Sir Walter Scott

Have just begun Sir Walter Scott's library -- right now I'm putting the general index on the profile page, so that sections can be marked off there as they are completed.

The library is found here: http://books.google.com/books?id=TtkRAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA51#PPP9,M1
It's nearly 400 pages long, about 9000 books, so this is going to be a big ol' project, I think. Volunteers welcome!

Message either this account (WalterScottLibrary) or myself (SadOatcakes) for password &c.

Thanks! I've added him to the group and wiki pages.

Sorry about the wrong link on the group page - as soon as I can edit it, I will (am getting a strange fatal error message there at the moment).

Update: Fixed now. Sorry again.

An interesting note about Walter Scott's library while browsing William Roberts's The Book-Hunter in London, available on Project Gutenberg
. On page 290 "When Sir Walter Scott lent a book, he put in its place a wooden block bearing the name of the borrower and the date of the loan." I wonder if any strange blocks of wood with names and dates found their way into the inventory of his library or estate.

Haven't seen any blocks of wood yet - sounds like a good idea, though.

We've just passed 2000 books - probably a bit less than halfway, but it's advancing fairly fast at the moment. Scott was famous for dictating books from his sickbed - I'm currently stuck at home with a broken leg, so I've got time to move the project on a bit (though sadly I don't have a Lockhart to dictate to).

I started to do a little bit of a cataloging today with Water Scott's library. It is interesting, although a bit confusing. Trying to wade through it. I came up this strange book though.

Ariana ; in 2 parts. Translated out of French.

I don't believe there is enough information to catalog the book, so I am unclear as to what now. It's on page 122 of the pdf file.

Well, it says “Ariana ; in 2 parts. Translated out of French, &c. 2d edit. fol. . . . ib. 1641,” which almost certainly makes it this.

Thanks! I found it and added it to the library. I was able to find another record of this book through Google Books as well..

Oh my.. I don't know I found this, but on pdf page 123.. as I was trying to look for this record..

Allyn's (Richard) Journal during Service on board the Centurion (1691-92)

I found this record finally

However how should I input it into the system?

I think this is probably the correct work. See the ESTC entry (search using "Allyn, Richard" as author) for the full title and library holdings. That record is here, if the link stays stable.

Another problem! Does anyone have any suggestions how best to deal with the works listed on the second half of page 218 and first half of page 219 ("Shadwell, Sixteen plays by", etc.) - I assume these are individual plays rebound by/for Scott, but for once the cat. doesn't give any data about the original works, apart from the date range. In other cases of rebound works, I've catalogued them as the original works, but it looks as though the best choice here might be to treat the collections as single works and enter them manually - what do you think?

Yep, I suspect that's the best you'll be able to do for entries like that. I ran into this often with the Mathers and Priestley, among others.

Dee has the same problem, and we're cataloging them separately with a note in the comment field saying "Bound with ..."

Yes, that's what I've done for the ones where the parts are specified (there are a lot of collections of poetry and Civil War political tracts, for instance), but for these collections of plays, for some reason, Cochrane doesn't bother to list them.

By the way - I've pruned the list of sources a bit, because the National Library of Scotland had fallen out, and I wanted to get it back above the fold. Apologies if I've removed anybody's favourite library, but I think I put back all the ones we've actually used more than once or twice.

When you get to it, we'll share A True account of the proceedings at Perth. This is usually attributed to Defoe, but see the comment in my library. I listed it as by "A rebel" as it says on the title page.

(Touchstone not working yet...)

Another milestone (or should I say: kilobook post?) - we passed 3000 books today. Frustratingly, the 3000th turned out to be another collection of popular songs by the ever-elusive John Bell of Newcastle, so it was a manual entry job!

I just cataloged a couple copies of this genealogy that probably exists at Abbotsford:

http://www.librarything.com/work/8102267/details/43059284

I left the author as "Haliburton, Family of" from the National Library of Scotland entry.

The MS is in press B, shelf v, according to the Abbotsford catalogue - we haven't entered it yet. We'll get there sooner or later.

He doesn't seem to have had any of the printed copies.

Is anyone still working on this project, out of interest?

>20
Good question: looks as though I haven't done anything since May, and antisyzygy last added something in September. I think we need a bit of new blood to stimulate us into action again...!

An interesting new find in the Scott library:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-13499914

Way cool! It says "The Grotesquiad is the latest in a series of finds at Abbotsford House during online cataloguing...." What have been the others?