David Robertson (bookseller)
David Robertson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1795 Kippen, Perthshire, Scotland |
| Died | 6 October 1854 |
| Occupation(s) | Bookseller, publisher |
| Known for | Publishing the early Whistle Binkie collections |
David Robertson (1795–1854) was a Scottish bookseller recognized for his role in publishing the early Whistle Binkie collections.
Life
Robertson was born in the parish of Kippen, Perthshire, as the son of a farming family. In 1810, he began an apprenticeship under William Turnbull, a bookseller based in Trongate, Glasgow.
In 1821, a work titled Three Nights in Perthshire, attributed to Percy Yorke Jr. but actually authored by Robertson’s associate Thomas Atkinson, was released. This fictional narrative depicted their journey through Perthshire, including locations such as the Trossachs and the Macfarlane family’s Ledard farm.
Following Turnbull’s death in 1823, Robertson took over the business and ran it alongside Atkinson for seven years. Their partnership concluded in 1830, after which Robertson relocated his shop to a different site within Trongate. In 1842, he received a portrait painted by Sir Daniel Macnee.
As an active member of the United Presbyterian Church in Glasgow, Robertson funded an essay competition on "Sabbath tracts" in 1848. He passed away from cholera on 6 October 1854 and was interred at Glasgow Necropolis, where a memorial obelisk featuring his medallion likeness was erected.
188 Trongate
Robertson’s passion for storytelling, dedication to Scottish poetry, and sharp business skills helped him build strong relationships and thrive professionally. His shop became a gathering place for local literary figures such as William Kennedy.[1][2] Frequent visitors included John Strang, John Donald Carrick, Dr John Graeme (1797–1852), Andrew A. Henderson, William Motherwell, Edward Pinkerton (1798–1844), Alexander Rodger, and Dr William Young.[3][4] Dr Young, who was medically trained and co-founded the Glasgow Dilettanti Society alongside Henderson, died of typhus in 1838 after his appointment at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary.[5] Other contributors associated with Robertson’s circle included journalists such as Charles Mackay and Lucius Verus (Thomas Davidson) from the Glasgow Free Press.[6]
Publisher
Building upon his bookselling career, Robertson ventured into publishing with the release of Whistle Binkie in 1832, a compilation of modern Scottish poetry that eventually expanded to five series alongside Songs for the Nursery (1846), which received acclaim from Lord Jeffrey. This collection was later republished as a single volume in 1848, followed by two volumes in 1853, with further enlarged editions issued in 1878 and 1890.
In 1835 and 1837, he brought out two editions of The Laird of Logan, a series of Scottish stories told by Robertson himself and other contributors. A fully revised and expanded edition, dedicated to Albert, Prince Consort, was published in 1841, with subsequent reprints appearing in 1845 and 1854. The work is named after Hugh Logan of Logan (died 1802), the last laird from the lowland branch of Clan Logan in Kyle, Ayrshire, who was celebrated for his humor.
Robertson’s publishing portfolio also includes William Motherwell's Poems (issued in 1832, 1847, and 1849) and Andrew Henderson's Scottish Proverbs (1832). Additionally, he contributed the "Western Supplement" to Oliver and Boyd's Almanac starting from 1824.
Family
In 1826, Robertson wed Frances Aitken, daughter of a notable Glasgow builder. The couple had four children: three daughters and a son named David, who later took over the family business. Among their daughters, Helen King Robertson married James MacGregor in 1864, while Jane became the wife of John Hutcheson, a Bank of Scotland agent based in Paisley, in 1851.
External links
- Attribution
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Strang, John (1864). Glasgow and Its Clubs: Or Glimpses of the Condition, Manners, Characters, and Oddities of the City, During the Past and Present Centuries. J. Tweed. p. note.
- ↑ Whistle-Binkie, etc. [ser. 1 edited by John D. Carrick, ser. 2-5 by Alexander Rodger. With "Songs from the Nursery" and "Supplement to Whistle-Binkie."]. David Robertson. 1853. pp. xxxiii–xxxiv.
- ↑ The Laird of Logan: or Anecdotes and Tales illustrative of the Wit and Humour of Scotland. Dav. Robertson. 1845. p. 335 note.
- ↑ Carrick, John Donald; Rodger, Alexander; Robertson, David (1890). Whistle-binkie: A Collection of Songs for the Social Circle. D. Robertson & Company. p. 88.