"Encyclopædia Britannica First Edition The ""Encyclopædia Britannica"" First Edition (1768–1771) is a 3-volume reference work, an edition of the ""Encyclopædia Britannica"". It was developed during the encyclopaedia's earliest period as a two-man operation founded by Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was sold unbound in subscription format over a period of 3 years. Most of the articles were written by William Smellie and edited by Macfarquhar, who printed the pages. All copperplates were created by Bell. The ""Britannica"" was the idea of Colin Macfarquhar, a bookseller and printer, and Andrew Bell, an engraver, both of Edinburgh. They"
"by hundreds of leading intellectuals such as Voltaire (1694–1778), Rousseau (1712–78) and Montesquieu (1689–1755). Some 25,000 copies of the 35-volume set were sold, half of them outside France. In Scottish intellectual life the culture was oriented towards books. In 1763 Edinburgh had six printing houses and three paper mills; by 1783 there were 16 printing houses and 12 paper mills. Intellectual life revolved around a series of clubs, beginning in Edinburgh in the 1710s. One of the first was the Easy Club, co-founded In Edinburgh by the Jacobite printer Thomas Ruddiman. Clubs did not reach Glasgow until the 1740s. One"
"Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established in 1783. , it has more than 1,660 Fellows. The Society covers a broader selection of fields than the Royal Society of London including literature and history. Fellowship includes people from a wide range of disciplines – science & technology, arts, humanities, medicine, social science, business and public service. At the start of the 18th century, Edinburgh's intellectual climate fostered many"
"published by Ephraim Chambers in 1728. Although later editions of Chambers' ""Cyclopaedia"" were still popular, and despite the commercial failure of other English encyclopedias, Macfarquhar and Bell were inspired by the intellectual ferment of the Scottish Enlightenment and thought the time ripe for a new encyclopedia ""compiled upon a new plan"". Needing an editor, the two chose a 28-year-old scholar named William Smellie who was offered 200 pounds sterling to produce the encyclopedia in 100 parts (called ""numbers"" and equivalent to thick pamphlets), which were later bound into three volumes. The first number appeared on 6 December 1768 in Edinburgh,"
"brought about by the introduction of sheep-farming. A melancholy incident recorded in a note to page 11 led to the establishment of the Edinburgh Destitute Sick Society. After some interval there appeared 'Albyn's Anthology, or a select collection of the melodies and vocal poetry of Scotland, peculiar to Scotland and the Isles, hitherto unpublished' (2 vols. Edinburgh, 1816 and 1818). Campbell had projected this work since 1790, but it was not till Henry Mackenzie, Walter Scott (who obtained the prince regent's acceptance of the dedication of the book), and other Edinburgh men of note, gave him their help that the"
"1681 and 1689 to 1695. The first edition of his """"Institutions of the Law of Scotland"""", an account of the private law of Scotland according to the judgements of the Court of Session, was published in 1681, and the work is now considered the foundation of modern Scots law. Stair Society The Stair Society is a learned society devoted to the study of Scots law. It was instituted in 1934 ""to encourage the study and to advance the knowledge of the history of Scots Law,"" and is named for James Dalrymple, 1st Viscount of Stair, the seventeenth century Lord President"
"them in a small theatre in Carruber's Close in Edinburgh, but the passing of the 1737 Licensing Act made their activities illegal and the theatre soon closed. A new theatre was opened at Cannongate in 1747 and operated without a licence into the 1760s. Literature in early modern Scotland Literature in early modern Scotland is literature written in Scotland or by Scottish writers between the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century and the beginnings of the Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution in mid-eighteenth century. By the beginning of this era Gaelic had been in geographical decline for three centuries and had"
"Edinburgh Review The Edinburgh Review has been the title of four distinct intellectual and cultural magazines. The best known, longest-lasting, and most influential of the four was the third, which was published regularly from 1802 to 1929. The first ""Edinburgh Review"" was a short-lived venture initiated in 1755 by the Select Society, a group of Scottish men of letters concerned with the Enlightenment goals of social and intellectual improvement. According to the preface of the inaugural issue, the journal's purpose was to ""demonstrate 'the progressive state of learning in this country' and thereby to incite Scots 'to a more eager"
"of Stuart were, among others, royal and upper class fans of ice skating. The next step in the development of ice skating came in 1742, when the first ice skating association was formed, the Edinburgh Skating Club. The first instructional book concerning ice skating was published in London in 1772. The book, written by a British artillery lieutenant, Robert Jones, describes basic figure skating forms such as circles and figure eights. The book was written solely for men, as women did not normally ice skate in the late 18th century. It was with the publication of this manual that ice"
