Leighton Library, Dunblane

Scotland's oldest purpose-built library founded in 1687

Leighton Library has a first edition of 1766 of "Travels through France and Italy" by Scottish surgeon, poet & author Tobias Smollett

Added at 07:30 on 19 March 2024

Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has a first edition of 1766 of "Travels through France and Italy" by Scottish surgeon, poet & author Tobias Smollett who was born #OnThisDay, 19 March, 1721.

He was best known for his novels, which influenced later novelists such as Charles Dickens & George Orwell. He came to write his travel book after he'd been ill in 1763, perhaps with tuberculosis, and suffered the loss of his only child at the age of 15, so had given up his editorships and with his wife Nancy went to Europe, which led to the publication of the book.

He is one of the 16 Scottish writers and poets depicted on the lower section of the Scott Monument in Princes Street, Edinburgh. There are also streets named after him in Nice, France and in Livorno, Italy