The Books of the Piobaireachd Society Series:a ChronobibliographyRoderick D. Cannon
Revised July 2004
This is an attempt to list all the editions of all the books in the current Piobaireachd Society series, and to give enough information about each one so that owners can identify the particular copies they have. I have given it the made-up title “chronobibliography” because it is in fact a bibliography in chronological order. When read through from the beginning, it gives an overview of the Society’s publishing activity from the start of the series to the present time. Preface Of the various aims which the Piobaireachd Society has set itself since its foundation in 1903, the most successful, arguably, has been that of broadening the general performance repertoire through a programme of new publications. Since 1925, fifteen books have been published, containing a nominal total of 268 tunes. We can be precise about the nominal total, as the title of each book follows essentially the same format, thus Piobaireachd, 12 tunes edited by Comunn na Piobaireachd.., followed by Piobaireachd, a Second Book of 12 tunes..., and so on with 12 tunes in books 1-3, 16 in Books 4-10, and 20 in books 11-16. The real total however could be considered to be larger, as there is often a question of whether two pieces should be considered as distinct or as “versions” of each other. Nominally, each book is the work of a committee, i.e. the Music Committee of the Society, to whom all questions of selection and editing were delegated. But the committee has always had other responsibilities as well and in practice the editorial work has been undertaken by only a few people. The prime movers were John Grant and Archibald Campbell; later Archie Kenneth took an increasing part, the books from 11 to 15 being largely his. Less well known is the major contribution made by James Campbell especially in the later books. Roderick Cannon took over in 1996. The foundation of the work was the collection of manuscripts and rare printed books which John Grant and Archibald Campbell had built up personally since they started working together in the early 1900s. These and some others acquired by the Society itself are now mostly preserved in the National Library of Scotland.
The Society’s editorial policy was stated from time to time in resolutions formally adopted by the Music Committee, and in the prefaces to the various books, especially Book 1 and the revised Book 6, and in the separate General Preface, which supersedes the original preface to Book 1. This new preface also gives a full bibliography of sources and their present locations.
The Piobaireachd Society has never had premises of its own, and this may be the reason why it has not retained an archive set of its own publications. Nor has there been, until now, any attempt to catalogue the books comprehensively. The Music Committee felt that the centenary of the Society would be a good occasion to make such an attempt, and this publication is the result. Although great care has been taken, it cannot be claimed that this bibliography is completely accurate or comprehensive. It is in fact a preliminary publication and we hope that it will lead to new discoveries. Most books have been reprinted many times over. We catalogue here about 90 printings of the fifteen books, but less than half of these printings have actually been seen and handled by the present editor. It seems likely that examples of every edition and reprint are still in existence in one private collection or another. The Society will be very pleased to hear from any one who knows of editions which we have not managed to locate, and even more pleased to hear of others which we have omitted altogether, or errors in the information given. If anyone would like to donate examples of the missing books they will be most gratefully accepted. They will be catalogued and added to this list, then handed on to the National Library, with full acknowledgement. How to read this work A number such as 3.ii means Book 3, second edition (= first reprint). These numbers are a new series and do not correspond with the numbers 3.I, 3.II etc used in the present writer's published Bibliography of Bagpipe Music (John Donald, 1980). Imprints are copied from title pages. Capital and lower-case letters are distinguished but italics and different sizes of letters are not distinguished. Where the copy of an imprint ends with a slash, /, this is to confirm that the original does not end with a full stop. At the end of each entry, capital letters A, B, etc indicate library collections. A star thus, L*, means that the copy has been examined personally in connection with this work. A Author’s collection
B On loan from papers left by the late Frans Buisman
G Glasgow, University Library
I Inverness Public Library
L British Library, London
P Private collection, Richard J. Powell
Pre-war books.*** In each one, the preface is dated with a month and year. The first two books were published by Paterson’s. A copy of the Memorandum of Agreement with Paterson, Sons & Company is in NLS Acc.9103/28. It is a typed draft, dated 1925, but with spaces for the day and month, and for the selling price. Also filed with it is an estimate for printing 250 copies, £53.10.0d, or 500 copies, £60.0.0d. It presumably refers to Book 1 only. Sales were recorded in cash books, which were kept by the executive secretary of the Society, Mr. W. Aitken. (In a letter of 2 July 1952, his address is given as Garscube Estate Office, Bearsden Dunbartonshire; the letter is now in NLS Acc. 9103/10). Most of the cash books are still preserved as NLS Acc.9103/3. They generally show the numbers of copies printed, date delivered, and dates of all sales, with names of purchasers and prices paid. Reduced prices were offered to members and to trade purchasers; e.g. Book 1, cover price 7/6d, 5/6d to members, 6/6d to trade. The free copies sent to the British Museum are not recorded, and comparisons of B.M. accession dates and printers' delivery dates suggest that these were generally sent direct from the printers to the Museum. A letter from the National Library of Scotland to the Piobaireachd Society, 7/8/36, acknowledges the donation of Books 1–6 (NLS Acc.9103/9). There are records of free copies to other libraries, e.g. Book 7 to the National Library of Scotland. 1.i Paterson’s Publications Ltd. / 152 Buchanan Street, Glasgow / 95 Wimpole Street, London/ Price 7/6. Preface dated November 1925. The first copy is recorded as having been sent, free of charge, to "Hon. Mr. Justice Campbell, India" in January 1926; the first sale was to John Bartholomew, Crookedholme House. Also distributed in the first month were two copies to the Society's Instructor, Pipe Major William Ross. The last sale was in July 1938. E; L*, received 28 November 1925.
