Dip. Pub. B.A., Ph.D., FRHS, Senior Lecturer. Alastair Mann joined the Division of History, Heritage and Politics in September 2005. He is an authority on the early book trade of Scotland. This interest in the book trade developed from an earlier career as a book publisher and managing editor at Penguin Books in London in the 1970s and 1980s, after studying Publishing Studies at Napier University, Edinburgh. Subsequently, when he returned to Scotland for an academic career and did his undergraduate degree and doctoral thesis at the University of Stirling, it made perfect sense to continue that interest in the press and early publishing.
After obtaining his PhD in 1997, Dr Mann became a research fellow in the Scottish Parliament Project based at St Andrews University (1998-2005) which has produced, under the directorship of Professor Keith Brown, the major online resource The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707 ( https://www.rps.ac.uk/ ) now hosted by the National Records of Scotland. This resource is the premier online database for medieval and early modern Scottish history and an international exemplar for such projects. Working chiefly on the period 1660 to 1707 he was co-editor of this project when it went live in 2008. He has published widely on parliamentary history and the politics of seventeenth century Scotland, including The History of the Scottish Parliament, volume 2: Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1567-1707 (2005), for which he is co-editor. In the light of his knowledge of the pre-1707 parliament he has advised the BBC on matters of ceremonial for the state openings of the new Scottish Parliament. He is also Director of Publications for the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions. It publishes Parliaments, Estates and Representation and is the foremost international society for parliamentary history. See https://www.ichrpi.info/
Meanwhile, in 2000 his monograph The Scottish Book Trade, 1500 to 1720 (2000) won the Scottish Saltire Prize as research book of the year, and he continues to publish on Scottish book history on subjects such as copyright and censorship; for example ‘The anatomy of copyright law in Scotland before 1710' in Alexander and Gómez-Arostegui (eds.), Research Handbook on the History of Copyright Law (Edward Edgar, 2016), a book intended for practising lawyers and judges as well as students of the book and intellectual property. In addition, and reflecting his interest in Restoration history, he has published a major biography of James VII and II, the first ever 'life' from a Scottish perspective, James VII and II: duke and king of Scots, 1633-1707 (John Donald, 2014). In late 2019, with himself as PI and in collaboration with Dundee University, Dr Mann was awarded a major Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant for the project ‘The Scottish Privy Council, 1692-1708: government from Revolution to Union’. This 3-year project, with PhD students and research fellows at both institutions and Alastair Mann joined by Alan MacDonald and Allan Kennedy at Dundee, will research the Privy Council in the period, and also produce a free-to-access website of the council record for use by future researchers and students. RPS will act as a template for the editing and online development of this resource. For the Scottish Privy Council Project see https://privycouncil.stir.ac.uk/
Alastair Mann researches widely in the fields of book and parliamentary history. In the former, work progresses on articles for The History of the Book in Scotland: medieval to 1707 (TBC) for which he is co-editor, under the general editorship of Professor Bill Bell of Cardiff University, formerly director of the Centre for the History of the Book at Edinburgh University. These articles include pieces on Anglo-Scottish print rivalry, c.1580-1660; Edinburgh's post-Restoration press expansion; trade regulation, copyright and censorship; paper-making and importation; bookselling and distribution 1560 to 1707; news and information publishing, literacy, and profiles of the printers Agnes Campbell and Andro Hart.
