Overview

A summary of the history of the Glasgow Philological and Literary Club is available on our sister website, Glasgow’s Literary Bonds (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

‘A Book of “Ours”‘ is the only magazine that was produced by this group. According to the ‘Prefatory Note’, it was the result of a meeting held on 22 February 1907 at which one of the members read a paper about the club, highlighting it with his original sketches using lantern slides prepared by another member. The effect was a hit, and a Committee duly formed to see about the preservation of the sketches, and about adding other materials, the audience for which would be the group members and their friends.

The result is a lively, good-humoured magazine full of tributes to and insights about the club along with insider jokes, which were the subjects of its eclectic mix of poetry, toasts, and songs that are accompanied numerous sketches, cartoons and photographs. The spirit of one of camaraderie and bonhomie between its members.

The magazine has 44 pages (unpaginated). In addition to the ‘Prefatory Note’, it contains: six poems; one toast in the form of a poem; three souvenirs/poems; six songs or ballads; two toast lists, four menus with toast lists, and three programmes/menus from club dinners; a humorous, mock list of rules; a rebus of the 1896-7 session; twelve pages of illustrations and cartoons; and six pages of photographs of the members.

It is currently unknown how many copies of this magazine was produced.

Name of Club, Society or Group That Produced the Magazine

Glasgow Philological and Literary Club (aka This Club of Ours, Our Literary and Social Club, or ‘Ours’ Club) (Glasgow)

Date of Existence

1871-present

Date of Magazine

1909

Number of Issues

1

Manuscript/Published Magazine

Print (Glasgow: Wm. Lyon, 1909)

Contents and Contributions

Art/Illustrations (original); Ballads (original); Menus (Club suppers); Outing schedules (Club excursions); Photographs(members); Poems (original); Preface; Programmes (Club supper); Puzzles; Rules (mock); Songs (original);  Souvenirs; Toast Lists (Club supper)

Repository

University of Glasgow Special Collections

Reference

‘A Book of “Ours”‘ (“Ours” Literary and Social Club. A book of “Ours.” Contributions by the members. [Andrew Lyon, Editor] (Glasgow, 1909) (Sp Coll Bh11-c.28, Wylie Collection)

Additional Notes

See also entry for Glasgow Philological and Literary Club (aka This Club of Ours or ‘Ours’ Club) on our sister website, Glasgow’s Literary Bonds.

Overview

The Paisley Literary and Convivial Association was a group of about 25 men who met weekly on Saturday nights between 1814 until around 1864 for readings, discussion of pre-selected topics, and to read their original essays and literary compositions on a range of subjects. The minute book has survived and is also housed in Paisley Heritage Centre (see the Centre’s online catalogue for further details, and below for reference number).

There are two volumes (i.e. two copies) of the ‘Manuscript Book of the Literary & Convivial Association’, Volume II being the original. This manuscript book is a total of 78 pages of original poems and songs, and the contributions are signed by the association members. At the back of the book is a table of contents.

Volume I provides a history of the society and its members, which included the poets James Yool, John King, William Stewart and James Whitehill.  Yool was a weaver all his life. At around age 20, he began to publish his poetry. Stewart, a working-class man from Paisley, is described as a ‘self-made man’, who later became a teacher and emigrated to Canada. King (aka ‘Curly King’) was also a weaver.

Another member, Matthew Erskine was a weaver, later a foreman in the warehouse of J&J Robertson, shawl manufacturers. William Mardock (also Murdock) was a shoemaker who later emigrated to Canada. He worked as a lighthouse keeper, later in the newspaper trade, and published his poems.

Name of Club, Society or Group That Produced the Magazine

Paisley Literary and Convivial Association

Date of Existence

1814-1856 (‘resuscitated’ in 1860s until ?)

Date of Magazine

(compositions are from various dates added later)

Number of Issues

1 (a second, manuscript copy of this is also available in archives (Vol. 1); original is listed as Vol. 2)

Manuscript/Published Magazine

Manuscript

Contents and Contributions

Clippings (printed material); Poems (original); Songs (original); Table of Contents; Title page

Repository

Paisley Heritage Centre (Central Library)

Reference

Heritage 366 PA PC20134 Archives (Vols. 1 & 2);

Heritage 651.77 PA PC22140 Archives (Minute Book)

A summary of the history of the Original Union Club is available on our sister website, Glasgow’s Literary Bonds (see ‘Additional Notes’ below).

According to a newspaper clipping, this group was more of a social drinking club whose members met in a local pub to raise toasts and read their original poems. If the poems were thought to be particularly good, they were recorded in the club’s scrapbook kept for the purpose. To date, no evidence has been found for the scrapbook in the local archives.

This club was one of many groups in Scotland and England (and beyond) during the long nineteenth century where we know that a scrapbook or magazine was produced from evidence provided by the society’s records (or other documentation), but it does not appear to have survived.

It is debatable whether or not these societies should be included in this study. However, we would argue that it is still important to include them in a study of associational periodical production as, at the very least, they add to the quantitative evidence for this type of practice.

More broadly, it is hoped that by at least recording the evidence for a magazine’s production, future work and/or further discoveries might bring to light these missing issues amongst private holdings and (more) public archives.

Name of Club, Society or Group That Produced the Magazine

Original Union Club (Glasgow)

Date of Existence

1831?-?

Date of Magazine

circa 1831-32

Number of Issues

1 (unknown if scrapbook extant)

Manuscript/Published Magazine

Manuscript

Contents and Contributions

Poems (original)

Repository

(See newspaper clipping in Young’s Scrapbooks, housed in Mitchell Library Special Collections)

Reference

(Young’s Scrapbooks, Vol. 21, p. 54)

Additional Notes

See also entry for Original Union Club on our sister website, Glasgow’s Literary Bonds.