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PREFACE
I. The History of this List
Sir Arthur Mitchell had at one time the intention of preparing a
topographical bibliography of his native province of Moray, and to that
end collected a considerable amount of material. This was not published,
owing, as I understood from him, to the death of the editor or
proprietor of the local newspaper in which it was to have been printed.
But Sir Arthur preserved all his jottings, and continued and extended
the habit he had formed of making a note of books of a topographical
character. He did not limit his jottings to Moray, but noted books
dealing with Scotland in general or any part of it. His notes were made
largely on the unused portions of notepaper torn off letters; these were
dropped as written into a succession of cardboard boxes, and they
gradually accumulated into a quite serious quantity of ‘scraps of
paper’—as we in those peaceful pre-war days were in the habit
half-humorously of calling them. The Moray slips were, of course, more
or less together, but the others were in no order at all, nor had they
any semblance of uniformity of arrangement. It became evident to Sir
Arthur after some years that such a mass of jottings bade fair to be
unmanageable.
My personal acquaintance with Sir Arthur began when he was at work on
his List of Tours, published in the Proceedings of the Society of
Antiquaries of Scotland in 1901. He was wishing some specific
information about Timothy Pont, and through Mr. Clark, then Keeper of
the Advocates’ Library, I was able to supply what was wanted. This led
to a very pleasant, friendly intercourse, which continued up to Sir
Arthur’s death. I helped him somewhat with his Supplementary List of
Tours, and I passed through the press his Second Supplementary List.
The similarity of our tastes and methods of working led Sir Arthur to
tell me about his contemplated bibliography, and to show me the chaotic
multitude of slips he had accumulated. He wished to get these into some
publishable shape, and spoke of issuing them as in some sort a
supplement to the Macfarlane Geographical Collections; but, being
conscious of the lessening of his working powers, he did not feel equal
to the task of arranging them, nor did he at all see what arrangement
was practicable. He asked my help, and with some hesitation I consented
to give it. I think I should not have done so if I had foreseen how big
the task was to be, and how little of it Sir Arthur himself would be
able to do. I took home some thousands of the slips—eventually all of
them—and brooded over them, trying to think out some method of dealing
with them, and some order to which they could be brought. The
arrangement that I tentatively adopted is, with but little change, that
in which the List is now issued. My first task was, therefore, to sort
the slips into sets. It soon became evident that Sir Arthur had in many
cases noted the same book many times, and by rejecting all redundant
slips the mere bulk was rapidly and greatly reduced. Additions were,
however, constantly being made, as new books were published, or others
came to our knowledge.
The work was necessarily slow, because I could devote to it only part of
my scanty leisure. But from the beginning of the summer of 1904 until
Sir Arthur’s death in October, 1909, I was in constant conference and
correspondence with him about multitudinous details. For much of that
time I spent a few hours on one afternoon of each week, over a cup of
‘bohea,’ in consideration of points that required elucidation or
decision. We by no means confined our talk to the bibliographical
business; and those who best knew Sir Arthur can best understand the
delight of those afternoons, when we chatted about everything under the
sun and moon.
In 1905 and 1906 our work on this List was considerably interrupted, as
Sir Arthur was editing the Macfarlane Geographical Collections, with
volume ii. of which he had much trouble. I was able to render him very
material assistance with the Introduction to that volume. As is known,
he handed over most of the editing of volume iii. to Mr. Clark, finding
himself not properly equal to the task.
I was several times made aware that Sir Arthur regarded his life as
drawing towards its close. He frequently regretted his loss of ready
memory and his lessening of working energy, and sometimes he would ask
that an afternoon should be void of serious work and should be given up
merely to recreative chat. Twice he had short but sharp attacks of
illness, which he quite definitely took as warnings; doubtless his
medical knowledge told him their true import. He methodically put his
literary house in order, destroying, to my regret, many of his memoranda
that contained what I considered valuable antiquarian and topographical
matter.
