Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and Other Poems

A handsome early 19th-century volume of Scottish poetry, bound in original red leather boards with gilt ruling and striking hand-marbled endpapers. The title page reads Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers and Other Poems by William Edmondstoune Aytoun, a celebrated Scottish poet, scholar, and professor of rhetoric and belles lettres at the University of Edinburgh.

Published in 1886 by William Blackwood and Sons of Edinburgh and London, this volume retains its period binding, complete with marbled boards and leather spine. The marbling features deep wine, ochre, and indigo tones with dramatic movement — a particularly attractive example of traditional marbled paper and a beautiful decorative element in its own right.

Equally suited on a desk, stacked among antique books, or displayed spine-out on a shelf, this volume offers both literary and visual appeal, with the patina and presence that only age can provide.

Origin: Edinburgh and London, 1886.
Author: William Edmondstoune Aytoun (1813–1865).
Publisher: William Blackwood and Sons.
Materials: Leather binding with hand-marbled paper boards; printed paper.
Condition: Wear consistent with age, including rubbing to leather, edge wear, and toning throughout. Binding remains intact and structurally sound. Marbled boards and endpapers present beautifully.