Old Geology Map of Scotland 1862 by Roderick Murchison - Skye, Highlands, Orkney

This is one of the earliest geological maps of Scotland ever produced, put together in 1862 by the eminent geologist Sir Roderick I. Murchison alongside Archibald Geikie, then director of the Geological Survey of Scotland, and published by A.K. Johnston. Full-colour geological maps from this period are exceptionally rare, and the level of detail packed into this one is genuinely striking, making it as much a scientific artefact as a decorative print.

Every corner of Scotland is captured here, from the Shetland Isles and Orkney down through the Hebrides and Skye to the Highlands and Lowlands. Loch Ness and Loch Lomond both appear, along with the fascinating geological formations running between Glasgow and Edinburgh, the colourful strata at the tip of the Mull of Kintyre, and the dramatic ridge of the Quiraing on Skye. Towns and cities including Inverness, Portree and Dundee are all marked too.

With its unusual blend of science and colour, this map makes a distinctive birthday, Christmas or housewarming gift for a geologist, geographer, or anyone from Scotland who loves seeing their homeland in a completely different light.