| Summary: | <p>This thesis comprises a catalogue of the sixteenth century printing types and ornaments of Scotland, along with an introductory survey of the Scottish book trade. It is divided into two parts, and includes an appendix describing the 337 books discussed in the study.</p>
<p>The first part surveys the Scottish booktrade from its first stirrings in the late fifteenth century until the departure of King James VI to England in 1603. It considers, in particular, the European context of the trade, showing the strong connections Scottish writers and booksellers had with continental printers. Using the typographic evidence presented in the second part of this thesis, it is argued that Scottish printers had neither the resources nor the ability to compete with their continental counterparts in distributing such books, and therefore had to rely almost exclusively on the patronage of the Crown and the Scottish government for the survival of their businesses. The consequent manipulation of the press, by both Catholics and Protestant alike, is considered in this context, as is the increasingly sophisticated efforts of the English to control the trade of printed books in Scotland. The first section concludes by discussing the part that the Scottish booktrade played in the evolution of Scottish literary culture and education.</p>
<p>The second part comprises a catalogue of the sixteenth century printing types and ornaments of Scotland. This section is intended to provide evidence about the supply and distribution of typographical materials throughout the country, discussing the connections earlier printers had with suppliers in France, England, and the Low Countries, as well as the various trends in design that were favoured by an increasingly sophisticated Scottish literary market. The catalogue itself comprises 76 type synopses assembled by the author, as well as reproductions of 35 alphabets, 8 factotums, 12 printers’ devices, 1 title-page border, 6 Coats of Arms, 27 woodcuts, and 31 head and tailpieces, accompanied by extensive notes, covering aspects of provenance, supply, design, and use by other printers.</p>
<p>The appendix describes the 337 books discussed in this thesis, giving short-titles, collations, descriptions of ornamentation, a census of copies, and references for each item. Extended notes are also provided for most books, detailing relevant bibliographical information, much of which is derived from the surviving printers’ inventories. This section assigns new dates and printers to a number of Scottish books based on the evidence presented in part two. Previously unrecorded variants based on a first-hand examination of the books are also included.</p>
<p>Number of words in this thesis: 100,888.</p>
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