Eadie Collection

The library of John Eadie (1810-1876), Professor of Biblical Literature in the United Presbyterian College, Edinburgh, including about 300 early printed books, including rare bibles and other theological works.

After his death it was purchased for the College library by Thomas Biggart of Baidland, for £2,000. Following the union of the United Presbyterian Church with the Free Church of Scotland in 1901, the collection went to the United Free Church College (subsequently Trinity College) in Glasgow and was transferred with the rest of the Trinity College Library collection to the University in 1974.

The original collection contained over 7,000 volumes, which was reduced to around 3,000 by the removal of items duplicated elsewhere in the University Library’s collections. Most of the 19th-century books were incorporated into the Library’s main stock.

How to find material in the Eadie collection

• For a list of pre-1820 items held in Special Collections, see Sp Coll Eadie. As this list contains more than one thousand items, readers searching for a specific title are advised to use the rare books search
• Catalogue of the library of the late John Eadie, D.D., Ll.D., S.T.P., presented to the Synod of the United Presbyterian Church by Thomas Biggart Esq., of Baidland Hill, 15th May 1877 (Edinburgh: 1878). An additional pasted-up and annotated working copy of this catalogue is held at Sp Coll Eadie Add. f1.