New Books in pdf format

[Alastair]

Sometimes when working away doing research I come across the odd book that I feel should be made available on the site even though I won't take the time to ocr it in. When I find such a book I look to see if I can find a pdf version of it and if found I'll add it to the site but will usually take the time to ocr in the Preface so you get some idea of what the book is about.

Anyway... I also find I have the habit of adding a book like this but don't tell anyone I've done it and so this posting is just to make you aware of a book or two I've recently added just in case you'll find them of interest.

Just today I added 4 volumes of books from James Fairbairn who did a lot of work on documenting Family crests. This work can be seen at http://www.electricscotland.com/heraldry/fairbairn.htm

I also added...

The History of the Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland
From A.D. 1493 to 1625 with an Introductory Sketch from A.D. 85 to 1493 by Donald Gregory (1881)

This had a lot of clan information in it and can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.com/book..._highlands.htm

I also added...

Robert Wallace, M.P., and James Chalmers
The Scottish Postal Reformers

This tells the story of the inventor of postage stamps which can be viewed at http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...les/stamps.htm

[Alastair]

Re: New Books in pdf format

I came across a book, "Annals of Scottish Printing" which traces the early history of the Printing Trade through to around 1601. You can read this book at http://www.electricscotland.com/book...h_printing.htm

Alastair

[Alastair]

Re: New Books in pdf format

The Arniston Memoirs
Three centuries of a Scottish House 1571 - 1838, edited from Family Papers by George W T Omand. Also on this page you will find the book "Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville".

Many years ago, in the course of some building operations, the Charter-Room at Arniston was dismantled. Its contents, consisting of charters, rent-rolls, leases, accounts, and valuable family papers, were placed on the floor of an attic where, for a long time, they lay in confusion, uncared for, and in constant danger of destruction. About twenty years ago Dr. William Fraser, who was then beginning those researches which have thrown so much fresh light on the family history of Scotland, was requested by Mr. Dundas to give his help in examining the Arniston papers. Dr. Fraser arranged the charters, making a copious inventory of them, in which everything of local or family interest was described. He also deciphered the old estate, family, and colliery accounts down to the middle of the seventeenth century. The results of Dr. Fraser's labours suggested the idea of a family history to Mr. Dundas, who accordingly proceeded to arrange the letters and estate accounts, and compile a narrative from them to be left in the Charter-Room at Arniston in manuscript for the private use of the family.

There had been no intention of publication; but friends who had an opportunity of examining the materials thus collected by Mr. Dundas were of opinion that they were worthy of preservation in a more permanent form; and I was requested to undertake the task of weaving them into a continuous narrative and editing the volume of family history which is now published under the name of the Arniston Memoirs.

As originally planned, the work included a memoir of Henry Dundas (the celebrated Viscount Melville), who was a younger son of the first President Dundas. But it became apparent, as the work proceeded, that a complete account of his career, which, in some of its most interesting and important aspects, was that of a British Minister, could not be given without entering upon a variety of subjects inconsistent with the scope of the present volume. It has, therefore, been decided to omit the correspondence at Arniston between Henry Dundas and his brother and nephew. This correspondence, which extends over a large part of his public life, together with the voluminous collection of papers at Melville Castle, will form the groundwork of a separate work on the Life of Henrv Dundas.

You can get to these books at http://www.electricscotland.com/books/pdf/arniston.htm

[Alastair]

Re: New Books in pdf format

What I like about this book is all the wee insights into running an estate. This is a book that researchers can gleam new knowledge of these olden times. There are many wee snippets... like the fact that the land was owned by the Knights Templar. It talks about farming conditions, servants wages, etc.

We have a link to a site "Measuring Worth" at http://www.electricscotland.com/theweb/worth.htm

Intrinsic things are priceless. The love of your life or a beautiful sunset. There is no objective way to measure these, nor should there be.

The worth of monetary transactions is also difficult to measure. While there is a price, wage, or other kind of transaction that can be recorded at a precise price, the worth of the amount must be interpreted.

The price of a hamburger is probably worth more to a starving homeless person than to a very wealthy one. An allowance of five pennies a week was worth more to a child in 1902 than it is to a child today.

It can be more difficult when the question is to determine the "historical" worth of something. The price, even deflated for inflation, is not enough. Was Andrew Carnegie richer than Bill Gates? Did Babe Ruth make more than David Beckham? Was the cost of a loaf of bread more then than now? These questions all depend on the context and the calculators on this web site enable users to make their own comparisons.