Scotland's oldest purpose-built independent library founded in 1687
> The Books > Blog > Leighton Library has 1787 edition of "Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark" by William Coxe
Leighton Library has 1787 edition of "Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark" by William Coxe
Added at 06:44 on 23 July 2025
#OnThisDay 23 July 1792, Mrs Compton, a borrower at Dunblane's historic Leighton Library, borrowed the Leighton Library's 1787 edition of "Travels into Poland, Russia, Sweden, and Denmark" by William Coxe.
This is a multi-volume travelogue chronicling journeys through Northern and Eastern Europe, interspersed with historical accounts, political analysis, and cultural observations, making it more than a mere travel diary. It contains political commentary on the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, accounts of Russian governance, military, and social customs, observations on Scandinavian society, including Norway and Denmark, and engravings and charts that visually support the text.
The writing blends empirical observation with Enlightenment-era curiosity, offering readers both narrative and analysis. He often compares institutions across countries, reflecting his background as a tutor to aristocratic youth. His travels with Lord Herbert (son of the Earl of Pembroke) gave him access to diplomatic and aristocratic settings.
If you'd like to explore what other books were borrowed on this day in Dunblane's historic Leighton Library then you can search the "Books and Borrowing: An Analysis of Scottish Borrowers’ Registers, 1750-1830" website database accessible from the Leighton Library website https://www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/books-and-borrowing-1750-1830
