Rain exhibition at National Library of Scotland explores nation's wettest obsession

In Edinburgh, the National Library of Scotland has launched an exhibition called 'Rain', which highlights the influence of rainfall on Scottish science, literature, history, and identity. Among the exhibits is James Hutton's 1784 'theory of rain' formula, alongside literary pieces such as Robert Burns' 'Tam O'Shanter', King James VI's 'Daemonologie' (1597), and Minnie the Minx from the Beano. The display also features early rain maps, including a 1912 chart covering 25 years of rainfall, and tartan samples of rainproof fabric created by Charles Macintosh in 1823. Visitors can engage with a weather forecast wall using pre-digital symbols. The exhibition, opened by Heather Reid on 17 June, will run from 19 June 2026 to 30 April 2027 and honors Mel Houston, a preventive conservator who tragically died in a flash flood in early 2023.