National Library of Scotland acquire first Broons Annual

The National Library of Scotland have been searching for the elusive 1939 first edition of the Broons annual for decades – and now they have it, right in time for the holidays

The Broons shows “the lives people have, the places they live in, and the language they speak”, which is why it has remained popular since its first publication in 1939 according to curator Ian Scott.

The Broons first appeared in 1936 in the ‘fun section’ of the Sunday Post, a newspaper by D C Thomson. In 1939, D C Thomson realised they had enough for a book, and gathered the comic strips together into an album. Thus the first annual was born.

This new acquisition will be on display in their Treasures exhibition in 2024 at George IV Bridge, Edinburgh. Anyone who is a Library member – which is free – can view the comics and annuals in the Library’s reading rooms.

Read more > https://media.nls.uk/news/national-library-acquires-first-ever-broons-annual