In the summer of 2021, a generous donation of beekeeping works was made to the Scottish Beekeepers’ Association (SBA) from the bookseller, John Kinross. After discussions with the librarian of the SBA’s circulating library held at Fountainbridge Public Library, it was decided that twenty-eight of the rarest and most valuable titles would become additions to […]
Category: New to the Library
The Key: inhouse magazine of the Special Unit at Barlinnie
Is the purpose of prison rehabilitation, punishment or to remove dangerous people from society or a combination of all of these and more? How can prisons manage violent prisoners and minimise the danger they pose to themselves, staff and other prisoners? Can these violent prisoners ever be rehabilitated and reintegrated into society? The Special Unit […]
The Fight for Fife
Guest Blog Post by Matthew Fellion As a volunteer in Archives and Manuscript Collections, Matthew Fellion has been listing the records of the North East Fife Conservative and Unionist Association (NEFCUA), which the Library acquired in autumn 2017. Acc.13853 is part of the Library’s modern political manuscript holdings, which include records of Scottish political parties, […]
Ice skating books at the Library : The John Simpson Christie Collection
Every four years ice skating captures the attention of the world when the Winter Olympics take place. This week the world has watched Aliona Savchenko with partner Bruno Massot collapse on the ice with joy and exhaustion after winning Olympic gold at her fifth attempt. In 1984 a British television audience of more than 24 […]
Posh Pancakes
If you plan to mark Shrove Tuesday by making some pancakes this year, look no further than Posh Pancakes for some inspiration. With over 70 different pancakes to choose from, it is the recipe for the perfect Pancake Day next week!
Siren Song: Ron King’s Alluring Artist’s Books
Fitting for wintry January days is this sculptural work of art, new to the National Library’s Artists Books collection. Sedna and the Fulmar is one of forty signed, limited-editions by artist Ron King at Circle Press in collaboration with Scottish poet Richard Price.
A generous bequest to the Library
We have a new printed special and named collection available to consult in our Special Collections Reading Room: the Peter Sharratt Collection. This is a selection of 153 volumes from the library of the late Dr. Peter Sharratt (d. 2014), a former lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, who specialised in the French Renaissance and […]
The last Viking
(Image shows the cover of the book which is a picture of Roald Amundsen. Photo credit: Aurum Press) In the early twentieth century, many of the great geographical mysteries that had intrigued adventurers for centuries remained unsolved; leaving unexplored blank areas on otherwise increasingly detailed global maps. Whereas Tibet, African and the Amazon had […]
Halloween in the National Library of Scotland
It was one of those blustery days, Halloween was approaching and the wee man wanted me to accompany him guising. I had my trepidations; when we were kids everyone in our street knew each other, in fact we grew up within a few miles radius – it wasn’t a big deal knocking on doors a […]
Micromastery : learn small, learn fast and find the hidden path to happiness
As the nights draw in this autumn, it could be the perfect time to learn a new skill or hobby. If you feel daunted, or that you don’t have the time to devote to something new, look no further than Micromastery, which is new to the Library’s collections.