As part of his ongoing interest in copyright law he contributed a paper at the AHRC Primary Sources in Copyright Conference (2008) entitled ‘A Mongrel of Early Modern Copyright': Scotland in European Perspective' then published in Privilege and Property: Essay on the History of Copyright (OpenBook, 2010). He also continues to show interest in researching social history as in ‘The Lives of Scottish Book Traders, 1500-1800', in Scottish Life and Society: The Working Life of the Scots: a Compendium of Scottish Ethnology (John Donald, 2008). Research on the history of the Scottish Parliament continues in collaboration with academics at the universities of St Andrews (former home of the Scottish Parliament Project), Manchester, Dundee and Strathclyde. In 2010 two essays appeared in The History of the Scottish Parliament volume 3: Parliament in Context, 1235-1707 (2010) edited by Keith Brown (Manchester) and Alan MacDonald (Dundee, ex Parliament Project); one ‘House Rules: Parliamentary Procedure' explores the evolution of procedures since the thirteenth century, and the other ‘The Law of the Person: Parliament and Social Control' investigates the interaction between the parliament and the experiences of the people of medieval and early modern Scotland. In parliamentary history, he is UK leader for the European network ‘Political representation: communities, ideas and institutions in Europe (c. 1200-c. 1650) funded by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO); partners with Stirling being the Huygens Institute of Netherlands History, The Hague, universities of Amsterdam, Leiden, Antwerp and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. After three workshop conferences in The Hague, Stirling and Leuven (2012-14), and a panel at the 66th conference of the International Commission for the History of Parliamentary and Representative Institutions 2015 (‘Magna Carta', Kings College London/Parliament Trust) he is co-editor with Mario Damen and Jelle Haemers of the important Political representation: communities, ideas and institutions in Europe (c. 1200 - c. 1690) (Brill, 2018) contributing the summary analysis and ‘Officers of state and representation in the pre-modern Scottish Parliament'. Some of this network joined with the Royal Society of Edinburgh Scone Network and out of its 2014 conference Mann has written a significant chapter entitled ‘The Scottish Coronation of Charles II: an exercise in compromise and radicalism' in O.J.T, O’Grady and R. Oram (eds.), Royal Scone: parliament, inauguration and national symbol (Shaun Tyas Books (Paul Watkins Publishing), 2021). See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdkIrF4Uu1s&feature=youtu.be
His most important continuing research and impact project remains The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland [RPS]. It is the most consulted web resource for Scottish History and was the foundation for a commended REF 2013/14 Case study. In July 2014 the website was transferred from St Andrews University to the National Records of Scotland [NRS] but the content is under the control of the editorial committee which meets regularly. Discussions are ongoing and preparations in hand for the launch of RPS 2 as an integrated part of a re-branded Scotland'sPeople from NRS.
Blending parliamentary history and his interest in James VII and II and the Restoration period the essay ‘James VII as unionist and nationalist: a monarch's view of the Scottish Parliament as revealed through his writings' in the journal Parliaments Estates and Representation, vol. 33, 101-19 (November, 2013) has appeared along with the chapter ‘The Scottish Parliament and the first Jacobite', in A.I. Macinnes, K. German and L. Graham (eds.), Living with Jacobitism, 1690-1788: The Three Kingdoms and Beyond (Pickering & Chatto, 2014). In addition to this a major biography of James VII and II as king of Scots, James VII: Duke and King of Scots, 1633-1701 (John Donald, 2014) has been published.
Most recently, along with heading up the Leverhulme funded Scottish Privy Council Project (2020-23), new directions for research are growing on the relationship between the executive and legislature in the revolution to union period. A monograph on the history of the Scottish Privy Council is intended.
Two additional projects are in the formative stages: Firstly, work has started on a history of censorship to be entitled Pretenders to Liberty and Authority: The History of Press Censorship in Scotland, c.1500 to c.2000. (Edinburgh University Press, 2022), and the plan is to link this to database production. Secondly, preliminary research has begun on a biography of William II (of Orange) entitled William II: Prince of Orange and King of Scots, 1650-1702 (Birlinn, 2023)
The Scottish Privy Council, 1692-1708: government from Revolution to Union
PI: Dr Alastair Mann
Funded by: The Leverhulme Trust
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Edited Book
The Edinburgh history of the book in Scotland, Volume 1: Medieval to 1707
Mann AJ & Mapstone S (eds.) (2021) The Edinburgh history of the book in Scotland, Volume 1: Medieval to 1707. The Edinburgh History of the Book in Scotland, 1. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/series-the-edinburgh-history-of-the-book-in-scotland.html
Article
The enigma that was the first Jacobite
Mann AJ (2020) The enigma that was the first Jacobite. History Scotland, 20 (6), pp. 18-22. https://www.historyscotland.com/store/back-issues/history-scotland/history-scotland-vol20issue6-novdec20-issue-116/
