The Books
The library originally housed the books bequeathed to it by Robert Leighton, numbering around 1400. The first floor consists of a single room lined with presses. The original presses, on the left as you enter, hold Leighton’s books. These have been added to over the years so that the library now houses around 4,700 volumes printed in 89 languages, including Greek, Persian, Syrian and Gaelic.
The books have been fully catalogued and may be accessed at Stirling University. Arrangements are made between the Leighton and Stirling University Library to allow serious students to have access to the books and manuscripts for academic study.
For the more casual visitor to the library, however, a myriad of fascinating books vie for attention. Original books owned by Leighton include a volume of poetry by George Buchanan, tutor to the infant James VI and a Book of Psalms dating from 1504 making it the oldest book in the library.
Those books added to the collection over the years include a first edition of The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott as well as volumes of Buffon’s Histoire Naturelle with its fascinating early drawings of animals.
Two Breeches Bibles, a signed copy of a volume donated by Queen Victoria and some intriguing early maps form only a sample of the treasure trove which awaits.
Adopt a Book at Risk
As the collection is over 300 years old, it is inevitable that some volumes are showing signs of wear. The Trustees are keen that visitors can continue to be allowed to handle our wonderful volumes under careful conditions, but this does mean repairs will be required. We have a rolling programme of repairs.
We invite sponsors to engage in our Adopt a Book at Risk programme, where you can donate the costs of a repair in your own name or that of a loved one or friend. All donors are inscribed in a Register.
Our precious books are repaired by specialist conservators to the highest professional standards. This is inevitably an expensive process.
If you would like to sponsor a precious book at risk please contact: visits@leightonlibrary.org.uk