2.i Published for the Piobaireachd Society by / Paterson’s Publications Ltd./ 152 Buchanan Street, Glasgow/
Price 5/- Preface dated January 1928. 303 copies delivered 17 May 1928, sold from April 1928 (Cash book, NLS Acc.9103/7). The date of the last sale is not known, but by March 1939 there were only 20 copies left. A letter from Aird & Coghill Ltd, 1/11/28, confirms that the copper plates of music, and zinc plates of "prefatory notes" are "safely here in our Fire-Proof Vault" (NLS Acc.9103/8). Some of the original plates and engraving tools, saved after the firm closed down, are now on display in the Museum of the Piping Centre, Glasgow. E; L*, received 28 May 1928. The receipt is among the Piobaireachd Society papers, NLS Acc.9103/8.
*** From then on, all books were published by the Piobaireachd Society itself, and it is the name of the printer which appears as the imprint.
3.i Engraved and printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / Aird and Coghill Ltd. / 24 Douglas Street, Glasgow C.2 / Price 5s. Preface dated November 1930. 296 copies delivered 24 February 1931, on sale until November 1941. E; L*, received 28 May 1928.
*** In the next five books the note on canntaireachd is revised to include additional vocables. The price comes down and is standardised for the rest of the pre-war period. One of the cash books notes that the trade price was 2/6d.
4.i Imprint as 3.i. Price 3/6. Preface dated November 1932. 300 copies, recorded as delivered on 31 [sic] November 1932, on sale until August 1942.
E; L*, received 30 November 1932. 5.i Imprint as 3.i. Price 3/6. Preface dated July 1934. 295 copies, delivered 15 October 1934, on sale until January 1943. E; L*, received 13 October 1934. 6.i Imprint as 3.i. Price 3/6. Preface dated May 1936. Records of sales missing.
E; L*, received 28 July 1936.
7.i Imprint as 3.i. Price 3/6. Preface dated March 1938. 298 copies, delivered 7 May 1938. A letter from the Mitchell Library, Glasgow to the Piobaireachd Society, 12/5/38, acknowledges the donation of a copy of Book 7 "in line with the previous six parts" (NLS Acc.9103/9). The records show that copies remained on sale until July 1941 except that 8 copies were retained unsold, and a later note says "at odd times 6 books sold to special customers." The last sale is 15 January 1957, to Alex MacAuley, paid 5/6 (the price of all books had been raised by that time, see 8.ii below). E; L*, received 5 May 1938. 8.i Imprint as 3.i. Price 3/6. Preface dated September 1939. 300 copies, delivered in November 1939, first sale 14 November 1939, on sale until 1946, 9 copies reserved. Three copies of the first edition were sold on 22 July 1953, to a firm, Modern Music Ltd, for 13/6d, i.e. 4/6d each, which was evidently the trade price after the increase noted below — see 8.ii. The editor thought that this would be his last book. He wrote, “with 116 tunes I have come to the end of my tether” (letter to W. M. MacPhail, 14/11/39; see Some Letters of Archibald Campbell of Kilberry 1935-1949, ed. J. H. Shone, 1980).
E; L*, received 13 November 1939.
***War-time reprints. In the cash books, reprints are identified as "second edition”, "third edition”, etc. No copies have been seen as yet. They were all printed by Aird & Coghill Ltd. Evidently the print run was 100 copies, and slightly more were always delivered, presumably to allow for defects.
In contrast to the first editions, a high proportion of these were sold through the trade, i.e. bagpipe-makers, who were the main sellers of pipe music. The cash book record for Book 7 names R. G. Lawrie, P. Henderson, J. & R. Glen (the largest purchaser , D. Glen & Sons, and Jas. Robertson; a total of 96 copies mostly in quantities of two or three at a time. It may seem remarkable that books of this kind could be kept going under wartime conditions, but the Society's Army connections were real — it administered and examined courses of instruction for Pipe Majors and paid the salary of the Instructor in the Army School of Piping. No doubt the Society's work was seen as a contribution to war-time morale. 2.ii 107 copies, on sale from September 1941 to July 1945. Price 3/6d (trade 2/6d). The cash books also record a donation, three copies to "Prisoners of War", 23 February 1943. One copy was reserved unsold. 3.ii 103 copies, on sale from February 1942 to November1945. Price 3/6d (trade 2/6d). 6.ii 107 copies, on sale from September 1942 to August 1945. Price 3/6d. 7.ii 107 copies, on sale from September 1942 to July 1945. Price 3/6d.
***Late war-time or early post-war reprints. 4.ii Not documented in available cash books, but it appears that 4.i went out of print in 1941. It is assumed that an edition was printed sometime after the end of 4.i and before 1952 (see 4.iii below). 5.ii Not documented in available cash books, but it is assumed that two editions were printed sometime after the end of 5.i and before 1953 (see 5.iii and 5.iv below).
Post-war reprints. These are documented in the cash books until ca.1960, except that at least one of the cash books is missing. By this time the print runs had been increased, evidently to 250, and again usually the printers supplied rather more. (See Kilberry's remark about Books 1, 4 and 7, quoted below under 2.iv).
2.iii Not documented in available cash books, but it is assumed that an edition was printed sometime after the end of 2.ii and before 1951 (see 2.iv below).
5.iii Not documented in available cash books, but it is assumed that two editions were printed sometime after the end of 5.i and before 1953 (see 5.ii above and 5.iv below). One of them is referred to in a letter from W. Aitken to A. Campbell, 2/7/52, mentioning that the stock of book 3 was now down to 57 copies — see 5.iv below. 1.ii One of the cash books records an edition of 255 copies, received from the printers Dec 6 1945, sold from then until 31 March 1952. I assume that this is a reprint or second edition of Book 1, though the record does not make that clear. 3.iii 255 copies, on sale from August 1947 to February 1950. 7.iii 258 copies, on sale from August 1947 to March 1952. 6.iii 255 copies, on sale from February 1950 to June 1953. Price initially 3/6d (trade 2/6d), but presumably raised later. A letter from W. Aitken to A. Campbell, 2/7/52, mentions that the stock of Book 6 was now down to 66 copies. An order was noted from Inverness Borough and County Libraries, 7 December 1953, but the name is crossed out with no payment — presumably the copy sold was of the next edition. 8.ii 260 copies, on sale from April 1950 to March 1953. Price 3/6d initially, but raised to 5/6d from October 1951 (to trade, 2/6d and 4/6d respectively). A letter from W. Aitken to A. Campbell, 2/7/52, mentions that the stock of Book 8 was now down to 36 copies.
*** From this point, an important revision was introduced. Page numbers in Books 2, 3 etc were altered to run consecutively through the series, instead of beginning with page 1 in each Book as previously. Page numbers referred to in cross-references from one book to another were not always corrected however. The imprint remains the same as in 3.ii etc, but is partly in capitals and differently punctuated.
3.iv Engraved and Printed for The Piobaireachd Society by / AIRD & COGHILL, LTD. / 24 DOUGLAS STREET, GLASGOW, C.2 / Price 3/6 printed on title page. There is a footnote added to page 78. It is not known if this was added in edition 3ii, 3.iii or 3.iv. The cash books record 250 copies, on sale from June 1951 to January 1956, price 5/6d. One of the purchasers is Inverness Borough and County Libraries, 7 December 1953, which seems to confirm that the extant Inverness copy is this edition. The price printed on the title page would have been out of date, as it was raised in October 1951 (see note on 8.ii). I*, bound in one volume consisting of books 1–4. The library no longer has a record of the accession date, but the original catalogue number, 2595R, implies a purchase in the early 1950s, to judge from publication dates of other books with similar catalogue numbers. 2.iv Imprint as 3.iv. Price not printed on title page. Note on canntaireachd revised as in 4.i. 250 copies of Book 2 were printed in 1951. They are not documented in available cash books, but a memo from A. Campbell, dated 2nd July 1952, referring to the projected second edition of the Kilberry Book, mentions that "Nos 1, 4, & 7 have just been reprinted (250 copies of each) and 2 & 3 were reprinted last year." Book 3 referred to is evidently 3.iv and Books 1, 4 and 7 are 1.iii, 4.iii and 7.iv, though it seems (see below) that actual sales of 1.iii did not start until mid-1953.
I*, bound in one volume, Books 1–4, see 3.iv above. 4.iii Imprint as 3.iv. Price not printed on title page. Note on canntaireachd revised as in 4.i. A cross reference on page 114 has been brought up to date with the new page number, though other cross-references have been left unchanged. (It is not known if the change was made in this edition or the previous one). 250 copies of Book 4 were printed in 1952. Not documented in available cash books, but see comment on 2.iv.
I*, bound in one volume, Books 1–4, see 3.iv above.
7.iv 268 copies, on sale from May 1952 to April 1956. One of the purchasers was Inverness Borough and County Libraries, 7 December 1953, but the Inverness copy has evidently gone missing since then.
1.iii Imprint as 3.iv. Price not printed on title page. Note on canntaireachd revised as in 4.i. The cash book records the third edition of Book 1, 266 copies, on sale from May 1953 to September 1956, and confirms that one of the purchasers was Inverness Borough and County Libraries, 7 December 1953, paid 5/6d.
I*, bound in one volume, Books 1–4, see 3.iv above.
6.iv 266 copies, on sale from August 1953 to November 1958. Price 5/6d (trade 4/6d.).
8.iii 267 copies, on sale from September 1953 to September 1958. The purchasers include Inverness Borough and County Libraries, 7 December 1953; H.M. Stationery Office, London, November 26, 1957, and Edinburgh University, June 20, 1958. The Inverness copy has since gone missing. 5.iv Evidently published c.1954. Not documented in available cash books, but stocks of Book 5 were reported to be down to 57 on 2nd July 1952 (memo from Kilberry quoted above, see 2.iv), whereas the annual report of the General Committee of the Piobaireachd Society dated 30 November 1954 gave the total as 214.
1.iv The cash books record the fourth edition of Book 1, 263 copies, on sale from September 1956. The purchasers include H.M. Stationery Office, London, November 26, 1957; and Edinburgh University, June 20, 1958. The last sale is not recorded in the extant cash books, but the next edition came on sale in 1961, see 1.vi. 7.v 270 copies, on sale from October 1956 (?) to July 1960.
