‘Book of Blunders’ (1883)

After the surprise acquisition of Charles Waddie‘s ‘How Scotland Lost Her Parliament‘ (1891) – which we’ve since republished – I went in search of publications by another of the authors featured, due to their correspondence to the newspapers of the time, in our publication ‘Treaty of Union Articles‘ (2019), the Rev. David Macrae. He was a Home Ruler and staunch protestor of English centralisation, the use of England/English in place of Britain/British within Scottish school history textbooks and, even worse, within international treaties negotiated by Westminster. I was unable to find any of his pamphlets on the subject available to obtain but he did publish a few books on other subjects. This is one of those. It’s with thanks to a very generous donation from a RSH supporter, Adam Baird, I was able to acquire this publication.

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D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Front Cover.

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Spine.

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Back Cover.

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Inside Front Cover with previous owner’s Library Sticker;

“ex Libris

GEORGE MACDONALD FRASER.”

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Title Page with Stamp;

“N. R. SMITH,

“RIVERSDALE”,

RAMSEY, I.O.M. [Isle of Man]“

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Publisher’s Page.

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Quotes;

” ‘Men are men; the best sometimes forget.’

                                                                                                             – SHAKSPEARE.

‘ἀνθρώποισι γαρ τοῖς πᾶσι κοινόν ἐστι τοὐξαμαρτάνειν.‘

                                                                                                            – SOPHOCLES.

‘Cujusvis hominis est errare.’

                                                                                                    – CICERO.

‘Good nature and good sense must ever join,

To err is human, to forgive divine.’

                                                                                                – POPE.”

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Contents Page.

D. Macrae (1883), ‘Book of Blunders,’ Glasgow: John S. Marr & Sons, Preface;

“IF any reader caress to know the way in which this little book came into existence, here it is:- I was down spending a holiday last May in the beautiful Manse of Glencairn, with an old fellow-student, who is now parish minister there. One day, a curious little blunder which had been made in a telegraphic despatch set me thinking about the various kinds of blunders and mistakes I had come across in reading and experience, and the absurd positions into which people had been placed by reason of them. The issue of this was a chapter of “Recreations” sent to the Glasgow Herald, which brought in so many letters furnishing additional instances of the kinds of blunders and slips described, that when asked to republish the “Recreations” in the form of a book, I was less reluctant than I would otherwise have been to comply, since republication would furnish an opportunity of introducing a number of these contributed specimens, which I was reluctant that those interested in my own should lose. To the contributors of these additional cases I take this opportunity of returning my thanks, as also to the Editor of the Glasgow Herald, for his hearty permission to republish those which I had sent to him.

D. M.”