The copy of Chalmers’ ‘Domestic Annals of Scotland’ I have here to upload for you is the abridged version, you might be pleased to know, so less reading than the original. The illustrations look brilliant and seem nice and clean throughout. It starts, just before where we ended up with volume 1 of ‘Balfour’s Historical Works’, in the 16th century, with Mary, Queen of Scots. The Chalmers brothers, William & Robert, saw Scotland and its history from a solely post-union British viewpoint. Authors of that ilk had a tendency to put Scotland down some in order to laud the benefits of a union not everyone was onboard with. He doesn’t let us down in this regard for his Introductory. It’s not often I feel the need to footnote an introduction but he seemed as though he was tarring his native country with a brush the rest of Britain and Europe had already used.
As we’ve seen from the histories, Scotland’s not lacking, though in his ‘Book of Days’ Chambers manages to have dates devoid of any Scottish information. I’ve already started rectifying that for a Calendar of Scottish Events. It is difficult not to equate Chambers’ narrow viewpoint with that of the ‘Punch‘ contributors. White, protestant, british men railing against those of other religions and those different from them. Let’s see what there is to learn from this neat little book.
‘Domestic Annals of Scotland’, R. Chambers (1885), W. & R. Chambers, Edinburgh, Front Cover.
‘Domestic Annals of Scotland’, R. Chambers (1885), W. & R. Chambers, Edinburgh, Spine & Front Cover.
‘Domestic Annals of Scotland’, R. Chambers (1885), W. & R. Chambers, Edinburgh, Previous Owner’s Family Library Sticker.
‘Domestic Annals of Scotland’, R. Chambers (1885), W. & R. Chambers, Edinburgh, Frontispiece.
‘Domestic Annals of Scotland’, R. Chambers (1885), W. & R. Chambers, Edinburgh, Publisher’s Page.
‘Domestic Annals of Scotland’, R. Chambers (1885), W. & R. Chambers, Edinburgh, Notice of the Abridged Version.
