Master of Ballantrae

Published in 1889, this novel is told largely through the papers of the family steward Ephraim Mackellar. In 1745 the Durie brothers of Durrisdeer settle by a toss which of them will join the Jacobite rising. The elder, James, the Master, goes out; the younger, Henry, stays and inherits when James is reported dead. James returns, and a long feud over money, marriage, and the estate spreads from Scotland to India and colonial America. A ruined adventurer and a cache of pirate treasure complicate the brothers' hatred. The book is a historical tale of fraternal rivalry, not a campaign history of the Forty-Five.

9 colour. Red cloth covers with gilt titles and blocked gilt design. Dark brown slipcase.