Click Me & Subscribe Automatically to the RL Allan Blog Posts via RSS Feed!Mad Alexander
Allan’s Cruden’s Concordance is the finest edition of the monumental work of Alexander Cruden. But who was he?
Alexander Cruden was a Scotsman from Aberdeen, born in 1699, who was thought to be mad. It wasn’t so much as a result of his labours to produce the invaluable Concordance, but that he fell in love with the wrong lady and was incarcerated in an asylum by her influential father to get him out of the way. This stigma followed him all his life.
Alexander managed to escape that scandal and re-establish himself in London as Queen Caroline’s Royal Bookseller. But he has soon back in a madhouse on a similar charge, but over a different lady, and escaped out of the prison window.
If you would like to read more about this tragic genius, I would recommend Julia Keay’s fascinating book Alexander the Corrector ( HarperCollins 2004).
Cruden’s legacy is the fine Concordance that bears his name. We are proud to publish it.
Nicholas
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2 Comments
Michael S. Swoveland
I never knew anything about William Cruden as a person, quite an interesting post. I’ll have to add the goatskin to the growing list of Allan’s products that I just can’t live without.
John
Thanks for this Nicholas! The Concordance is in my collection and it truely is a fine edition. Like Michael I also knew nothing about William Cruden – his story certainly sounds a worthwhile read!