A Late Voyage to St. Kilda, the Remotest of all the Hebrides, or Western Isles of Scotland : With A History of the Island, Natural, Moral, and Topographical. Wherein is an Account of their Customs, Religion, Fish, Fowl etc. As also a Relation of a late Imposter there, pretended to be Sent by St. John Baptist.
London: Printed for D. Brown, and T. Goodwin, 1698. Fold-out map and fold-out engraving of two birds. First edition. Bound in nineteenth-century full deep purple roan (i.e. sheepskin), blind ruled and decorated, red morocco title label, endpapers marbled with French Curl design. All edges stain red. Octavo. [xii], 158, [1]. Lacking half-title. 7" x 4.5" Period pencil inscription on front fly, heavy foxing throughout, text still sharp and easily readable, leather rubbed and peeled along spine and extremities, otherwise a near fine, tight, handsome copy.
Heavy foxing throughout but text still legible, heavy rubbing along board edges and spine, otherwise near fine, tight handsome copy. Item #227076
M. Martin visited St. Kilda in 1697, one year before publishing his observations. Having been born in the Inner Hebrides on the Isle of Skye, Martin was the perfect candidate for the voyage, being a Gaelic speaker himself.
Inside he records his observations of the island and its people. In one instance, he tells of a dangerous, albeit intriguing, custom, where "every Batchelor-Wooer" goes to prove his worthiness (119). Called the Mistress-Stone, the rocks form a sort of arch on the edge of a cliff, where the lovers have to balance precariously to solidify their reputation. When asked if he wanted to participate, Martin informed the man, "this Performance would have a quite contrary effect upon me, by robbing me both of my Life and Mistress at the same Moment" (120). Perhaps this is why Martin never married.
Although he never tested his moxie at the Mistress-Stone, Martin did show courage in traveling to the far islands of Scotland, "to the almost manifest hazard of his life" ([vi]). Thankfully he survived the journey so he could write about his observations in this essay as well as a later book, which Samuel Johnson and Boswell read on their own journey through Scotland and the Hebrides almost 75 years later. Overall, this is a delightful look into late 17th century life on a faraway island in Scotland.
Price: $1,500.00