The Statistical Account of Scotland. Drawn up from the Communications of the Ministers of the Different Parishes.

Edinburgh: Printed and sold by William Creech, 1791. FIRST EDITION, 21 vols., 8vo, various paginations + 4 folding plates, 2 folding maps (one in colour), 9 engraved plates, 4 folding tables and 4 engraved maps. Contemporary half diced calf, brown boards, spine divided by gilt rules and lettered direct in gilt, marbled edges. A touch of scattered spotting, a few gatherings slightly toned, 1 leaf in vol. 4 sprung. Just a little rubbed and marked, some spines slightly creased, a few volumes with slight damage at foot of spines. Ownership inscriptions of Haddington to title-pages. A handsome set of Sir John Sinclair’s magisterial magnum opus, conceived when Sinclair was an elder in the Church of Scotland - ‘a detailed account of the geography, history, economy, and society of every parish’ in Scotland. Sinclair achieved this through a dogged and determined letter-writing campaign, following up his questionnaires until a bare dozen of the country’s 936 parishes had to be covered by editorial staff. Sinclair initially intended to summarise the material but opted to edit it instead, preserving the flavour of the language of his clergymen respondees. The result was a reference work for the ages, ‘the most frequently quoted of all Scottish historical sources,’ (ODNB) and rarely found complete with all plates in uniform contemporary binding, as here.