Saltire award for university historian

A University of St Andrews historian has been awarded a prestigious prize for research by the Saltire Society.

Dr Alastair Mann, a Research Fellow at the University’s Department of Scottish History, has been awarded the Saltire Society Literature Research Book of the Year Prize, beating off competition from some of Scotland’s top researchers.

The award, for Dr Mann’s published book, ‘The Scottish Book Trade, 1500-1720: Print Commerce and Print Control in Early Modern Scotland’, was announced on St Andrews Day (30th November, 2001). Dr Mann will receive a cash prize of £1500, provided by the National Library of Scotland.

“I was both surprised and delighted to receive the award. It is encouraging to see literary judges recognise research that takes many years and also the significance of Scotland’s printed past as well as its printed present”, said Dr Mann.

His book, published by Tuckwell Press, contains a detailed examination of the Scottish book trade from c.1500 to c.1720, looking at booksellers, bookbinders, stationers and printers and their relationship with the forces of authority.

The awards ceremony, which was held at the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, was broadcast on BBC 2 last night (Sunday 2nd December, 2001).

ENDS

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