"and 400 illegal distilleries in the city 1778: Younger's brewery established within the precincts of Holyrood Abbey 1780: National Museum of Antiquities established as part of Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (later housed in the Royal Institution on The Mound in 1827 and in Queen Street in 1891) 1781: Construction of the ""Earthen Mound"" begins 1782: System of parliamentary representation is criticised by Thomas McGrugar in """"Letters of Zeno"""" 1783: Royal Society of Edinburgh created by Royal Charter for ""the advancement of learning and useful knowledge""; Society of Antiquaries of Scotland incorporated by Royal Charter for ""the study of the"
"daughter of a Scottish lawyer and writer to the signet, in May 1778. They had two daughters and three sons together. In 1791 he published a collection of his sermons in 1791 and in 1794 he published a book on the psalms of David and also a book of observations on the Dutch. He became a member of Edinburgh Skating Club — the first figure skating club formed anywhere in the world — in 1780. The club met on Duddingston Loch, near Edinburgh, as depicted in the painting by Raeburn. The painting is thought to have been made in the"
"in addition to Stuart, were William Richardson of Glasgow, William Baron, Thomas Blacklock, Rev. Alexander Gillies, and Smellie. Edinburgh Magazine and Review The Edinburgh Magazine and Review was a Scottish periodical, published monthly from 1773 to 1776. It was founded by Gilbert Stuart, who pursued an aggressive editorial line that eventually led to the magazine's demise. The first number came out about the middle of October 1773, and it was discontinued after the publication of the number for August 1776. Early advantages were negated by Stuart's tendency to pursue private vendettas against lawyers and other historians; William Smellie the printer"
"pay a fine. He preferred to discontinue his publication instead. In 1726 he in part revived it, under the title of ""Lloyd's List"", published at first weekly, it would later become a daily. The ""Edinburgh Courant"" was published out of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Its first issue was dated 14-19 Feb 1705 and was sold for a penny. It was one of the country's first regional papers, second only to the Norwich Post (1701). The paper was produced twice weekly for five years, then continued as the ""Scots Courant"" until April 1720. Later that same year, the ""Edinburgh Evening Courant"" began"
"year to the Edinburgh Philosophical Society. With the help of University of Edinburgh professors like Joseph Black, William Cullen and John Walker, this society transformed itself into the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1783 and in 1788 it issued the first volume of its new journal ""Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh"". As the end of the century drew near, the younger members such as Sir James Hall embraced Lavoisier's new nomenclature and the members split over the practical and theoretical objectives of the society. This resulted in the founding of the Wernerian Society (1808–58), a parallel organisation that"
"published in 1721 Ramsay had shown his bent to this genre, especially in ""Patie and Roger,"" which supplies two of the dramatis personae to his greater work. The success of the drama was remarkable. It passed through several editions, and was performed at the theatre in Edinburgh; its title is still known in every corner of Scotland, even if it be no longer read. In 1726 he published anonymously ""Poems in English and Latin, on the Archers and Royal Company of Archers, by several Hands"" for the Royal Company of Archers. He wrote the words to the Archer's March, ""Sound,"
"exists, how our forebears lived and worked and carried on the business of their country in their separate spheres."" The Society has a council of scholars representing most of the universities in Scotland and some beyond, as well as other institutions. The Scottish History Society was founded with the object of discovery and publication, under selected editorship, of unpublished documents illustrative of the civil, religious, and social history of Scotland. The first publications, in October 1887, were ""Bishop Pococke's Tours in Scotland, 1747-1760"", edited by D W Kemp, and the ""Diary of and General Expenditure Book of William Cunningham of"
"Scotorum"" (1637). This period was marked by the work of the first named female Scottish poets, such as Elizabeth Melville, whose ""Ane Godlie Dream"" (1603) was the first book published by a woman in Scotland. This was the period when the ballad emerged as a significant written form in Scotland. From the seventeenth century they were used as a literary form by aristocratic authors. After the Union in 1707, the use of Scots was discouraged by many in authority and education. Allan Ramsay led a ""vernacular revival"" that laid the foundations of a reawakening of interest in older Scottish literature."