*** More “reprints". These are the last before the introduction of a revised version of the "Note on the Nether Lorn Canntaireachd" which is prefixed to each book, and since they have been directly examined they can be described fully. They show various other differences from the first editions, but some if not all of these could have been introduced in earlier reprints, not yet examined. Prices are still printed on the title pages. Other features of individual books are noted below. These were all on sale c.1961-2 (1962 according to my published bibliography). The stock lists included in the annual reports of the General Committee give the years (ending in November 30 of each year) in which each of these editions came on sale, and they also confirm that in each case the next edition did not appear until after the date when copies were purchased. The stock figures for the first year reported in each case are in the range 223 to 286, suggesting that the print runs were all 250. This is confirmed in some cases by details recorded in the cash books, some of which are extant until 1961. 2.v Imprint as 3.iv. Price 5/6. This edition came on sale in the year ending November 30 1956. Book 2 had been reported completely sold out in the previous year. A, purchased ca. 1961/2 3.v Imprint as 3.iv. Price 5/6. First on sale in the year ending November 30 1956. The cash books record 270 copies delivered in May 1956, on sale from 30 June 1956 to 20 February 1961. A, purchased ca. 1961/2. 4.iv Imprint as 3.iv. Price 5/6. First on sale in the year ending November 30 1956. A, purchased ca. 1961/2 5.v Imprint as 3.iv. Price 5/6. “Post free.” A sentence has been added on page 130, referring to Book 9, but cross-references on pages 134 and 142 still use the old page numbers. First on sale in the year ending November 30 1958. A, purchased ca. 1961/2. 6.v Imprint as 3.iv. Price 5/6 “Post free.” First on sale in the year ending November 30 1958. The cash book records 273 copies, delivered 5 February 1958, and the first sale 3 November 1958. The long delay is not explained — was it simply that the last copies of the previous edition were still being sold? Sales ended in May 1962. One of the purchasers was the School of Scottish Studies, Edinburgh University, 19 November. A, purchased ca. 1961/2. 8.iv Imprint as 3.iv. Price 5/6 “Post free.” First on sale in the year ending November 30 1958. A, purchased ca. 1961/2
*** The first new book after the War. On 30 November 1957, the Music Committee reported, "Book 9 of the 'Piobaireachd' series will be published shortly. The final proofs have been passed. Its preparation has been a difficult task because the contents, for the most part, are unfamiliar tunes, the authority for which is often a single and not very clear manuscript record. Dealing with the 16 tunes has taught the Editors additional respect for General Thomason's Ceol Mor, and his successful handling of over 270 pieces equally obscure to him". 9.i Imprint as 3.iv. Price 7/6. The page numbers begin where those of the reprinted Book 8 leave off. There is no key to the canntaireachd. The preface is dated 1957, but the book was evidently not on sale until late 1958 at the earliest. The size of the edition is not known but it may have been 500: at 30 November 1958 the stock was 382, and a year later it was down to 222. Reviewed in the Piping Times, December 1958. A, purchased ca 1961/2.
*** An index of tunes in Books 1–9 went on sale in the year 1 Dec 1958 - 30 Nov 1959, as shown in the annual Accounts of the Piobaireachd Society (NLS Acc. 9103/2)
*** Books containing a revision dated 1959, but still with the same imprint. The note on canntaireachd is Revised 1959 by Col. J.P. Grant, C.B. of Rothiemurchus and has footnotes on each of its two pages, the second signed A.C.The price is no longer printed on the title page.
7.vi Imprint as 3.iv. Annual stock lists show that a new edition of Book 7 went on sale in year ending 30 November 1960. The stock total of 241 at that date suggests an edition of 250, published in mid- to late 1960.
A, purchased c. 1961/2.
1.v Imprint as 3.iv. Some changes in the preface, evidently following from the publication of Book 9.
Stock lists in the annual report of the General Committee show that a new edition of Book 1 went on sale in year ending 30 Nov. 1961, and the reports of the Music Committee indicate that there had been a long delay in supplying it. In the report for the year 1 December 1958 to 30 November 1959, "…Books 1, 2, 3 and 7 are being reprinted"; in the next year "reprints of books 1, 2 and 3 were ordered in June 1959 but have not yet been supplied"; and finally in the next year, "the reprints of … books 1, 2 and 3 which were ordered in June 1959 have been supplied". In the second of these reports it was noted that "the result might have been awkward because ... four tunes in Book 1, two in Book 2 and one in Book 3 were set for competitions in 1960. The excuse given by the printers is still the printers' strike of last year" and in the third "the situation still appears to continue of this Society being the only agency for supply to the works of piobaireachd literature, and Aird and Coghill of Glasgow being the only efficient, but dilatory, printers of it." The edition may have been quite small, perhaps only 250 copies: the stock of Book 1 had been down to 4 copies by 30 November 1960, but was only 170 on 30 November 1961, though presumably there had been a backlog of orders. The size of editions is also commented on in the report just quoted — "One serious handicap to the fulfilment of the above role of the Society is the want of storage space for large supplies." A, purchased 1961/2
*** More reprints, unexamined as yet, but presumably all including the 1959 canntaireachd revision. These are documented in lists of stocks, in the annual report of the General Committee. The figures suggest that the print run was usually 500.
2.vi First appears in stock in the year 1961. See remarks on 1.v. This edition may have been about 250 copies, as the stock total was 168 on 30 November 1961. 3.vi First appears in stock in the year 1961. See remarks on 1.v. Probably an edition of nominally 500 copies, as the stock total was 480 on 30 November 1961. 6.vi First appears in stock in the year 1962. Probably an edition of nominally 500 copies, as the stock total was 484 on 30 November 1962.
4.v First appears in stock in the year 1962. Probably an edition of nominally 500 copies, as the stock total was 486 on 30 November 1962.
8.v First appears in stock in the year 1962, and probably delivered late in the year as the stock total is 502 at 30 November 1962. 5.vi First appears in stock in the year 1963. The accounts for that year show that 511 copies were printed, and the stock total was 468 at 30 November 1963.
