Marking the centennial of the Great War, Paradigm Publishing is proud to present this collector’s edition of THE PIPES OF WAR.
 
In 1920 Brevet-Col. Sir Bruce Seton and Pipe Major John Grant published THE PIPES OF WAR.  It was written as a tribute to the 500 pipers killed and 600 wounded in that war to end all wars and to inspire a new generation of pipers to take up the torch and fill the vacant ranks.
 
The first printing of THE PIPES OF WAR was a numbered, deluxe edition printed on handmade paper and limited to 200 copies with color plates. A separate portfolio of original pipe tunes was issued with each of those copies. We are pleased to offer that portfolio in print for the first time since 1920. It is available separately or in a set with this volume.
 
CENTENNIAL EDITION
 
This is an exact reproduction of volume number 77 of the original 200 belonging to Major William Rae of the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada, and the 16th Battalion “Canadian Scottish.”  Major Rae was an eyewitness to much of the history contained in this book. At the outset of the Great War, William Rae was a member of the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders of Canada which combined with several other highland units to form the 16th Battalion C.E.F. “Canadian Scottish.”  William Rae initially served as a captain where he was a participant in the front lines, even leading the men in the charge at the Battle of Festubert. In 1920, when reviewing the sections in THE PIPES OF WAR pertaining to that with which he was intimately familiar, he found several errors and made corrections. Those corrections took the form of handwritten notes in the margins of these pages.  We have included in this centennial edition those notes as they appeared.
 
NEW INTRODUCTION & APPENDICES A new introduction to this classic has been written by Ian S. Williams of Paradigm Motion Picture Co. Ian has spearheaded the production of a series of films focusing on the only pipers ever to earn the Victoria Cross. It was in the course of research that Mr. Williams and the team at Paradigm uncovered Major Rae’s notes and a cache of the letters written by one of the pipers featured in this book. For the serious researcher, many of these discoveries appear in this centennial edition. It is no small matter to correct a book that has served as reference material for 100 years. However, we are confident in the authenticity of Rae’s corrections, not because they are firsthand accounts in a primary source alone, but because they can be correlated with independent accounts written in personal letters from the front penned by James Richardson V.C.  Excerpts and examples from these letters supporting Major Rae’s statements appear in the appendices of this edition. The original text with its spelling and punctuation has been untouched, preserved for you the reader to examine in its original state. Thus the errors and inaccuracies are included. Any addition or correction appears as we found them in Major Rae's margin notes and in the appended writings of Piper Richardson, V.C.   May this edition honor the original publication and continue the work of Sir Bruce Seton and John Grant inspiring future generations to fill the ranks of pipers, both in peace and at war.