"Edinburgh Courant The Edinburgh Courant was a broadsheet newspaper from the 18th century. It was published out of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland. Its first issue was dated February 14–19, 1705 and was sold for a penny. It was one of the country's first regional papers, second only to the ""Norwich Post"" (1701). The paper was produced twice weekly for five years, then continued as the ""Scots Courant"" until April 1720. In 1718, the ""Edinburgh Evening Courant"" began publication, being first printed by John McQueen or McEwen on the Royal Mile then passing to his protege, Alexander Kincaid in 1735. It survived"
"in the history and antiquities of the Scottish Highlands bore its first fruit in 1837, when he published ""The Highlanders of Scotland, their Origin, History and Antiquities"". In 1847, during the Highland Potato Famine, he was appointed Secretary to the Central Board for Highland Relief. In this position he worked closely with Sir Charles Trevelyan, Assistant Secretary to the Treasury. In 1859 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh his proposer being Cosmo Innes. He served as the Society's Vice President from 1869 to 1871. His chief work, however, is his ""Celtic Scotland, a History of"
"to ""write so as to be acceptable to the fashionable and polite"". He sarcastically observed that ""to what distance from the metropolis these sapient booksellers conceived poetical inspiration to extend, we are not informed"". The first edition was not particularly successful, and there was no second edition of the work until 1747, when it was republished in Edinburgh. Its popularity grew gradually throughout the 18th century, however, in part because of the praise that it received from John Pinkerton (in his ""Letters of Literature"" (1786), written under the pseudonym Robert Heron). Writing in 1822, Richard Alfred Davenport noted that the"
"Professor of Greek at Edinburgh University. This brought him into contact with the critical figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, most of which were in Edinburgh. He also served other roles; being Keeper of the College Library from 1785, and Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1788 (the first layman to hold this role). Curiously his address is given simply as College at this period, as he lived in tied accommodation within Old College. In 1783 he was a founder member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and served as their Literary Secretary from 1789"
"the young man's education. In May 1773, Smith was elected fellow of the Royal Society of London, and was elected a member of the Literary Club in 1775. ""The Wealth of Nations"" was published in 1776 and was an instant success, selling out its first edition in only six months. In 1778, Smith was appointed to a post as commissioner of customs in Scotland and went to live with his mother (who died in 1784) in Panmure House in Edinburgh's Canongate. Five years later, as a member of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh when it received its royal charter, he"
"A Vindication of the Sacred Books and of Josephus, especially the former, from various misrepresentations and cavils of the celebrated M. de Voltaire,' Glasgow, 1770, 8vo. Findlay also published a pamphlet on 'The Divine Inspiration of the Jewish Scriptures and Old Testament,' London, 1803, 8vo. Robert Findlay (minister) Rev Prof Robert Findlay FRSE DD (1721-1814), was a Scottish minister. In 1783 he was a co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh along with many other leading figures of the Scottish Enlightenment. Findlay was born in March 1721 the son of William Findlay, a merchant in Kilmarnock in Ayrshire. He was"
"Bell, by Archibald Constable, and by others. The ""Britannica"" was first published between December 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh as the ""Encyclopædia Britannica, or, A Dictionary of Arts and Sciences, compiled upon a New Plan"". In part, it was conceived in reaction to the French ""Encyclopédie"" of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert (published 1751–72), which had been inspired by Chambers's ""Cyclopaedia"" (first edition 1728). It went on sale December 10. The ""Britannica"" of this period was primarily a Scottish enterprise, and it is one of the most enduring legacies of the Scottish Enlightenment. In this era, the ""Britannica"""
"Edinburgh Magazine and Review The Edinburgh Magazine and Review was a Scottish periodical, published monthly from 1773 to 1776. It was founded by Gilbert Stuart, who pursued an aggressive editorial line that eventually led to the magazine's demise. The first number came out about the middle of October 1773, and it was discontinued after the publication of the number for August 1776. Early advantages were negated by Stuart's tendency to pursue private vendettas against lawyers and other historians; William Smellie the printer struggled to contain him. Stuart's slashing article on the ""Elements of Criticism"" by Lord Kames, was completely metamorphosed"
