The voyage "practically settled the question of a connection between the two oceans. Great discoveries were made, and important scientific observations were recorded...." (Markham)
On the second voyage, with the Griper replace by the more manoeuvrable Fury, he tried again to find a passage, this time by Hudson's Bay. He passed a second winter at Igloolik, attempting to meet up with Franklin's overland expedition, but was forced to return to Britiain in 1823. "Throughout the whole of this work, the characteristics of the Esquimaux, and incidents of intercourse with them absorb the attention of the writer. The work is a treatise on aboriginal life, rather than a narrative of scientific discoveries." (Sabin)

Goldsmiths' Library 27861.1. Count Pecchio fled Italy in consequence of the failed Piedmontese revolution. He lived in Spain (he was the author of some letters on the Spanish revolution, and a journal of political and military events in Spain during the period) and travelled in Greece (a narrative of his tour there was published in 1826) before settling in England and marrying an English lady.

ECSB 742 & 743. Third and best edition of the first Tour, with additions, and first edition of the second Tour.

H.D. Forbes copy. Dibdin quotes Harwood's praise of Burman's edition, and adds that the 1743 edition, "although esteemed rather incorrect, contains additional notes, and excerpta from various unconsulted MSS., which has always given it a precedence in price to the edition of 1709."

From the library of the Scottish judge, antiquary and classical scholar Alexander Boswell (father of the biographer James), with his ownership inscription dated 1727 on the front free endpaper.

From the Gladstone library at Fasque, with bookplates.
Heavyweight science, most volumes comprising over 700 pages (the whole consisting of more than 13,000 pages), and with a useful index of 116 pages at the conclusion.

Pascal Sebah (1823-1886), of Syrian origins, opened a studio at Constantinople in 1868. His son Johann or Jean (1872-1947) grew to be a talented photographer in his own right, and in 1888 went into partnership with Policarpe Joaillier, a French photographer; they soon became the official photographers of the Sultan, and the firm would survive until 1952. See Engin Ozendes, From Sebah & Joailler to Foto Sabah: Orientalism in Photography (Istanbul, 1999).

Inscribed on front endpaper Mrs. Stephenson from Mr. Jackson 1871.
George Washington Wilson (b. Banff 1823, d. Aberdeen 1893) originally trained as a portrait minaturist in Edinburgh and London before establishing himself as an artist and photographer in Aberdeen. Patronised by Queen Victoria, he became well known for the quality of his work, and he was hugely prolific: his archive at Aberdeen University contains some 27,000 negatives. One might expect an album of this sort to survive in significant numbers, but we have traced other copies at Cambridge University and the National Library of Scotland only. The views are:

The copy of General R. Taylor, a subscriber, with his specially-printed subscriber's leaf and his crested monogram at head of spine.

Large armorial corporate bookplate Societatis Mercatorum-Scissorum apud Londinates Insignia laid down on blank facing title; later signature of H.D. Forbes.

Gaskell 237. With early armorial bookplate of the Rt. Hon. Henry Hobhouse. This is a copy of the larger-paper issue, on foolscap: other copies are found on an inferior stock of pot octavo.

ECSB 154: "Edited by William Lauder (d.1771) who strongly maintained the superiority of Arthur Johnston to George Buchanan as a Latin versifier."

With no marks of Hugh Cleghorn's ownership (indeed, with repeated indications of a thorough attempt to conceal previous ownership), but from the same source as the other books here: it was probably the property of H.F.C. Cleghorn, Hugh's grandson, acquired by him in India: on the rear pastedown of volume i is a large orange label, J.R. HOGG,/ Book Seller/ MADRAS./ Books bought sold & ex-/ changed. Prints, Statione-/ ry. Maps & Charts sold. Visit/ ing Cards neatly Engraved/ & printed and Books/ neatly bound. The bindings here are probably by Hogg, and the leather is probably buffalo.

"I had as great a regard for Mr. Prescott as for any man of whom I knew so little, and I think very highly of his works." (Macaulay)