Sir Walter Scott’s Rob Roy manuscript going on show at National Library 

Written in the hand of one of the most famous Scottish writers, the manuscript of Sir Walter’s historical novel, published in 1817, will be on display at the free Treasures of the National Library of Scotland exhibition in Edinburgh from March. The manuscript was among many literary treasures held in the Honresfield Library, a private collection formed in the 19th century by Rochdale mill owner William Law, and whose contents were kept hidden from all but a few until now. The items were set to be sold off at auction by Sotheby’s, but after fears were raised that they would be returned to private hands or even lost to a foreign buyer, works by authors including Sir Walter, Robert Burns and Jane Austen were saved after a UK-wide collective of organisations stepped in. The Honresfield Library is now called the Blavatnik Honresfield Library after its major donor.