[1] John Struthers was born in East Kilbride, Lanarkshire on 18 July 1776, the son of a shoemaker.
He eventually became a farm labourer and took various positions until he learnt the art of making fine shoes at the prestigious Glasgow firm of Jenkin and Smith in 1793.
He described his feelings about this event – "Ignorant of printing and still more of publishing, I had not the common sense to consult anyone upon the subject".
Sometime around 1803 he wrote 'A Poor Man's Sabbath', but anxious not to publish hastily again he lay around for a year.
So Struthers left the printers "With the whole edition formed into a small parcel, which I carried below my arm".
He brought out an article from an Edinburgh periodical the previous week that gave the poem a glowing review.
It was printed again for Mr Ogle and on the same terms as before, which means that Struthers would make very little money from the book.
Although he felt that most of the thanks for the printing of the 3rd edition of 'The Poor Man's Sabbath' was due to Joanna Baillie, it was good manners to go and thank Scott for the effort that he had made on his behalf, and for getting him a generous fee.
In 1811 he completed 'A Winters Day', which was printed privately with some success and in 1816 he wrote 'An Essay on the State of the Labouring Poor'.
One of the correspondents was Mr Archibald Fullarton of the firm Khull, Blackie & Co who asked his permission to print a cheap edition for circulation among that class of the community for whose benefit it was more immediately intended.
He also produced a volume of poems by William Muir, of which he edited and added a preface and saw through the press.
In 1819 he gave up shoemaking and joined the firm of Khull, Blackie and Co. His jobs were of a most general kind including a little proof reading or editing.