*** A new book, with a different imprint.
10.i Engraved and Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / LOWE & BRYDONE (PRINTERS) LTD. / London, N.W. 10. /
The preface is dated March 1961, but the book did not come on sale until July 1963. It first appears in stock in the year ending November 30 1963, with 858 copies, suggesting a print run of 1000. A
*** Two more reprints. The printer’s address has changed, and unusually, the imprint incorporates a date. Is this simply the date of printing? It reads as if the firm had actually reconstituted itself in 1963 and incorporated the date into its official title:
7.vii AIRD & COGHILL (1963) LTD. / 24 DOUGLAS STREET, GLASGOW, C.2 /
This is evidently the edition which first appears in stock in the year 1963, probably delivered late in the year as the stock total is 501 at 30 November 1963. The accounts for that year show that 507 copies were printed.
1.vi The report of the Piobaireachd Society Music Committee to the Hon. Secretary and Treasurer, for the year ending 30 November 1963 mentions that "Books… 1, 5 and 7 were reprinted during the year, and Nos. 2 and 9 are in process of reprinting." The stock totals confirm that Books 5 and 7 had been reprinted by the date of the report (see 5.vi and 7.vii), and that Book 2 followed later (see 2.vii) but the increased figure for Book 1 also does not appear until the next annual report, i.e. 470 copies at 30 November 1964.
2.vii Same imprint as 7.vii. First appears in stock in the year 1964, and probably delivered late in the year as the stock total is 537 at 30 November 1964.
*** The first reprint of Book 9. It still does not have the Note on Canntaireachd and apart from the omission of the printed price it seems identical with 9.i.
9.ii Imprint as 7.vii. Price not printed. First appears in stock in the year 1964, with 760 copies in stock at 30 November. The total value is listed as £380.0.0 corresponding to a price of 10s. each, but if this is correct it seems, from the note below, to have been reduced to fairly quickly to 6/- then raised to 7/6d in 1966. On the copy P, the price 7/6d is marked in pencil on the cover. P
*** In 1966, Messrs Grainger & Campbell Ltd were appointed sole selling agents for Piobaireachd Society books, at a discount rate of 25%. Also the retail price of Books 1–9 was raised from 6/- to 7/6d, Book 10 remaining at 12/6d. (Piobaireachd Society AGM Minutes, 1 April 1966).
*** Another new book, and a change of printer’s address. The introduction is dated 1966 but actual publication was evidently 1967. 11.i Engraved and Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / BELL, AIRD & COGHILL, LTD. / 58 CADOGAN STREET, GLASGOW, C.2 / The preface is signed A. G. Kenneth, Stronachullin 1966. Advertised for sale in the Piping Times, January 1967. At the meeting of the General Committee of the Piobaireachd Society, 21 April 1967, "Mr. Kenneth… drew attention to the mysterious alteration of the key to the Canntaireachd s published in book 11." The key is in fact the usual table "revised 1959 by Col. Grant…" and it appears to have been set from the same plates as those that appeared in all editions of books 1–8 from that date onwards, but the footnotes on each of the two pages have been deleted. The ommission cannot be accidental as the asterisks in the task that refer to the footnotes have also disappeared. The ironic form of wording in the minutes of the General Committee implies that Mr Kenneth himself was not responsible and did not know about it. By 31 January 1969, the stock total reported by Grainger & Campbell Ltd was 660.
A
*** More reprints. The printer’s address has changed again, and again there is the curiosity of the date being apparently part of the firm’s name. According to reports of the distributors, Grainger & Campbell Ltd., new editions of Books 3, 6 and 8 were delivered by the printers in 1969; 4, 5, and 7 in 1970, and 1 and 9 in 1971. 3.vii Engraved and printed for the Piobaireachd Society by Bell, Aird & Coghill (1968) Ltd. 12 York Street, Glasgow, C.2. Published in 1969. The stock total was 416 at 5 November 1969, having been zero at 31 January 1969. P 6.vii Imprint as 3.vii. Published in 1969. The stock total was 425 at 5 November 1969, having been zero at 31 January 1969. P
8.vi Imprint as 3.vii. Published in 1969. The stock total was 466 at 5 November 1969, having been zero at 31 January 1969.
7.viii Published in 1970. The stock total was 485 at 30 April 1970, having been zero at 31 January 1970. Estimates had been sought from Lowe & Brydone, and given on 24/9/69, but evidently not accepted. A letter from Bell, Aird & Coghill (1968) Ltd reports that the work is "now proceeding", but had been delayed "until we could get a clean copy from Grainger & Campbell, 7–10 days ago". This was written on 11/12/69. In a further letter, 25/2/70, "I hope to dispatch Book 7 within the next fortnight and follow up with Books 4 & 5 before the end of March".
4.vi Published in 1970, presumably in March (see note on 7.viii). The stock total was 516 at 30 April 1970, having been 1 at 31 January 1970. Bell, Aird & Coghill (1968) Ltd had given their estimate for printing both books, 4 and 5 in 11/12/69. There is also a letter on record in the Music Committee folder, in which Capt. J. A. MacLellan asks for correction of some misprints which had evidently persisted through the earlier editions. They include, on page 113, line 4 of the music, bar 3, two notes wrongly timed, F and C, short-long, now altered to read long-short.
5.vii Published in 1970, presumably in March (see note on 7.viii). The stock total was 491 at 30 April 1970, having been zero at 31 January 1970.
