Maps are produced for a variety of purposes and in a variety of
formats. In an obvious way, they are used to guide travellers,
to show property boundaries, to illustrate local histories and
to plan future development but, more subtly, they can also be
seen to reflect their owner's wealth and position - hence, the
beautiful calligraphy and engraving and the fine binding of the
eleven volumes of the Blaeu Atlas Major (1662) or the detailed
naming of the gentry on many county surveys. In addition, maps
are the product of consumer demand and help illustrate areas or
subjects of topical interest. This exhibition of thirty maps
seeks to display a cross-section of the University Library's
Scottish holdings and, thereby, give an impression of their
variety. Although a poor country on the edge of European culture
Scotland has a unique position in the history of cartography and
has produced many map-makers of international renown. Here are
displayed manuscripts and printed sheets, large-scale volumes
from atlases of th