Introducing 12 of the major plays and major playwrights of Scotland. See images from theatre productions and related archive material
An Comunn Gàidhealach
Items from 1891 onwards published by An Comunn Gàidhealach, which organises the annual Royal National Mòd
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
Early manuscripts
Medieval and early modern manuscripts from Scotland and beyond, including rare volumes and items with striking illuminations
Edinburgh characters by J Jenkins
Edinburgh celebrities and unknown characters in coloured caricatures produced by J Jenkins between 1799 and 1805
Getting started with Shakespeare
Resources to help school pupils understand some of Shakespeare's works by exploring scenes and characters or writing sonnets
James Scott bindings
A set of 42 volumes of 'The British Poets' series (1773) with bindings by James Scott of Edinburgh
John Francis Campbell of Islay
Journals, watercolours and sketches by Gaelic folklorist, artist, traveller, and scientist John Francis Campbell (1821 to 1885)
Lord Byron
Manuscripts relating to Lord Byron (1788 to 1824), including poems, journals and selected letters
Marjory Fleming
Read the diary, letters and poems of Marjory Fleming, adored in Victorian times, who died aged 8 in 1811
Morall fabillis of Esope the Phyrgia
'Aesop's Fables' put into Scots by 15th-century poet Robert Henryson, who lived in Dunfermline. This edition printed in 1571 in Edinburgh
Muriel Spark
Using material from her personal archive, we tell the story of the life and career of one of Scotland's greatest novelists, Dame Muriel Spark
Paddy Leigh Fermor's 1933 travel diary
Read the journal written by Patrick ('Paddy') Leigh Fermor when he travelled on foot around Europe in 1933
Phoebe Anna Traquair
Examine in detail Traquair's exquisite illuminated manuscript of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's 'Sonnets from the Portuguese'
Publications by Scottish clubs
Historical texts from the 12th-19th centuries, edited by Scottish clubs, including manuscripts, church records, diaries, legends and literary texts
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
Robert Louis Stevenson
A biography of story-teller and poet Robert Louis Stevenson, along with digitised early editions of 'Kidnapped' and other works
Rolls of honour
Scottish listings of casualties and those who died while on active service during the First World War
Shakespeare quartos
There are 17 of William Shakespeare's plays in these 31 books, printed in quarto format between 1600 and 1639
Sir Walter Scott
Manuscripts of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771 to 1832), including "Waverley" and "Rob Roy", along with letters and poems
Struggles for liberty
Stories of the lifelong struggle for social justice by 19th-century African American freedom-fighters
The Auchinleck Manuscript
Middle English language and literature as Chaucer would have known it, contained in this rare document, with a full transcription
The books of Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Read all 16 books by Lewis Grassic Gibbon / James Leslie Mitchell published in his lifetime
The works of Robert Burns
A commonplace book and letters by Robert Burns (1759 to 1796), and the first printed edition of his poems
Wee Windaes
This site charts the continuum of the Scots language in printed form, from the 15th century to the present day
Works by selected Scottish authors
Out-of-copyright Scottish poetry, prose and children’s stories from the late 19th and early 20th centuries