1.vii Published 1970–1. The stock total was 411 copies at 31 March 1971, reported as zero at 30 April 1970. 9.iii Published probably in 1971. The stock total was 548 copies at 31 March 1971, previously reported as 85 at 30 April 1970. Apart from the title-page this edition seems the same as 9.ii.
*** Another new book, and another printing by the competitor printer. Page 360 has a note Copyright MCMLXX by the Piobaireachd Society. The preface is dated November 1970. According to reports of the distributors, Grainger & Campbell Ltd., this book was delivered by the printers in 1971.
12.i Imprint as 10.i. There is a great deal of documentation on the production of this book. Work on it was already in progress by 1968 if not before, as the Music Committee discussed its funding on 8 April (NLS Acc. 9103/2) and reported on 30 November that "the MS has been completed and is under review". When it came to the point of printing a quotation for 1000 copies, given by Bell, Aird & Coghill (1968) Ltd, 26/4/69, was not accepted. A letter from Lowe and Brydone, 24/9/69, says that the proof will be sent for checking when ready (though their estimate, for 500, 750 and 1000 copies, is dated later, 20 October 1969), and this was done on 10 March 1970. A full proof, containing music inserts for the editorial notes, was sent on 1/6/70, and proof correction continued throughout the rest of the year. Nevertheless, when the book was published, a large number of uncorrected misprints were found. The sale was stopped (see letter John MacLellan to Archie Kenneth, 12/3/71, in Music Committee file) and an errata slip was printed. Stock totals show the hold-up of sales, 960 at 31 March 1971, the same at 30 September 1971, but down to 817 by 21 February 1972. A, purchased in April 1972. This copy includes the errata slip.
*** More reprints. No details are available at present apart from stock totals reported by Messrs Grainger & Campbell Ltd at various dates.
2.viii Published in 1972. Quotations for 500 copies were given by Bell, Aird & Coghill Ltd, 7/10/71, and by Lowe & Brydone, 19/11/71. The extant Music Committee files do not indicate which of the two was accepted, but evidently the final decision was for 1000 copies: the stock total was 935 copies at 30 September, the previous total having been zero at 29 February 1972. 3.viii Published in 1972. Stock total 1108 copies at 30 September, the previous total being zero at 175 February 1972. A quotation for 1000 copies, was given by Bell, Aird & Coghill Ltd, 7/6/72, and a note indicates that it was accepted.
10.ii Published in 1972, according to a note in 10.iii, but if so it was late in the year. Grainger & Campbell's stock total was still 108 at 30 September 1972, then 1038 at 31 May 1973. This book evidently contained significant revisions and additions. A letter from Archie Kenneth to John MacLellan, 24/6/72, now in the Piobaireachd Society Music Committee file, details various amendments, and another from James Campbell to John MacLellan, 2/7/72 is evidently in reply to points arising out of it. The amendments were notified in a letter to Lowe & Brydone, 12/10/72, which also requests an estimate for 1000 copies. The quotation was accepted on 23 October 1972. Presumably the alterations were duly made; certainly they can be seen in the next edition, 10.iii. They include, on page 303, music line 6, the last note low F corrected to low G, and page 292, music line 2, bar 8, grace note F corrected to high G (an unintentional inverted V sign has appeared above it).
*** A group of reprints, undated, but all with the same imprint, featuring the new postal codes which came into use in the early 1970s. Evidently these are referred to in the Report of the Music Committee of the Piobaireachd Society for the year ending 30th November 1973 — “The following books have been reprinted — 1, 6, 7, 8 and 10.” They were all recorded in stock lists of Messrs Grainger & Campbell Ltd. in 1973 — actual dates noted below. Books 6, 7, 8 were still on sale in 1989 by which time they looked rather old and the paper was distinctly yellowed at the edges. Quotations for Books 1, 6, 7 and 8, were given by Bell, Aird & Coghill Ltd, dated 16/1/73, for 1000 and 1500 copies. Also for "Piobaireachd Tunes", 4 pp, which presumably means an index of tunes.
1.viii Engraved and Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / BELL, AIRD & COGHILL LTD. / 12 YORK STREET, GLASGOW G2 8LG /
Evidently published in 1973. The stock total was 1611 copies, at 31 May 1973. 6.viii Imprint as 1.viii. Evidently published in 1973. The stock total was 1655 copies, at 31 May 1973. A 7.ix Imprint as 1.viii. Evidently published in 1973. The stock total was 1608 copies, at 31 May 1973. A; B* 8.vii Imprint as 1.viii. Evidently published in 1973, later than 7.ix. The stock total was 1570 copies, at 30 November1973; previously 106 copies at 31 May 1973. A
*** A further group of reprints, one dated 1975, with the same printer and address as the preceding ones, but the imprint is printed in a more fancy style, sans-serif. They were all recorded in stock lists of Messrs Grainger & Campbell Ltd., filed among Music Committee papers. The quotations, for Books 4, 5 and 11, 1500 copies of each, were all requested at the same time, June 1974, and when the estimates were accepted, 26 July 1974, the order of printing was specified as 5, 4, 11.
