Principal Excursions of the Innerleithen Alpine Club During the Years 1889-94. With a Memoir of the Late Mr Robert Mathison, First President of the Club

1895. First edition. [xv], 311pp, a frontispiece portrait of Robert Mathison and 15 other black and white illustrations. In April 1889 the Innerleithen Alpine Club was formed with the aim of ‘organising excursions to the neighbouring hills and glens, to elucidate the botanical and geological features and antiquarian lore of Peeblesshire’. Robert Mathison was voted President and he held the role until his death. The membership was open to anyone and represented a broad sweep of the local population. By the time of the First World War numbers had dwindled and in 1913 amalgamated into a new organisation which would become The Tweeddale Society. This book contains accounts of the Club's excursions, written by different authors and varying widely in style and treatment of the subject, and the aim has been to throw some new light on the botany, geology, and antiquities of Peeblesshire, and on the physical features and scenery of the districts adjoining the home county of the Club. The book is bound in the original maroon cloth covered boards with gold titling on the spine and front board and gold stamped emblem on the rear board. The case of the book is in very good condition with shelf wear and some soiling and light staining on the boards and a 2" crease in the cloth near the top edge of the front board. There is wear to the cloth on the corner tips and the spine is slightly faded with bumping and a little damage to the cloth at the spine ends. The contents are tight and clean with a little scattered light foxing. A name has been erased from the top edge of the front free endpaper and there are remains of a removed bookplate or label on the front fixed endpaper.