Rare Books
Welcome to this section containing information about the rare book collections at the National Library of Scotland.
Rare Book Collections staff are responsible for providing access to over one million books. Many of these are original printed volumes dating from 1455 to the present day; in addition, we have microfilms and digital images of originals kept in other libraries. Our collections also include photographs, posters, newspapers, postcards and prints.
At the heart of our collections is Scottish material, particularly early books written by Scots, about Scottish topics, in Scottish languages, or published in Scotland. We also have rich special collections, covering subjects ranging from witchcraft to the French Revolution, and from beekeeping to Esperanto.
Records for most of these items are now accessible through the Library's online catalogue. The books can be consulted in the reading rooms in the Library's building on George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.
