Books and Borrowing 1750-1830

List of libraries

Chambers' Circulating Library

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chambers

Also known as Robert Chambers' Circulating Library. Located in Edinburgh. Founded in 1828. Type of library: Other. Collection: Dispersed and lost.
Address: 48 Hanover Street

This bar chart shows total borrowings per year. As the Chambers Circulating Library register covers only two years (1828-1830), this is what is represented here. All borrowings from the register have been transcribed.

["1827","1828","1829","1830"]
[{"name":"Borrowings per year","data":[3,2463,4565,288]}]

Library description

Circulating library run by the bookseller Robert Chambers from 1828 to 1832 when Chambers sold it. A catalogue of 1829 survives in the NLS (L.C.3344 (15)) with the bookplate of William Robert Reid of Lauriston Castle.

A borrowing register for 1828 to 1829 survives in the NLS (Dep. 341/413) and has previously been examined by Mark Towsey who has provided a spreadsheet giving the names of subscribers and some preliminary work on holdings.

Borrower description

Well-off residents of Edinburgh's New Town, military, academics, and country borrowers who had books shipped to their estates.

Holding description

The Chambers collection was probably purchased from another circulating library. It contained predominantly novels and periodicals, with some works of History, Lives and Belles Lettres.

Sources

  • Other: Edinburgh Post Office Directory, 1829-30: https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/84927261

Secondary sources

K. A. Manley, Books, Borrowers, and Shareholders: Scottish Circulating and Subscription Libraries before 1825 (Edinburgh: Edinburgh Bibliographical Society and the National Library of Scotland, 2012), pp. 52, 173.

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Aberdeen Theological Library

Location: Aberdeen
Foundation date: 1700
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 7
Number of books: 360
Number of borrowers: 278
Number of library records: 3333

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Advocates Library

Also known as Advocates' Library

Location: Edinburgh
Foundation date: 1682
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 54
Number of books: 5928
Number of borrowers: 934
Number of library records: 11905

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Chambers' Circulating Library

Also known as Robert Chambers' Circulating Library

Location: Edinburgh
Foundation date: 1828
Type of library: Other
Number of library registers: 1
Number of books: 919
Number of borrowers: 311
Number of library records: 7319

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Craigston Castle Library

Location: Craigston
Foundation date: 1604
Type of library: Other
Number of library registers: 1
Number of books: 396
Number of borrowers: 189
Number of library records: 684

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Dumfries Presbytery Library

Location: Dumfries
Foundation date: c.1706
Type of library: Other
Number of library registers: 1
Number of books: 636
Number of borrowers: 249
Number of library records: 3475

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Edinburgh University Library

Also known as University of Edinburgh Library

Location: Edinburgh
Foundation date: 1582
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 36
Number of books: 2339
Number of borrowers: 2069
Number of library records: 14638

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Glasgow University Library

Also known as University of Glasgow Library

Location: Glasgow
Foundation date: 1451
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 8
Number of books: 3476
Number of borrowers: 1013
Number of library records: 15372

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Haddington Library

Also known as John Gray Library

Location: Haddington
Foundation date: 1717
Type of library: Other
Number of library registers: 2
Number of books: 462
Number of borrowers: 743
Number of library records: 5187

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Hunterian Museum Library

Location: Glasgow
Foundation date: 1807
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 1
Number of books: 244
Number of borrowers: 42
Number of library records: 368

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Innerpeffray Library

Also known as The Library of Innerpeffray

Location: Innerpeffray
Foundation date: 1680
Type of library: Other
Number of library registers: 1
Number of books: 793
Number of borrowers: 1182
Number of library records: 5393

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Inverness Kirk Sessions Library

Also known as Inverness Presbyterial Library

Location: Inverness
Foundation date: 1706
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 1
Number of books: 38
Number of borrowers: 20
Number of library records: 61

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Leighton Library

Also known as Bibliotheca Leightoniana
Leightonian Library
Library of Dunblane

Location: Dunblane
Foundation date: 1688
Type of library: Subscription
Number of library registers: 5
Number of books: 809
Number of borrowers: 306
Number of library records: 6737

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Orkney Library

Also known as Kirkwall Library, Orkney Subscription Library

Location: Kirkwall
Foundation date: 1683
Type of library: Subscription
Number of library registers: 5
Number of books: 603
Number of borrowers: 266
Number of library records: 14495

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Royal High School of Edinburgh

Also known as High School of Edinburgh

Location: Edinburgh
Foundation date: 1658
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 5
Number of books: 1966
Number of borrowers: 2410
Number of library records: 19968

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Selkirk Library

Also known as Selkirk Subscription Library

Location: Selkirk
Foundation date: 1772
Type of library: Subscription
Number of library registers: 2
Number of books: 859
Number of borrowers: 243
Number of library records: 15521

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St Andrews University Library

Location: St Andrews
Foundation date: 1612
Type of library: Institutional
Number of library registers: 25
Number of books: 7560
Number of borrowers: 673
Number of library records: 21578

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Wigtown Subscription Library

Location: Wigtown
Foundation date: 1795
Type of library: Subscription
Number of library registers: 4
Number of books: 345
Number of borrowers: 103
Number of library records: 6230

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