Government of Ontario

In 1968, to mark the centenary of Canadian Federation, the Government of Ontario gifted to the University of Edinburgh The George Brown Collection of Canadiana, some 120 volumes on Canadian history and politics, donated in memory of one of Canada's founding fathers, George Brown (1818-1868), the publisher of the "Toronto Globe" newspaper (now "The Globe and Mail"). Born in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Brown spent part of his boyhood in Edinburgh before emigrating with his father first to the USA and then to Toronto. The family lived for a few years in an apartment at 31 Buccleuch Place, now owned by the University of Edinburgh and occupied by the Department of Politics. George Brown later returned to Edinburgh to marry the daughter of the publisher Thomas Nelson in the family house, Abden House, at the southern end of the Pollock Halls campus, and also owned by the University.

The records of the individual books in The George Brown Collection are entered in the public catalogues. The books themselves are intershelved with other books on their subjects, but a typed checklist of the gift is available for consultation. The Library also receives generous support from the Government of Canada.