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Edinburgh: printed for, and by Alex. Robertson in Morison's Close; where Subscribers may call for then Copies, circa [1775]., [1775]. Good. - Octavo, 6-5/8 inches high by 4-1/4 inches wide. Hardcover, bound in three-quarter brown calf & marbled boards titled in gilt with decorations in blind within raised bands on the spine. The covers are rubbed & scuffed and the leather is splitting along the front joint. The head of the spine is slightly chipped. The pagination is as follows: 6, ii, iii, [1], 63, [1];[ 2], 1-56 & 59-167 [i.e.169], [1], illustrated with an engraved plate. Pages 165-166 are repeated in the numbering. Lacking page 57/58 of the poems. The poems have separate pagination. At the foot of the title page "[Price two shillings and Six-pence]". An image of an angel has been tipped in by a previous owner to serve as a frontispiece covering prior early annotations in ink and a printed poem by "H. I." clipped from a periodical is tipped-in on the rear fly leaf. The pages are toned and there are stains to the front fly leaf, the first few pages and a very few pages of the contents. Good.First and only edition. RARE in Commerce.Alexander Robertson of Struan (c. 1670�1749) was the 13th Chief of Clan Donnachaidh (Clan Robertson). Known as the "Poet-Chief," he uniquely fought in all three major Jacobite uprisings to restore the exiled Stuart kings. His life was defined by fierce loyalty, military rebellions, and long years of exile in France. Born into a family devoted to the Stuart monarchy, Robertson was educated at the University of St. Andrews. In 1688, he succeeded his elder brother as clan chief. A year later he left his studies to join the Jacobite rising of 1689. He was captured shortly after the Battle of Dunkeld, but eventually managed to escape or was released. Following the collapse of the rising, he was officially branded a traitor by the government and forced to flee to France, where he lived in exile for 13 years. Robertson returned to Scotland in 1703 and received an unofficial pardon. When the Jacobite rising of 1715 broke out, he rallied 500 of his clansmen to support the Earl of Mar. He fought at the bloody Battle of Sheriffmuir, where he was taken prisoner again in 1716. His clansmen rescued him and he fled back to France. Despite his advanced age, Robertson returned to Scotland to support the final Jacobite rebellion of 1745 ("The '45"), led by Bonnie Prince Charlie. Though considered an eccentric and a notorious teetotaler-hater who never married, he remained a highly beloved figure among his people. He died peacefully in 1749 and was buried in the family tomb at Struan. His funeral was legendary�an estimated 2,000 clansmen marched 18 miles behind his coffin to carry him to his final resting place. Robertson is most famous in Scottish history as the only person definitively recorded as participating in all three major Jacobite rebellions. During his long periods of exile, he spent his time writing poetry in English, Gaelic, French, and Latin. Most of his poetry was not published in his lifetime. Because of his literary contributions and Highland heritage, he is remembered as one of the most colorful and enduring figures in Clan Robertson's history.
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