vivdunstan

Looking at an academic textbook I bought so I could access it quickly. "Yup, this will be useful!" And grateful for its fairly extensive index, which is much more detailed and useful than the index for a related 1970s textbook Martin borrowed for me from the uni library (I have staff borrowing rights too, but he was on the spot!). Which pretty much just indexes names. As an academic I'm expected to read textbooks as needed. Unfortunately it's a huge problem with my progressive neurological disease and has been for 25+ years now, inc during my history taught MPhil and PhD. So I'm extremely grateful for anything that can help narrow it down. Including a good index!

Lovely is waking to proofs of the next "Miscellany" volume from the Scottish History Society, including my own piece - full annotated transcript plus accompanying essay - about a historical poem about events at the Melrose court in 1682. Very much looking forward to seeing the finished volume in print.

I studied the Melrose local court records for the dissertation portion of my taught MPhil history degree at Dundee, 2001-3. I only discovered this poem lurking hidden in the depths of the Edinburgh national archives afterwards. And was rather stunned, because it correlates closely with the history as recorded conventionally, while providing a totally fresh take on it. All including a vitriolic character assassination of the newly appointed judge! It took me ages to transcribe the 17th century handwriting - definitely at my limits. But got there, and then ended up sending in a proposal for an edited transcript + essay for the Scottish History Society. Which was accepted. That was 6+ years ago. It's taken a long time to get to print. But nearly there now!