Burney Collection

[Robin Hamilton]

> (Re misnumbered centuries:  I am just browsing in Alisdair Gray's
> "The Book of Prefaces", and find that he places Raleigh and James I's
> coronation in England at 1803.)
>
> Joel

Hm ...  As a good paid-up Scot, I'd be more offended (and surprised) at
Alasdair referring to the Man as James I.  He was, after all, James the VI
and I, in that order.

I don't have "The Book of Prefaces" to hand, but might this not be an
instance of Alasdair Gray's rather outré sense of humour?  There a strange
engagement with time running throughout all his books, from _Lanark_ on.  Or
before, even, if we count by pre-composition rather than pre-publication,
since after _Lanark_, Alasdair was simultaneously writing new material and
publishing (or re-publishing) earlier material.

Come to that, the composition of _Lanark_ spread across a twenty year
period.

Robin

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