The choice: R.M. Ballantyne, Fighting the flames (London, 1867). Chosen by: Graham Hogg, Curator (19th-Century Printed Collections and Photo-graphs), Rare Books, Maps and Music Collections Welcome to the latest of our fortnightly series where we introduce you to some favourites from our collections for you to enjoy reading, all freely available online. Read or download […]
Zoom Into Scotland
What is that building? Who is this street named after? Where do those gates lead? With most of us spending more time at and around our homes, we are noticing things we haven’t spotted before. Whether you have lived there for a short time or for years there is always something new to discover. Many of us live away […]
Cine Cycles – women, bicycles and a sense of freedom
Dr Emily Munro, National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive Watch our Cine Cycle video The bicycle has always been a symbol of mobility and freedom but today it is seeing a resurgence in popularity in Scotland. Partly due to concerns around sustainable, carbon-neutral transport, and aided by gradual improvements in cycling infrastructure, increasing numbers […]
Curators’ Favourites: Tours of Scotland
The choice: Tours of Scotland Chosen by: Kirsty McHugh, Curator, John Murray Archive & Publishers’ Collections Read online at the Curious Travellers website Welcome to the third in our blog series where we introduce you to some favourites from our collections for you to enjoy reading, all freely available online. In this blog, rather than focus on a book from our digital gallery, we invite you to explore some of […]
Curators’ Favourites: J. Leslie Mitchell’s The Thirteenth Disciple
The choice: J. Leslie Mitchell, The Thirteenth Disciple: Being Portrait and Saga of Malcom Maudsley in His Adventure Through the Dark Corridor. (London, 1931). Chosen by: Ian Scott, Curator in General Collections Read or download this book from the Lewis Grassic Gibbon page on our digital gallery http://digital.nls.uk/lewis-grassic-gibbon-books/archive/205174226 where you will find this novel alongside […]
#LetterstotheLibrary
I miss my library. Don’t we all? I’m a school librarian at Preston Lodge (PL) High School in Prestonpans, East Lothian, so my days are usually hectic (in a good way). Don’t get me wrong, they can still be hectic: my partner and I are working from home while homeschooling our children, age 4 and […]
Curators’ Favourites: Catherine Carswell’s The Camomile
The choice: Catherine Carswell, The Camomile: An Invention (London, 1922). Chosen by: Helen Vincent, Head of Rare Books, Maps and Music Read or download this book from our Digital Gallery. Welcome to this first of a new fortnightly series where we introduce you to some favourites from our collections for you to enjoy reading, all […]
#LetterstotheLibrary
From the time of Shetland’s first known coronavirus cases on 9 March, something strange happened to time. We’d get to Wednesday and Monday would have seemed like weeks ago. Every service change we tried was overtaken by events. I decided to close the Library on Tuesday 17 March, whereas on the Monday I’d woken with […]
#LetterstotheLibrary
Hi, Amy here. I work part-time in Reference Services (as well as at Edinburgh University and The National Galleries of Scotland). I’m at my parents’ house in Glasgow. My sister, Eve, who normally lives in London, is also here. We don’t treat the place like a hotel, but we aren’t perfect (see image below). I […]
Lewis Grassic Gibbon: the road to Sunset Song
In August 1932 a new Scottish literary star was born when the novel “Sunset Song” by Lewis Grassic Gibbon was published. An instant critical and commercial success it was reprinted multiple times that year in the UK as well as being published in North America and quickly translated into other European languages. Gibbon’s novel tells […]