Conference Proceeding
Parliament and the Scottish Coronation of Charles II in 1651
Mann AJ (2019) Parliament and the Scottish Coronation of Charles II in 1651. In: Ripoll Gil E & Serra Busquets S (eds.) El Parlamentarisme en Perspectiva Historica: Parlaments Multinivell, volume 2. 68th Conference of the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions, Palma, Majorca, 06.09.2016-09.09.2016. Palma: Parlament de les Illes Balears i Institut d'Estudis Autonomics, pp. 751-764. http://www.ichrpi.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/97-Studies-PALMA.pdf
Book Chapter
Officers of State and Representation in the pre-modern Scottish Parliament
Mann AJ (2018) Officers of State and Representation in the pre-modern Scottish Parliament. In: Damen M, Haemers J & Mann A (eds.) Political Representation: Communities, Ideas and Institutions in Europe (c. 1200-c. 1690). Later Medievel Europe, 15. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, pp. 142-160. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004363915_009
Book Chapter
An Introduction: Political Representation
Damen M, Haemers J & Mann AJ (2018) An Introduction: Political Representation. In: Damen M, Haemers J & Mann A (eds.) Political Representation: Communities, Ideas and Institutions in Europe ( c. 1200-c. 1690). Later Mediaeval Europe, 15. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, pp. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004363915_002
Edited Book
Political Representation: Communities, Ideas and Institutions in Europe, c.1200-c.1690
Damen M, Haemers J & Mann AJ (eds.) (2018) Political Representation: Communities, Ideas and Institutions in Europe, c.1200-c.1690. Later Mediaeval Europe, 15. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers. https://brill.com/view/title/34694
Book Chapter
Conclusion. Reconsidering Political Representation in Europe, 1400-1700
Damen M, Haemers J & Mann AJ (2018) Conclusion. Reconsidering Political Representation in Europe, 1400-1700. In: Damen M, Haemers J & Mann AJ (eds.) Political Representation: Communities, Ideas and Institutions in Europe, c.1200-c.1690. Later Mediaeval Europe, 15. Leiden: Brill Academic Publishers, pp. 309-318. https://brill.com/view/title/34694
Book Chapter
Ideologies inked in: Scotland’s culture of print in the Union debate of 1706
Mann A (2017) Ideologies inked in: Scotland’s culture of print in the Union debate of 1706. In: Müller K, Schwittlinsky I & Walker R (eds.) Inspiring Views from "A' the Airts" on Scottish Literatures, Art & Cinema: The First World Congress of Scottish Literatures in Glasgow 2014. Scottish Studies International - Publications of the Scottish Studies Centre, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz in Germersheim, 41. Frankfurt: Peter Lang AG, pp. 105-126. https://www.peterlang.com/view/product/25229?tab=subjects&result=9&rskey=MkPxXa; https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-06902-0
Book Chapter
The anatomy of copyright law in Scotland before 1710
Mann A (2016) The anatomy of copyright law in Scotland before 1710. In: Alexander I & Gómez-Arostegui H (eds.) Research Handbook on the History of Copyright Law. Research Handbooks in Intellectual Property. Cheltenham (UK), Northampton Massachusetts (USA): Edward Elgar, pp. 96-118. http://www.e-elgar.com/shop/the-history-of-copyright-law
Authored Book
James VII, Duke and King of Scots, 1633-1701
Mann A (2014) James VII, Duke and King of Scots, 1633-1701. Edinburgh: John Donald. http://www.birlinn.co.uk/James-VII.html
Book Chapter
The first Jacobite and the Scottish Parliament
Mann A (2014) The first Jacobite and the Scottish Parliament. In: Macinnes A, German K & Graham L (eds.) Living with Jacobitism, 1690-1788: The Three Kingdoms and Beyond. Political and Popular Culture in the Early Modern Period, 9. Oxford: Pickering and Chatto, pp. 11-26. https://www.routledge.com/Living-with-Jacobitism-16901788-The-Three-Kingdoms-and-Beyond/Macinnes/p/book/9781848934702
Article
Introduction: A Brief History of an Ancient Institution - The Scottish Parliament
Mann A (2013) Introduction: A Brief History of an Ancient Institution - The Scottish Parliament. Scottish Parliamentary Review, 1 (1), pp. 1-50. http://www.scottishparliamentaryreview.org/
Article
Mann A (2013) James VII as unionist and nationalist: a monarch's view of the Scottish Parliament as revealed through his writings. Parliaments, Estates and Representation, 33 (2), pp. 101-119. https://doi.org/10.1080/02606755.2013.845344
Working Paper
Penman M & Mann A (2013) Free-Access public history, policy formulation, and education: The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707 and their analysis. https://results.ref.ac.uk/(S(vjwewlvpczg5nn4c1qq52t2z))/Submissions/Impact/1932
Conference Proceeding
Mann AJ (2011) The Scottish Parliaments - The Role Of Ritual and Procession in the pre-1707 Parliament and the New Parliament from 1999. In: Nieddu A & Soddu F (eds.) Assemblee rappresentative, autonomie territoriali, culture politiche - Representative Assembles, Territorial Autonomies, Political Cultures. Studies Presented to the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions, LXXXIX. Representative Assemblies, Territorial Autonomies; Political Cultures: 59th conference of the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions, Alghero, Sardinia, 09.07.2008-12.07.2008. Sassari, Italy: Editrice Democratica Sarda, pp. 239-252.
Book Chapter
‘A Mongrel of Early Modern Copyright’: Scotland in European Perspective
Mann AJ (2010) ‘A Mongrel of Early Modern Copyright’: Scotland in European Perspective. In: Deazley Ronan R, Kretschmer M & Bently L (eds.) Privilege and Property: Essays on the History of Copyright. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, pp. 51-65. http://www.openbookpublishers.com/product.php/26/7/privilege-and-property--essays-on-the-history-of-copyright-
Conference Proceeding
Symbolism and Ritual in the Seventeenth-Century Scottish Parliament
Mann A (2010) Symbolism and Ritual in the Seventeenth-Century Scottish Parliament. In: da CCM & Tavares RM (eds.) Parlamentos: a Lei, a Prática e as representações - Da Idade Média á Actualidade/ Parliaments: The Law, The Practice and The Representations - From the Middle Ages to the Present Day. 60th conference of The International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions (ICHRPI), 2009, Lisbon, Portugal, 01.09.2009-04.09.2009. Lisbon, Portugal: Assembleia da República - Divisão de Edições, pp. 479-485.
Article
The Union of 1707: a history of opinion
Mann A (2010) The Union of 1707: a history of opinion. SATH History Teaching Review Yearbook, 24, pp. 11-18. http://www.sath.org.uk/p/materials.html
Book Chapter
House Rules: Parliamentary Procedure
Mann A (2010) House Rules: Parliamentary Procedure. In: Brown K & MacDonald A (eds.) The History of the Scottish Parliament, volume 3: Parliament in Context. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 122-156.
Book Chapter
"The Law of the Person": the Scottish Parliament and Social Control
Mann A (2010) "The Law of the Person": the Scottish Parliament and Social Control. In: Brown K & MacDonald A (eds.) The History of the Scottish Parliament, volume 3: Parliament in Context. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 186-215. http://www.euppublishing.com/book/9780748614868
Article
Continuity and change: the culture of ritual and procession in the parliaments of Scotland
Mann A (2009) Continuity and change: the culture of ritual and procession in the parliaments of Scotland. Parliaments, Estates and Representation, 29 (1), pp. 143-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/02606755.2009.9522301
Book Chapter
The Lives of Scottish Book Traders, 1500-1800
Mann A (2008) The Lives of Scottish Book Traders, 1500-1800. In: Mulhern M, Beech J & Thompson E (eds.) Scottish Life and Society: The Working Life of the Scots. A Compendium of Scottish Ethnology, Volume 7. Scottish Life and Society: A Compendium of Scottish Ethnology, 7. John Donald (an imprint of Birlinn Limited). http://birlinn.co.uk/book/details/Scottish-Life-and-Society--The-Working-Life-of-the-Scots-9781904607854/
Other
The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707
Mann A, Brown K & MacIntosh G (2008) The Records of the Parliaments of Scotland to 1707. St Andrews and Edinburgh: University of St Andrews/National Records of Scotland. http://www.rps.ac.uk/
Article
From the sublime to the ridiculous and back again: The Scottish Parliament 1660 to 1707
Mann A (2008) From the sublime to the ridiculous and back again: The Scottish Parliament 1660 to 1707. History Scotland, 8 (3), pp. 46-52.
Book Review
Mann A (2007) Parliament and dissent. Review of:
Stephen Taylor & David L Wilkes eds. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press, 2005, vii + 156 pp. ISBN 07486 2195 4. Scottish Historical Review, 86 (2), pp. 344-346. https://doi.org/10.1353/shr.2007.0069
Book Chapter
Mann A (2006) The Scottish Parliaments: the role of ritual and procession in the pre-1707 parliament and the new parliament of 1999. In: Crewe E & Muller M (eds.) Rituals in Parliaments: Political, Anthropological and Historical Perspectives on Europe and the United States. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, pp. 135-158. https://www.peterlang.com/view/product/56030?tab=toc&format=PBK
Article
Mann A (2005) Mapping North Sea print networks during the gestation of the first Scottish Atlas: commercial, legal and political landscapes. Scottish Geographical Journal, 121 (3), pp. 243-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/00369220518737236
Book Chapter
'James VII, King of the Aricles': Political Management and Parliamentary Failure
Mann AJ (2005) 'James VII, King of the Aricles': Political Management and Parliamentary Failure. In: Brown KM & Mann AJ (eds.) The History of the Scottish Parliament Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1567-1707. The Edinburgh History of the Scottish Parliament, volume 2. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 184-207. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-history-of-the-scottish-parliament-hb.html
Book Chapter
Introduction: Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1567-1707
Brown KM & Mann AJ (2005) Introduction: Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1567-1707. In: Brown KM & Mann AJ (eds.) The History of the Scottish Parliament: Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1567-1707, volume 2. The Edinburgh History of the Scottish Parliament. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 1-56. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-history-of-the-scottish-parliament-hb.html
Edited Book
Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1567-1707
(2005) Parliament and Politics in Scotland, 1567-1707 [The History of the Scottish Parliament, volume 2]. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-history-of-the-scottish-parliament-hb.html
Book Chapter
'Some Property is Theft': copyright law and illegal activity in early modern Scotland
Mann A (2004) 'Some Property is Theft': copyright law and illegal activity in early modern Scotland. In: Myers R, Harris M & Mandelbrote G (eds.) Against the Law: Crime, Sharp Practice and the Control of Print. Publishing Pathways. New Castle: Oak Knoll Press and the British Library, pp. 31-60. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Against-Law-Practice-Publishing-Pathways/dp/0712348964
Article
Mann A (2004) A spirit of literature - Melville, Baillie, Wodrow and a cast of thousands: the clergy in Scotland's long Renaissance. Renaissance Studies, 18 (1), pp. 90-108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0269-1213.2004.00051.x
Article
Mann A (2003) Inglorious Revolution: Administrative Muddle and Constitutional Change in the Scottish Parliament of William and Mary. Parliamentary History, 22 (2), pp. 122-144. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-0206.2003.tb00612.x
Book Chapter
The Press and Military Conflict in Early Modern Scotland
Mann A (2002) The Press and Military Conflict in Early Modern Scotland. In: Murdock S & Mackillop A (eds.) Fighting for Identity: Scottish Military Experience c.1550-1900. History of Warfare, 15. Leiden: Brill, pp. 265-286. http://www.brill.com/fighting-identity
Book Chapter
Parliaments, Princes and Presses: Voices of Tradition and Protest in Early Modern Scotland
Mann A (2002) Parliaments, Princes and Presses: Voices of Tradition and Protest in Early Modern Scotland. In: Böker U & Hibbard J (eds.) Sites of Discources - Public and Private Spheres - Legal Culture: Papers from a Conference held at the Technical University of Dresden, December 2001. Internationale Forschungen zur Allgemeinen und Vergleichenden Literaturwissenschaft, 64. Amsterdam: Rodolphi, pp. 79-91. http://www.brill.com/products/book/sites-discourse-public-and-private-spheres-legal-culture
Article
The Atlas of the 'Flemish Priest': Government, Law and the Publishing of the First Atlas of Scotland
Mann A (2001) The Atlas of the 'Flemish Priest': Government, Law and the Publishing of the First Atlas of Scotland. Publishing History, 50, pp. 5-29.
Article
The Anatomy of the Printed Book in Early Modern Scotland
Mann A (2001) The Anatomy of the Printed Book in Early Modern Scotland. Scottish Historical Review, 80 (210), pp. 181-200. http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/pdfplus/10.3366/shr.2001.80.2.181; https://doi.org/10.3366/shr.2001.80.2.181
Article
Scottish Copyright Before the Statute of 1710
Mann A (2000) Scottish Copyright Before the Statute of 1710. Juridical Review, (1), pp. 11-26.
Book Chapter
Embroidery to Enterprise: The Role of Women in the Book Trade of Early Modern Scotland
Mann A (1999) Embroidery to Enterprise: The Role of Women in the Book Trade of Early Modern Scotland. In: Ewan E & Meikle M (eds.) Women in Scotland: 1100-1750. East Linton: Tuckwell Press, pp. 136-151. http://hdl.handle.net/10214/1911
Article
Mann A (1998) Book Commerce, Litigation and the Art of Monopoly: The Case of Agnes Campbell, Royal Printer, 1676-1712. Scottish Economic and Social History, 18 (2), pp. 132-156. https://doi.org/10.3366/sesh.1998.18.2.132
