My great great grandfathers book and getting a copy !

Post by **Tracey** » Thu Oct 13, 2005 11:04 pm

My Gt Gt grandfather had a book of poems published.............
The Queen Martyr, and other poems by William Donaldson, Elgin: J. McGillivray & Son, 1867. I know The British Library has a copy along with The National Library of Scotland. They are happy to copy this at considerable cost. Does anyone know where i might try to get an original copy of this assuming any survived ?
I am thinking of paying the silly costs to the libraries but there is nothing like the real thing and if it cost as much would rather have the original

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:24 am

Why don't you borrow it from the library and copy it yourself?
MM

Post by **Tracey** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:38 am

Evening Malcolm

I know somehow you can do an inter library loan thing on certain books, i did check this out with my library and it was suggested to me when i originally inquired about the book. How that works im not quite sure but to be honest if, as ive become aware that there are so few copies available i would be scared that i would damage it and i was told that there would be up to a 6 month wait which is fine by me !! I dont know how many pages this book has but last year i was given over 250 letters and had to scan those and to do that properly took me nearly a month. I think i would be too nervous to attempt such a thing being the chicken that i am. I met a relative on Monday who would be his gt granddaughter and she has an original copy. Its a shame we didnt make contact before she left the country she lives in or she might have bought it with her.

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 4:49 am

Hi Tracey,

I did a quick google and found nothing. You could always;

Contact Elgin and ask how many copies were published and where they were distributed.

Contact an Antiquarian Bookshop who post online and ask what their finders fee and book cost would likely be (It's not always that expensive).

Place an advert in the relevant local paper saying you are a Great Great Granddaughter compiling the family history and would dearly love a copy. There may be people who love the book but would gladly give or sell it to someone with an emotional attachment.

Or think a little bigger and contact the local paper with a page of condensed family history and see if they will publish it with a request for a copy of the book and any related family stories.

I adore 18th and 19th Century literature so I hope you manage to find a copy and get it back in the family fold!

Sobil

Sobil · Post by **Sobil** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 5:14 am

Hi Tracey,

Send the book details to:

Sales@GCBooks.Demon.Co.UK

They are in Wigtown? and list Scottish literature and poetry as fields of expertise. They say there is no finders fee, you just pay book costs and postage and they search worldwide so they must be in some sort of Antiquarian Book Consortium.

You could always ask for an estimate of likely cost..... (this is where you want him to be unknown!)

Check out their website for more info.... they seem to have old documents and all sorts of odd stuff on their site.

Sobil

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:38 am

Sobil's suggestion is probably be the way to go, as neither www.abebooks.com nor www.ukbookworld.com list it and they are normally very good for instances such as this.

Otherwise it looks like the borrow and photocopy route...........

David

PS You can find GCBooks on line at http://www.gcbooks.demon.co.uk/
Wigtown is Scotland's National Book Town.
dww

Post by **Tracey** » Fri Oct 14, 2005 6:05 pm

Thanks for the email link. I have mailed them so i will just have to wait now

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 1:52 pm

Hello Tracy
I have a couple of friends at the British Library who might be able to help obtain your book. I have left a message and should hear from them sometime next week.
In the meantime, a contact form has been left with the people who run the book festival at Wigtown. I have turned to this place before in my own search for Scottish Social History literature. This is their website.
MM
http://www.wigtown-booktown.co.uk/

Post by **paddyscar** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 8:46 am

Hello Tracy:

The catalogue record of the British National Library indicates that there are 142 regualr pages and 8 introductory pages in this book.

It is not likely to be available on an interlibrary loan due to the rarity and age, and the historical value.

There is no indication where you are located, but you could try searching "antiquarian book dealers" for something that may be close to you.

You could also try submitting a request to either of these antiquarian book dealer associations. Although a search on their sites didn't produce a copy, they may be able to help locate a copy using their resources

www.abaa.org

www.aba.org.uk

Good luck.

Post by **Tracey** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 10:34 am

Hi Paddyscar

I have done as much as i can think of doing in the last two years to find ways of obtaining an original copy, even remembering that i had mailed the two web links above before (a lot of old emails miraculously dissapeared of my pc ) and had no response. I was told i could get this on interlibrary loan, my local one checked it out and i was told i would have to wait 6 months ish as there that was a copy out on loan.This was a while ago but will have to go and double check and joining might help !! How interlibrary loan works i dont know maybe for such a book the library keeps its and i have to view it there.
There are a lot of old book shops in Charing Cross Road in London so i am going to look there when i have a spare afternoon as its very close to work. My family in Scotland are also looking out.
Even just getting to see the book in The British Library i would be happy so i just need to arrange it.
I am going to hold of for a while longer in paying The British Library and National Library of Scotland,s hideous fee for copying the book as i think (wishful thinking that is) as soon as i do this someone will pop up with "found a copy"

He is also mentioned in another book...........recollections of Keith Fife- Keith and Newmill" p26-27 by John W Cowie - anecdotes about Donaldson which was published in 1928 so will start to chase that one as well now.
I dont know where the author got his information from i think he was more used to writing fiction than fact

k

Many many thanks, and any mail addresses welcomed as a reminder as said before i lost a lot (well, aol lost a lot

)