Unsigned binding for Scott’s ‘The Lay of the Last Minstrel’.

A Mauchline-ware binding.

1872

Tan-coloured sycamore, with a transfer print on the front and rear boards and a morocco (leather) spine.

5¾ x 4 inches

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Photograph and text by Simon Cooke

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A typical example of the souvenirs that were sold in Scotland in the mid and later nineteenth century as the tourist trade flourished. Published in Edinburgh but made in the town of Mauchline, Ayeshire, the book is robust and well-made, with the boards protected by lacquer or varnish. The small size makes it easy to fit in a tourist’s pocket and could have been consulted at moments of Romantic inspiration.

References

Scott, Walter. The Lay of the Last Minstrel. Edinburgh: John Ross, 1872.

Created 20 October 2015