Book excerpt: Excerpt from A Contribution to the Bibliography of Scottish Topography, Vol. 1 of 2 In 1905 and 1906 our work on this List was considerably interrupted, as Sir Arthur was editing the Macfarlane Geographical Collections, with volume ii. Of which he had much trouble. I was able to render him very material assistance with the Introduction to that volume. As is known, be handed over most of the editing Of volume iii. To Mr. Clark, finding himself not properly equal to the task. I was several times made aware that Sir Arthur regarded his life as drawing towards its close. He frequently regretted his loss of ready memory and his lessening of working energy, and sometimes he would ask that an after noon should be void Of serious work and should be given up merely to recreative chat. Twice he had short but sharp attacks of illness, which he quite definitely took as warnings doubtless his medical knowledge told him their true import. He methodically put his literary house in order, destroying, to my regret, many Of his memoranda that contained What I considered valuable antiquarian and topographical matter. After his death, I continued my work at this List, arranging and adding as before. When the Scottish History Society definitely decided to publish it, I saw that the great diversity of form among the matter Of the slips rendered it necessary that they should all be written out in uniform style. This was, in Sir Arthur's phrase, a work Of some size, ' and it occupied my entire leisure for a year and a half. It must not go without saying that I have received considerable kind help from personal friends, from book sellers, from librarians, and from correspondents otherwise unknown to me indeed throughout I have met with the utmost readiness to give any information or help that I found it necessary to seek. For all such kindness I have expressed, and here again express my cordial thanks. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.