5.viii Engraved and Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / BELL, AIRD & COGHILL LTD. / 12 YORK STREET, GLASGOW G2 8LG /
Evidently this edition was delivered late in 1974 or early in 1975. The invoice is dated 31/1/75 and the stock total was 1576 at 28/2/75. A 11.ii Imprint as 5.viii. The mention of amendments to this book, in the letter of 24/11/74 quoted below, caused some difficulty, as the printers replied, 28/11/74, that all the plates had already been made. 1271 copies were delivered from the printers on 10 April 1974. A 4.vii Imprint as 5.viii. This contains new footnotes on pages 110, 120, dated 1975. A letter to the publishers detailing the amendments is dated 24/11/74, and adds, "Book 4 should now be reprinted, and after that Book 11 for which there are slight amendments" (on which however, see above, 11.ii). Actually 11.ii came out first and this one followed early in 1975, as the invoice, for 1527 copies, is dated 28/2/75, and the stock total was 1576 on the same date. A
*** From 4 November 1977 the price of the books was raised to £1.50 each. *** Another reprint, by Bell, Aird & Coghill, at the same address as shown in 4.vii, but the imprint printed in a more conventional type, smaller size, with serifs. This is actually a revised edition, with an additional preface dated 1977. Work on it had begun in 1974 (letter, Archie Kenneth to John MacLellan, 29/7/74, "Book 9 will take a lot of doing and I'll start right away" and 13/10/74 "the supplementary Ed. notes… are ready".
9.iv Engraved and Printed for The Piobaireachd Society by / BELL, AIRD & COGHILL LTD. / 12 YORK STREET, GLASGOW G2 8LG /
A note in 4.vii, which was published in 1975, refers to “Book 9 ... as amended 1975” but the printers' quotation is dated 6/6/77. The reprint was stated to be available, in the report of the Music Committee to the General Committee, 30 November 1977. The quotation was for 1500 copies. The stock total for 30 November 1977 is not available, but by 30 November 1978 it was 1292 copies. A; G*, purchased October 1987. 12.ii Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / WEST CENTRAL PRINTING CO. LTD. / LONDON & SUFFOLK / Below the imprint, left PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN right REPRINTED IN 1978/ Some corrections were incorporated, following the errata slip in 12.i. The order for printing was first given to Lowe and Brydone. A letter from John MacLellan to Lowe and Brydone is dated 1/12/77, and specifies 1500 copies. In the event, evidently a different printer was used. The stock total reported by Grainger & Campbell Ltd was 1457 at 30 November 1978. A; G*, purchased October 1987.
*** Another new book and another change of printer:
13.i Processed and Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / WEST CENTRAL PRINTING CO. LTD. / LONDON & SUFFOLK /
Page 393 has the note Copyright 1980 by the Piobaireachd Society. The book was reviewed in The International Piper, April 1980. The stock total was 1234 at 31 August 1980, which suggests that the edition was 1500 copies; and down to 245 at 28 February 1989, suggesting that there had not yet been a reprint, though there has been one since, see below, 13.ii. A; B*; G*, purchased October 1987.
*** A reprint by a new firm at the old Aird & Coghill address. The change of name took place in 1979 as shown by letters in the Piobaireachd Society files, with the two letterheads, dated 23rd February and 31st July 1977 respectively. This reprint is presumably the one referred to in the Report of the Music Committee of the Piobaireachd Society for the year ending 30th November 1979 — “The Kilberry Book and Book 2 to be reprinted”. The preface seems to be unchanged from 2.ii, indeed to be printed from the same image, but the quality of the printing is much better.
2.ix Engraved and Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / HOLMES McDOUGALL LTD. / 12 YORK STREET, GLASGOW G2 8LG /
Published in 1980. The quotation for 1500 copies is dated 29/5/80; they were delivered in July and the stock total was reported as 1538 at 31 August 1980. A; G*, purchased October 1987.
*** The same printer at a different address:
3.ix Engraved and Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / HOLMES McDOUGALL LTD., / 33 YORK STREET, GLASGOW /
Below the word Copyright on the title page a printed label is stuck on with note “Reprinted 1981”. The book contains various amendments and additions including an extra page of music at the end, numbered 105 — though it should be 104a, as 105 is the number of the first page in Book 4. “Book 3 was being reprinted with some updating of the notes” — Report of the Music Committee of the Piobaireachd Society, at the Annual General Meeting of the Society, 15th March 1981. The previous edition was sold out out by 10 February 1981, as reported in a letter from Seumas MacNeill, shortly after the College of Piping had taken over as distributor of Piobaireachd Society publications. Apparently 1500 copies of this edition were printed, in 1981, though perhaps not published unitil 1982. A letter from John MacLellan to the printers, undated, complains about printing errors, including the wrong page number and omission of the words "Reprinted 1981" from the front cover. The acknowledgment, dated 5 April 1982, promises that 1500 stickers will be supplied. G*, purchased October 1987.
*** The same printer but a change of imprint:
10.iii Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / Holmes McDougall Ltd. / Glasgow/ Inside front cover: First reprint 1972 / Reprint 1982. There are new footnotes on pp 281, 287 — but the latter is dated 1972 (see above, 10.ii). The estimate for printing was requested 28 December 1981 and acccepted 28 January 1982. Presumably the reprint was published in 1982 but the available stock lists do not help to fix the date: there is a gap from 10 February 1981, 151 copies, to 30 November 1986, 1331 copies. A; G*, purchased October 1987.
*** Yet another printer:
1.ix Printed for The Piobaireachd Society by / H.K. CLARKSON & SONS LTD. / YOUNG STREET, WEST CALDER, WEST LOTHIAN.
Above the imprint: Reprinted 1985. The quotation, for 1500 copies, was given 11 December 1984, and accepted 19 December 1984. The stock total was 304 on 28 February 1989, but was up to 836 by 30 November 1996. This might suggest that there had been a reprint but in fact what happened was that the bulk of the copies were stored by Clarksons, and a further supply was transferred from them to the College of Piping. The copies currently on sale (July 2004) are of this same printing.
