The tinkler-gypsies of Galloway [ SIGNED BY AUTHOR ] by McCormick, Andrew - 1906

Dumfries, Scotland: Maxwell, 1906. The very uncommon 1st Edition of this title. This copy was Signed by the Author in 1907. Andrew McCormick's 'The Tinkler-Gypsies of Galloway' was published in 1906. It was one of the first books to look at the life and culture of Scottish Traveller communities and is now regarded as a classic of Galloway literature. 'The Tinkler-Gypsies' is a fascinating mixture of folk tale, popular anecdote, historical research and social observation which McCormick described as 'some gleanings along a literary Gypsy by-path.' In it he looked at the origins of the area's Travellers and explored the myth and reality of Billy Marshall, the self-styled King of the Tinklers who, together with his band of Travellers, was the focus of many Galloway folktales. But the main value of the book today is its depiction of Traveller life in the early years of the 20th century. McCormick visited Traveller camps, talked to individual Travellers and listened to their tales. He also tried to record the 'cant' or dialect of the Galloway Travellers and found many words related to Romany, the Gypsy language. This convinced McCormick that Galloway's Travellers shared a similar cultural background with the Gypsy communities of England and Europe and led him to coin the term 'Tinkler-Gypsy.' This copy was also Signed by the Author in 1907. p. xvi, 477, xxx, errata page. With numerous b/w illustrations and photographs and one fold-out map in red illustrated cloth covers, a tad dulled to spine, with light rubs to spine ends. Tightly bound, pages clean throughout. [ Location: BR2/1 ]. Signed by Author. Hard Cover. Very Good. 12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾".