[DOYLE (General Sir John)]

The Records of His Majesty's 87th Regiment; or the Royal Irish Fusileers.

THE ROYAL IRISH FUSILIERS

Two lithographed plates. Light browning throughout, otherwise very good in modern plum calf by Sydney Aiken of Co. Down, in plum and green drop-back box, Regimental Badge gilt to the sides. 76pp. 2pp. appendix. Matthew Iley, 1830.

£1,500.00

Scarce, COPAC lists only the NLS copy, and a perhaps incomplete copy at Oxford, not on BLPC, OCLC has copies at Brown, Columbia and Westminster Library. White lists with no mention of plates, as also the AMOT on-line revision.

Probably the earliest and, certainly one of the most elusive, of true published Regimental Histories. The Regimental Museum attribute it to General Sir John Doyle who raised the Regiment in 1793 and served with it under Lord Moira in the Netherlands in 1794. He was also present at Quiberon and Isle Dieu in 1795. A survey of known copies conducted in 1968 by Maj. G.A.N. Boyle on behalf of the Museum - and published in the journal, which article is present in this copy mounted at the front endpapers - located nine copies, some with the plates found in this copy, some with just one, and some with none at all. It seems that it was privately produced by Doyle, who died just four years later, with the intention of wider distribution, this appears never to have occured. Of the nine located in 1968, and the four which subsequently emerged, over half belonged to prominent members of the Regiment or were presentation copies.

Stock No.
91090