Scotland’s first printing press was set up in the Cowgate in 1508. This illustrated talk will introduce the main players involved in its establishment – a king, an archbishop, a merchant and a printer – and the first books printed in Scotland, which are currently on display in the Library’s ‘Treasures’ exhibition. A look at later 16th-century Edinburgh printers and the texts they produced will provide an insight into the domestic book market and the kind of books people wanted to read 500 years ago. It will conclude with a brief outline of the spread of printing beyond the capital: in the 16th century, only two other Scottish towns became home to a printing press. Guess which!
Speaker
Dr Anette Hagan
Dr Anette Hagan has been Rare Books Curator at the National Library of Scotland since 2002. Responsible for the early printed collections produced before 1701, she has spoken and published widely about different aspects of early printing. She is also lead curator for the Library’s current exhibition ‘Renaissance: Scotland and Europe 1480-1630′.
The National Library of Scotland will be celebrating its own anniversary in 2025 with special programming in Edinburgh and further afield to mark its Centenary year.