A, G*, purchased October 1987.
*** It was resolved in March 1983 that after publication of Book 14, prices of all books would be raised to £3.00 (Minutes of Piobaireachd Society AGM, March 1983).
*** Another new book and another printer:
14.i Processed and Printed for The Piobaireachd Society by / MACDONALD PRINTERS (EDINBURGH) LIMITED / Edgefield Road, Loanhead, Midlothian, Scotland /
The preface is dated 1986 and page 443 has the note Copyright 1986 by the Piobaireachd Society. The book was not reviewed in The Piping Times, until August 1991, but it was published in 1986. The stock total was 1338 at 30 November 1986. A, purchased August 1986; G*, purchased October 1987.
*** An index of Books 1-14 was published and a copy was purchased by Glasgow University Library, October 1987.
*** The last new book. This and the editions of other books listed below are currently in print. Library locations are not given here.
15.i No imprint other than the words Printed in Scotland, 1990 / .
The preface is dated 1989, with a further note dated 30 November 1990. I have found no clear record as to how and where this book was produced, but there is a letter from David McNally to John MacLellan referring to "typesetting" Book 15, and report of the Music Committee to the General Committee, 31 March 1980 also says that the book is currently being "typeset". The stock total was 794 copies at 6 September 1999. If the edition was 1500 copies this suggests that so far there has not been a reprint.There is a great deal of documentation about the early stages of production of this book, including correspondence and drafts in the files of the late Mr A. G. Kenneth, and a box of proofs in the files of the Music Committee. A brief progress report was made to the Music Committee, 18 March 1988.
*** From this point on each edition has been assigned an ISBN. The publisher's prefix 1 898405 was assigned by the Standard Book Numbering Agency Ltd in a letter to RDC dated 25 May 1993.
13.ii Imprint as 12.ii, but in slightly small letters. ISBN 1-898405-13-5 (the last digit is incorrect and should have been 1). The text is a facsimile from 13.i. Published in the interval 28 February 1989 to 30 November 1996. The stock totals at these dates are 245 and 1052 respectively.
6.ix Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / MACKENZIE & STORRIE LTD. / 28–32 COBURG STREET, EDINBURGH EH6 6HA /
ISBN 1 898405 06 6. (The last digit is incorrect and should have been 9). This edition contains a number of additions and revisions. Preface to “1992 reprinted edition” is signed J.A. MacLellan and dated 1990; a footnote to the preface is signed Hugh A. MacCallum and dated 1992. The application form for the ISBN was dated 27 March 1994.
5.ix Imprint as 6.ix. ISBN 1-898405-05-5. (The last digit is incorrect and should have been 0). The text is a facsimile from a previous printing. Published before 30 November 1996, the stock total then being 1004.
8.viii Imprint as 6.ix. ISBN-1-898405-08-5. The text is a facsimile from a previous printing. Published before 30 November 1996, the stock total then being 938.
4.viii Imprint as 6.ix. ISBN-1-898405-04-2. The text is a facsimile from a previous printing. Published before 30 November 1996, the stock total then being 1103.
7.x Imprint as 6.ix. ISBN 1-898405-07-7. The text is a facsimile from a previous printing. Published in the interval 6 September 1999 to 30 November 2000. The stock totals at these dates were 127 and 566 respectively. By 2000 the stock at the College of Piping was very low, but a further 250 copies were transferred from Clarkson's (printers of 1.ix) who had been holding them in store. On 6 May the stock at the College was 566, on 30th November, it was 509.
11.iii Imprint as 6.ix. ISBN 1-898405-11-5. 500 copies taken into stock, June 2000. This edition contains a number of corrections and additions, and a completely new version of the explanation of the Campbell Canntaireachd notation.
9.v Imprint as 6.ix. ISBN 1-898405-09-3. Published 2001.
2.x Imprint as 6.ix. ISBN 1-898405-02-6. This is a facsimile of 2.ix, the only differences being the changed imprint and a “Note added in proof” on page [ii]. 500 copies were printed.
Another new imprint, MacKenzie & Storrie having ceased trading:
12.iii Printed for the Piobaireachd Society by / The Alden Press, Oxford. ISBN 1-898405-12-3. The imprint appears on the title-page but not on the front cover; the words “Printed in Great Britain” and “Revised 2004” appear on both. This edition went on sale in week beginning 12 July 2004. Besides various footnotes, it includes a revised version of the tune “Port Urlar”, on pages 387-388.
List of printings, in chronological order 1 i
2 i
3 i
4 i
5 i
6 i
7 i
8 i
2 ii
3 ii
6 ii
7 ii
4 ii
5 ii
5 iii
2 iii
1 ii
3 iii
7 iii
6 iii
8 ii
3 iv
2 iv
7 iv
1 iii
4 iii
1 iv
6 iv
8 iii
5 iv
1 v
7 v
2 v
3 v
5 v
6 v
8 iv
9 i
1 vi
7 vi
2 vi
3 vi
6 vi
4 v
8 v
5 vi
10 i
7 vii
1 vii
2 vii
9 ii
11 i
3 vii
6 vii
8 vi
7 viii
4 vi
5 vii
1 viii
9 iii
12 i
2 viii
3 viii
1 ix
6 viii
7 ix
8 vii
10 ii
5 viii
4 vii
11 ii
12 ii
9 iv
2 ix
13 i
3 ix
10 iii
1 x
14 i
15 i
13 ii
6 ix
5 ix
8 viii
4 viii
7 x
11 iii
2 x Back
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