Lochee: As It Was and As It Is (The Ultimate Association Copy - Inscribed by the Author to the Illustrator Joseph Lee, with Tipped-in Author Letter)

First Edition, 1911. Complete octavo volume. The definitive, scarce, and foundational historical narrative documenting the evolution, industrial rise, church topography, and folklore of the Lochee district of Dundee. Richly and heavily illustrated throughout with fine, highly evocative architectural and cultural line drawings executed by the celebrated Dundee artist, journalist, and "Black Watch Poet," Joseph Lee. An unparalleled, museum-grade association copy containing three distinct, highly important archival linkages from the author:The Compliments Card: Paste-affixed to the front pastedown is a neat white card inscribed in a tidy hand: "With the Author's Compliments".The Holograph Dedication: Inscribed boldly in ink by the author across the front free endpaper directly to his artistic collaborator: "To my Esteemed Friend Joseph Lee, (who was the illustrator) Alex Elliot, Lochee Jan 20 1912". The Tipped-in Autograph Letter: Securely affixed to the rear of the frontispiece plate is a magnificent, highly revealing original hand-signed letter from the author to a contemporary reviewer, dated from Lochee on Jan 22nd, 1912. The text reads literatim: "Dear Sir, I have every reason to be gratified with your copious review of 'Lochee, as it was and as it is' and I hasten to express my indebtedness. You have been more than kind, and your criticism is on the wide side of leniency. It is truly just, I think, to say that the merit of the book—such as it has—is as much due to Mr. Lee's clear illustrations as to my letterpress. I am getting all the credit, and he is only getting a small share. Thanking you sir, most heartily, I am yours truly, Alex Elliot [signed Scott]." The volume concludes with 5 contemporary local newspaper clipping reviews neatly pasted to the rear leaves, offering a complete historical snapshot of the book's initial reception.Condition Report:A highly secure, tight, and exceptionally fresh copy in Very Good plus condition. Bound in the publisher's original rich forest green cloth featuring a bright, highly reflective ruled gilt border and a fresh, intricately stamped gilt cultural motif to the upper cover. Spine cloth exhibits just a minor degree of typical light age-dulling/toning, but it remains perfectly clean and completely legible. Rear cover is exceptionally clean. Text block is structurally flawless, square, and robustly bound. Internally very bright, white, and clean throughout; entirely free from casual annotations or finger-marking. Reflecting its authentic archival layout, the adhesive from the neatly pasted newspaper clippings to the rear has caused a localized, non-intrusive paper-toning offset to the final leaf, leaving the core text signatures completely untouched. A magnificent, irreplaceable artifact of Dundee's literary heritage. Total Page Count: 236 pages (inclusive of comprehensive local indexing and commercial appendices).Front Matter & Plates: 1 unnumbered blank flyleaf, half-title page, a beautiful full-page frontispiece drawing by Joseph Lee (bearing the tipped-in author letter to its verso), the main printed title page dated 1911, and the comprehensive list of illustrations. Text & Illustrative Grid: Pages run sequentially from Page 1 to Page 236, dividing across 11 detailed historical chapters. As It Was and As It Is (The Ultimate Association Copy - Inscribed by the Author to the Illustrator Joseph Lee.…