The Story of Edinburgh Castle Illustrated by Monro Orr (Full Leather Deluxe Edition)

Portsmouth Street, Kingway, London: George G. Harrap & Company Ltd., 1913. Oversize 9 1/2" x 12 1/2" folio design weighing over five lbs. Rich medium brown, smooth, full leather boards, blind-stamped cover vignette of castle rock impressed with borders, ornate gilt spine title design, moderate shelf wear, rub, toning, discoloration. Bright gilt top edge. Heavy stock deckled leaves, near fine. Large stylish font make for ease of enjoyment. Illustrated endpapers at front and back in light green of the monumental Edinburgh castle upon the dormant "Castle Rock" in silhouette style by Otto Schlapp. Illustrated with eight wonderfully enchanting mounted plates by famed Scottish illustrator Monro S. Orr. Although Orr is best known for his humoured stylings, the tone is more austere here though filled with vibrant characters. Also, an etched frontispiece and a dozen mounted impressions in collotype format by Louis Weirter. All plates with fine tissue guards featuring descriptive captions. Bind fine, square; hinges intact. Contents: "Introduction; I. Once Upon a Time; II. Queen Margaret; III. Dark Days; IV. The Black Dinner; V. The Blackest Day for Scotland; VI. The Power of Douglas; VII. The Coronation of Charles the First; VIII. Cromwell and the Ministers; IX. Bonnie Prince Charlie; X. The Story of the Regalia; XI. Mons Meg and Other Relics; XII. The Castle Hill; XIII. From the Castle Walls." The famed Edinburgh Castle is set upon an extinct volcano known as "Castle Rock." The cone, now a plug, spewed the hot lava many eons ago leaving a giant mass of rock fit for the fortress. Dolerite formed as part of an ancient complex that underlies the heart of Edinburgh. The Fore Well, the primary source of water for the medieval castle, was cut deep into the rock. Over many centuries, there were twenty-three siege attempts on the castle making it the most besieged place in Europe. Above the entrance gates is the Scottish national motto, “nemo me impune lacessit”, or "no one provokes me without impunity." Jewels and treasures from around the world were held here and it was home to Scotland's kings and queens for centuries. Besides serving as royal residence, it has been used as an arsenal, a treasury, a national archive, a mint, a prison, a military fortress, and the home of the Honours of Scotland, or, the Scottish regalia. The final monarch to reside at the castle was Charles I in 1633 before his coronation as King of the Scots. A chapel in the castle is dedicated to Scotland's saintly queen, Margaret. Forced to flee after the Norman invasion, she was raised in exile in Hungary, but returned as a young girl. She became queen and was later made a saint. The chapel was built in her honour by her son, King David I, and is Edinburgh's oldest building. Saint Margaret's chapel hosts weddings and christenings to this day. In 1640, high intrigue, detailed in chapter IV, occurred at the castle when William Crichton and Alexander Livingston arranged a meeting with their rivals, members of the powerful Douglas clan. With the young king present, Crichton and Livingston murdered the 6th Earl of Douglas and his younger brother in a notorious evening that would become known as the Black Dinner. 254 pages. Insured post.. First Edition. Full-Leather. Very Good. Illus. by Orr, Monro S.; Weirter, Louis; Schlapp, Otto (Endpaper Design). Folio - over 12" - 15" tall.