Books & Manuscripts

The Scots Magazine and North America

16 September 2026

Graham Hogg

First published in 1739, the Scots Magazine is claimed to be the world's oldest magazine still in publication. However, the title was dormant for much of the 19th century and the early 1900s before being revived in the 1920s. It is now very much a Scottish-interest publication, but during its first iteration in the 18th century, it covered a much wider geographical area, relating not just to Britain, but also to Europe and North America.

We are delighted to be offering a rare run of the first 93 volumes of Scots Magazine, up to 1824, in our October 2026 edition of Books & Manuscripts - in good condition with most of the recorded plates present.

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Intended as a rival to the London-based Gentleman's Magazine, in order that "our countrymen might have the production of every month sooner, cheaper and better collected than before," in practice much of its content was reprints of articles and letters from the Gentleman's Magazine and other English periodicals. Popular through the 18th century, the monthly magazine reported on world events, contemporary politics, learned societies, new publications and introduced a register of births, marriages and deaths, a feature which other journals soon copied. Issues occasionally contained maps, plans and other illustrations.

Given Scotland's leading role in emigration to North America, the editors of the Scots Magazine inevitably took a keen interest in events in what is now Canada and the United States of America. The August 1776 issue reproduces the text of the American Declaration of Independence, and the September issue for that year included a folding map of North-East America including Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York. After the establishment of the new American republic, the editors of the magazine were generally well disposed to the country, the November 1791 issue reported that "the prosperity of this country has far overstepped the most sanguine expectations of its warmest advocates" and Alexander Hamilton "is not inferior to Pitt or Necker, either in integrity or abilities."

UPCOMING LOT

Scots Magazine, Volumes 1 to 93

Edinburgh 1739-1824. First edition, 93 volumes bound in 92 (volumes 79 and 80 bound in one), 8vo, 19th-century half calf gilt

£2,000 - 3,000 + fees

First published in 1739, ‘The Scots Magazine’ is claimed to be the world's oldest magazine still in publication today. In 1804 the then owner of ‘The Scots Magazine,’ Edinburgh publisher Archibald Constable, merged it with the ‘Edinburgh Magazine and Literary Miscellany’ to form ‘The Scots magazine and Edinburgh literary miscellany.’ In 1817 the title was relaunched as ‘The Edinburgh magazine, and literary miscellany’ also titled as "a new series of the Scots Magazine," which ran until 1826. Volumes 1-18 of this title were also numbered 80-97, in recognition of the previous iterations of the title. By 1826 sales had declined to such a point that the title was withdrawn. Attempts to revive the name as the New Scots Magazine in 1828 and the Scots Weekly Magazine in 1832 were unsuccessful. The spine numbering of this set has the correct continuous volume numbering 1-93, but from 1818 onwards there are two separately bound volumes for each year and the binder has incorrectly assigned a different year for each volume on the spine label.

Noteworthy content includes: volume 38, pp. 433-436 for 1776, a contemporary printing of the American Declaration of Independence, and p. 457 fold-out Map of the Country round Philadelphia including Part of New Jersey, New York, Staten Island & Long Island; contemporary commentary on the 1745 Jacobite Uprising, volumes 7 and 8, including vol. 7 p. 397 Bonnie Prince Charlie's arrival in Scotland and vol. 8 p. 215-219 an account of the Battle of Culloden, with plan of ‘The order of battle on Culloden moor April 16’.

Department

Books & Manuscripts

Specialist

Graham Hogg

Books & Manuscripts Specialist