Treasures Exhibition at the National Library of Scotland

Ten iconic items spanning 400 years, highlighting key moments from Scotland’s history and culture, marking the end of Homecoming Scotland 2009 are now on display in the Treasures exhibition.

The centre-piece is the order for the Massacre of Glencoe, the infamous killing of members of clan MacDonald in 1692.

The oldest item in the display is the Forlani map, believed to be the first printed map of Scotland, taken from a 1545 map of the British Isles.

Forlani Map © National Library of Scotland click image for zoomable map

Also included are designs for the Union flag, 1603, the manuscript of Sir Walter Scott's 1814 novel 'Waverley' and the copperplate for the map in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel 'Treasure Island', 1895, from the Bartholomew Archive.

Peter Ross writing in Scotland on Sunday (22 Nov) Top of the Charts, enthuses: “ … home to one of the largest collections of maps in the world, some very beautiful and old. The Map Library reading room of the National Library of Scotland holds around two million cartographic items covering every part of the world and some parts out of it – star charts and maps of the moon.” He describes his visit and the treasure held there.

Follow these links for further details of the Treasures exhibition 19 November to 8 January, George IV Bridge Building, Edinburgh. The National Library of Scotland Map Collection, the Bartholomew Archive website and blog.