The Gleam in the North — D. K. Broster, Heinemann (1930 impression)
1930 impression (first published July 1927)
A 1930 Heinemann impression of The Gleam in the North, D. K. Broster's sequel to The Flight of the Heron and the second book in her Jacobite trilogy. First published July 1927, this copy is from the October 1930 impression. The story closely follows the historical Dr Archibald Cameron, the last Jacobite executed for his part in the 1745 rising. Complete, sound copy in good condition.
The Gleam in the North is the second book in D. K. Broster's Jacobite trilogy and continues the story of Ewen Cameron and Keith Windham in the grim aftermath of the 1745 rising. Where The Flight of the Heron follows the campaign itself, The Gleam in the North focuses on the underground world of the surviving Jacobites during the years of repression that followed Culloden.
Your copy is a William Heinemann Ltd hardback, printed by The Whitefriars Press, London and Tonbridge. The imprint page states: 'First Published July 1927. New Impressions November 1928; June 1929; March 1930; October 1930', and the title page is dated 1930, identifying this as the October 1930 impression from that sustained run. The novel is subtitled 'A Sequel to The Flight of the Heron', making the connection explicit on the title page.
Broster notes in the foreword that 'In all that concerns Doctor Archibald Cameron this story follows historical fact very closely, and its final scenes embody many of his actual words.' Dr Archibald Cameron of Lochiel was indeed the last man to be executed for his involvement in the '45, hanged and beheaded at Tyburn in 1753. The chapter headings across 24 chapters and an epilogue reflect the sweep of the narrative: 'The Broken Claymore', 'The Man with a Price on His Head', 'The Castle on the Shore', 'Lochaber No More', and 'The Sally-Port to Eternity'. Structurally the copy is complete with no detached pages, and condition is Good.
Significance
By basing substantial portions of The Gleam in the North on the documented final days and words of Dr Archibald Cameron, Broster produced a work that sits on the boundary between historical fiction and historical record. It helped preserve public awareness of the post-Culloden persecution in a form accessible to general readers, and contributed to a sympathetic, humanising view of the Jacobite cause that was unusual in mainstream British fiction before the mid-20th century.