Bidspirit auction | The Glorious Privilege: The History

The Glorious Privilege: The History of 'The Scotsman' by Nelson. Hardback. Corporate history of one of Scotland's most prominent newspapers. Published in 1967 by Thomas Nelson & Sons, this 196-page volume was written by a team of the newspaper's own staff, most notably spearheaded by acclaimed Icelandic-Scottish journalist and broadcaster Magnus Magnusson (who served as Assistant Editor at the time). The title derives from a famous 1784 quote by Whig politician Charles James Fox, who called the freedom of the press ”that glorious privilege of laying before all the world the sentiments of individuals.” The book commemorates the newspaper's 150th anniversary, detailing its founding in Edinburgh in 1817 by William Ritchie and Charles Maclaren. It provides a fascinating look into the paper's evolution from a weekly Whig-Liberal pamphlet to a powerhouse champion of political reform, Scottish national identity, and investigative journalism.