'SWINTON, Andrew' [ pseudonym for William THOMSON]. Travels into Norway, Denmark and Russia in the years 1788, 1790, and 1791.

£500 · Offered by Henry Sotheran Ltd

An epistolary travelogue 'SWINTON, Andrew' [ pseudonym for William THOMSON]. Travels into Norway, Denmark and Russia in the years 1788, 1790, and 1791. London: Robinson . 1792. 8vo. Contemporary calf, spine with raised bands, ruled in gilt and with red morocco lettering piece; pp. xxvii, 506, engraved frontispiece depicting Falconet's Peter the Great monument after a drawing by Thomson; head of spine and corners a little worn, the latter a little bumped; frontispiece and title-page with minor spotting, pp.264-266 with brown spots, otherwise very good; contemporary armorial bookplate of a member of the Duff family of Drummuir, Banff, Scotland to front pastedown. First edition, uncommon, of this travelogue in epistolary form written by the colourful William Thomson (1746-1817) , author not only of voyage and travel literature, but also of biography and pamphlets under various pseudonyms, including Thomas Newte, Sergeant Donald Macleod, and, as here, Andrew Swinton. Librarian to Thomas Hay, Earl of Kinnoull and Chancellor of the University of St. Andews, William Thomsom was encouraged to pursue a career in the church, with the promise of his own parish under Kinnoull's patronage. Having completed his theological studies at St Andrews, he was later ordained, this time as an assistant to James Porteous, Minister of Monivaird, Perthshire, but his personality could not be contained within the limited bounds of puritanism, what with promiscuous behaviour causing riot with his parishi

• Binding: Hardcover

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