''Whistle-Binkie, or, The piper of the party: Being a collection of songs for the social circle'' was a Scottish poetry and song anthology first appearing in 1832. There were later volumes under the same title, at least four more anthologies, and collected editions appearing from 1853. The style of verse typically was in imitation of
Robert Burns
Robert Burns (25 January 175921 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who hav ...
. The series was enduringly popular, and the final ''Whistle Binkie'' anthology appeared in 1890.
While the intention at the time was to publish Scottish writers, later critics such as
Edwin Morgan have attacked the series on grounds of taste.
Alexander Laing saw in it "sentiment, mild pathos and sly humour" writing in 1857; by a century later
Hugh MacDiarmid
Christopher Murray Grieve (11 August 1892 – 9 September 1978), best known by his pen name Hugh MacDiarmid (), was a Scottish poet, journalist, essayist and political figure. He is considered one of the principal forces behind the Scottish Rena ...
could regard it as opening the way for children to be given "sentimental trash".
First edition
''Whistle Binkie'' was published in 1832 by
David Robertson, a bookseller in
Trongate
Trongate is one of the oldest streets in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. Trongate begins at Glasgow Cross, where the steeple of the old Glasgow Tolbooth is situated, being the original centre of medieval Glasgow, and goes westward changing its na ...
,
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
. The editor was
John Donald Carrick
John Donald Carrick (1787–1837) was a Scottish journalist and songwriter.
Life
Carrick was born in Glasgow in April 1787; his father was originally from Buchlyvie in Stirlingshire. He was placed in the office of Nicholson, a Glasgow architect, ...
, who also contributed to the collection.
Notes
External links
*Digitised copy o
Whistle-Binkie, or, The piper of the party: Being a collection of songs for the social circle from
National Library of Scotland
The National Library of Scotland (NLS) ( gd, Leabharlann Nàiseanta na h-Alba, sco, Naitional Leebrar o Scotland) is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. As one of the largest libraries in the ...
. JPEG, PDF, XML versions.
''Whistle-Binkie: A Collection of Songs for the Social Circle'' vol.2 (1878)at the Internet Archive
{{Authority control
1832 books
Scottish poetry
Scottish songs
Poetry anthologies
1832 establishments in Scotland
Book series introduced in 1832