"clubs and societies (see Scottish Enlightenment). Though there were several that treated the arts, sciences and medicine, the most prestigious was the Society for the Improvement of Medical Knowledge, commonly referred to as the Medical Society of Edinburgh, co-founded by the mathematician Colin Maclaurin in 1731. Maclaurin was unhappy with the specialist nature of the Medical Society, and in 1737 a new, broader society, the Edinburgh Society for Improving Arts and Sciences and particularly Natural Knowledge was split from the specialist medical organisation, which then went on to become the Royal Medical Society. The cumbersome name was changed the following"
"a decision by the Convention of Royal Burghs in 1752 to propose improvements to the capital for the benefit of commerce. The Convention issued a pamphlet entitled ""Proposals for carrying on certain Public Works in the City of Edinburgh"", believed to have been authored by the classical scholar Sir Gilbert Elliot and heavily influenced by the ideas of Lord Provost George Drummond. Elliot described the existing town as follows, Placed upon a ridge of a hill, it admits but of one good street, running from east to west, and even this is tolerably accessible only from one quarter. The narrow"
"idealising a romanticised Highlands, was set off by the Ossian cycle published by Scottish poet James Macpherson's in 1761-2. Sir Walter Scott's Waverley novels further helped popularise select aspects of Scottish life and history and he founded the Celtic Society of Edinburgh in 1820. He staged the royal Visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822 and the king's wearing of tartan. George IV was the first reigning monarch to visit Scotland in 171 years. Scott and the Celtic Society urged Scots to attend festivities ""all plaided and plumed in their tartan array"". One contemporary writer sarcastically described the"
"World and a Gentleman"". This work comprised over 400 letters written from 1737 or 1738 and continuing until his son's death in 1768, and were mostly instructive letters on various subjects. The letters were first published by his son's widow Eugenia Stanhope in 1774. Chesterfield endeavoured to decouple the issue of manners from conventional morality, arguing that mastery of etiquette was an important weapon for social advancement. The Letters were full of elegant wisdom and perceptive observation and deduction. Chesterfield epitomised the restraint of polite 18th-century society, writing, for instance, in 1748: By the Victorian era, etiquette had developed into"
"master of a Banffshire parish school and tutor in the family of a gentleman who offered him a living in the Church of Scotland. But he preferred the head-mastership, with a lower stipend, of the Banff grammar school, which he held from 1773 until 1779, when, on the failure of his suit to a young lady of beauty and fortune, he migrated to Edinburgh. There he taught the classics and several modern languages, occasionally translating and compiling for the Edinburgh booksellers. In 1780 appeared his ‘Ode to Britannia ... on occasion of our late successes,’ in which the gallantry of"
"into the next century. The work was ‘Imprinted by his Majesties special privilege and command,’ in London in 1615, in both Latin and English; London, 1616, in Latin only; Edinburgh, 1617, in one or both languages; London, 1663; Edinburgh, 1725; London, 1727 (published by Nathaniel Booth). The book was commanded to be taught in all schools and universities, and by all ministers of the church, and to be purchased by all householders in England and Scotland. This command was enjoined by the privy council of Scotland in June 1616, and by the general assembly at Aberdeen in August 1616, and"
"element of Scottish literary and critical life. There was a demand in Scotland for the newest novels including ""Robinson Crusoe"" (1719), ""Pamela"" (1740), ""Tom Jones"" (1749) and ""Evelina"" (1788). There were weekly reviews of novels in periodicals, the most important of which were ""The Monthly Review"" and ""The Critical Review"". Lending libraries were established in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. Private manor libraries were established in estate houses. The universities began to acquire novels and they became part of the curriculum. By the 1770s about thirty novels were being printed in Britain and Ireland every year and there is plentiful evidence"
"writing circle and book club), musical and art clubs, publishing clubs. The name of “club” has been annexed by a large group of associations which fall between the club proper and friendly societies, of a purely periodic and temporary nature, such as slate, goose and Christmas clubs, which do not need to be registered under the Friendly Societies Act. The institution of the gentleman's club has spread all over the English-speaking world. Many of those who energised the Scottish Enlightenment were members of the Poker Club in Edinburgh. In the United States clubs were first established after the War of"