Roxburghe Revels, and Other Relative Papers

Lawyer, book collector and friend of Sir Walter Scott, James Maidment (1793–1879) displayed a talent for antiquarian research. Many of his works were printed privately in small quantities, such as the present publication, which first appeared in 1837. Established in 1812 and named after the great eighteenth-century book collector, the Roxburghe Club remains the oldest and most distinguished society of bibliophiles in the world. Joseph Haslewood (1769–1833), respected as an editor of early English literature, was a founder member and enjoyed the club's tradition of informal fun alongside more serious business. After his death, his manuscript account of these early activities, Roxburghe Revels, was unaccountably included in the sale of his books; extracts and critical comments on Haslewood and the club subsequently appeared in The Athenaeum in 1834. Maidment then prepared this defence, presenting and discussing his friend's remarks. The appendices include a biographical sketch of Haslewood.