Older Scottish literary collections
The pre-eminent collection of Scottish literary manuscripts from the 15th to the 19th centuriesis at the National Library of Scotland.
Our collections of the manuscripts and letters of Sir Walter Scott and Thomas Carlyle are the finest and most extensive in the world.
Among the most outstanding early literary manuscripts are:
- Manuscripts of the national epics — Blind Harry's 'The Wallace', and John Barbour's 'The Brus'
- The Scots verse collections of John Asloan and George Bannatyne
- The Gaelic 'Book of the Dean of Lismore'
We also hold notable collections of the manuscripts and letters of:
- William Drummond of Hawthornden
- Allan Ramsay (the elder)
- Robert Burns
- J G Lockhart
- James Hogg
- Robert Louis Stevenson.
The Scott and Carlyle collections are the finest and most extensive in the world.