Explore more than 2,000 broadsides printed between 1501 and 1897 covering a wide range of subjects
Ceòl nan Gàidheal
A dual Gaelic / English overview of historic sources, song, instruments and the Living Tradition of Gaelic music
Chapbooks printed in Scotland
Small cheap booklets sold on Scotland's streets were essential reading material for the masses in the 18th and 19th centuries
English ballads
Browse over 2,300 broadside ballads, mostly from 19th-century England, with subjects ranging from courtship, occupations and emigration to patriotism and wars
Rare items in Gaelic
Books, pamphlets and chapbooks printed in Gaelic between 1631 and 1900. Includes songs, poetry and religious books
Robert Burns
The life, work and legacy of Scotland's Bard, together with fascinating detail about original material in the Library's collections, and short song clips
Special collections of printed music
Volumes from two archives featuring 18th and 19th century Scottish printed music, and from one archive of the works of Verdi
Street literature about Napoleon's Wars
Chapbooks about events from the 1790s to the Battle of Waterloo, mostly ballads about military conflicts with Napoleon Bonaparte
The word on the street
Discover early news stories and ballads that informed and entertained Scots between 1650 and 1910 as you browse around 1,800 broadsides
Wee Windaes
This site charts the continuum of the Scots language in printed form, from the 15th century to the present day
