12mo. 348pp. Apart from the title and headlines, printed in black letter throughout. Handsomely bound in early nineteenth century richly gilt-tooled hard-grained red morocco by 'J. Mackenzie, Bookbinder to the King' - dating it to between 1833 and 1837, A.E.G. A trifle rubbed, spine sunned. Marbled endpapers, bookplate removed from FEP; title page with some blurring, laid-down.

The first post-Restoration printed edition of John Barbour's (c.1330-1395) patriotic Scottish metrical account of the rise of Robert the Bruce to the throne of Scotland in 1292, and the subsequent Edwardian occupation of 1304.

All seventeenth-century editions, appearing in 1616, 1620, 1648 and this edition in 1670, are uncommon. The preface of Jamieson's 1820 edition of The Bruce notes the rarity of several seventeenth century editions, before noting that this edition was of 'aukward shape, and with types that appear blurred from the spunginess of the paper', as evidenced by the title of this copy. The only seventeenth century edition that we could locate as appearing at auction in living memory was a the Marquis of Tweedale copy, in 1957 (£45).

Whilst relatively well held institutionally within the UK, ESTC locates copies of this edition at just five locations elsewhere (Folger, Illinois, Harvard, Yale and UCLA).