After his death, I continued my work at this List, arranging and adding
as before. When the Scottish History Society definitely decided to
publish it, I saw that the great diversity of form among the matter of
the slips rendered it necessary that they should all be written out in
uniform style. This was, in Sir Arthur’s phrase, a work ‘of some size,’
and it occupied my entire leisure for a year and a half.
It must not go without saying that I have received considerable kind
help from personal friends, from booksellers, from librarians, and from
correspondents otherwise unknown to me; indeed throughout I have met
with the utmost readiness to give any information or help that I found
it necessary to seek. For all such kindness I have expressed, and here
again express my cordial thanks.
Obviously this List can make no pretensions to completeness or finality.
It is really a record of books and articles that have come in some way
under the notice of two men. But it is a large list, its arrangement
renders additions easy, and it is hoped that it will facilitate
reference to matter of the class dealt with. A really complete list is
not possible without an organisation of workers ; not possible, perhaps,
without the establishment of a Scottish Topographical Library, in which
might be gathered together all the books that should be entered in such
a complete list. Such an ideal library was often talked of between Sir
Arthur and me, and such a library ought certainly to be brought into
existence.
II. The Arrangement of this List
This List is arranged in two main divisions, Topographical and
Topical—according to places and according to subjects.
In the first main division, Topographical, first arc placed general
descriptions of Scotland; then follows an alphabet of Counties, with the
addition of three Territories not limited by the boundaries of a single
County, viz. Borders, Galloway, and Highlands and Islands. Within each
County or Territory first are placed books dealing with that region in
general, and then the places within the region are arranged in an
alphabet of their names ; and for the region, or for its included
places, the books are arranged in an alphabet of authors. In the case of
the largest towns, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, subdivisions have
been used, so as to break up these large groups into smaller and more
manageable ones. This arrangement brings together in groups all books
having a common topographical reference. Where necessary, a book has
been placed in more than one such group.
It was found, however, that many books deal rather with a topic than
with a place, and in the second main division, Topieal, such books have
been placed under an alphabet of Topics; under each Topic the books are
arranged in an alphabet of authors. Very many books already entered in
the first main division have been entered also in the second main
division if their subject-matter seemed to make this desirable.
An index, mainly of places, has been added, and with its help it should
be possible to find readily any book in the List dealing with a definite
place or a definite subject. It is hoped that the arrangements here
described will be found useful and practicable.
Tours.—In Sir Arthur’s Lists of Tours in the Proc. Soc. Ant. Scot., he
entered two groups of books not set among Tours in this present List.
The first group includes books of description that suggest personal
observation as their basis though they do not actually record the making
of such observations; these books have been entered under the name of
the place described. The second group includes records of visits to
single places ; these also have been entered under the name of the place
visited. The list of Tours in the present List is therefore limited to
what may most legitimately be considered as books of tours, that is,
definite records of somewhat extended travels in which several places
were visited.
Views.— Under views are entered only published volumes of views. There
are, of course, very many views issued singly, but these have not been
entered. It may be noted that the British Museum contains many original
drawn views.
Maps.—It is obvious that only a selection of atlases and maps can here
be entered. I have examined every atlas or map of Scotland that I could
gain access to, and my brother, Mr. A. J. Cash, has examined in London
many that seemed not accessible here. In each case where possible two
statements have been made about a map; (a) its dimensions in inches, N.
to S., and E. to W.; (b) the distance on the ground represented by one
inch on the map, expressed in miles unless some other unit is named.
It may be noted that the British Museum contains numerous manuscript
maps, many of them being of considerable interest. The most notable one
is the ‘ Drawn Military Survey ’ of 1747-55 (see entry under General
Roy).
It is greatly to be desired that all the atlases and maps entered in
this list, and possibly others, could be brought together as one
department of ‘The Scottish Topographical Library,’ so that a detailed
comparative study could be made of them, and the history and growth of
the knowledge of Scottish topography elucidated.
C. G. CASH.
15 Barnton Gardens,
Davidson’s Mains, Midlothian.
Volume 1
| Volume 2 |
