The Mother's Catechism for the Young Child. Leabhar-Ceist na Mathair do 'n leanabh og
Edinburgh: Hamilton, Balfour & Neill, 1858.
Poor. 85 pp, containing the complete text but lacking both title pages (one in each language). First two leaves with long closed tears. Staining throughout. Homemade sewn binding of perculiar wrinkled leather, fore edge/outer corners worn to a rounded shape, but the only loss of text is the last letter of the catchword on the first page. Previous owners' signatures throughout, many of John McDonell or McDonald or M'Donell, some from others of the same last name. John's first inscription is dated 1786. Also signed by an Alexander Chisholm on the first page. A longer inscription on the last page is difficult to make out due to staining/browning. An interesting book both for what its binding reveals about its use over the centuries, as well as because it is one of the earliest books published in Scottish Gaelic. Willison’s popular Mother’s Catechism for the Young Child first appeared in English in 1725 and went through more than 20 editions. We located 6 copies of this dual-language edition in OCLC, one of which is in the United States, at the University of Minnesota.
Item #20787
Price: $150.00