This exhibition, which has, in addition, brought together objects from Dresden, Milan, Vienna and the Royal Armouries, also includes an array of richly illustrated and scientifically sophisticated fencing manuals on long-term loan from the library of Lord Howard de Walden.

ECONOMIST: The rapier in Renaissance Europe: Jewels to die for | The

The season, to be formally opened by Burns specialist Dr John Cairney, will also feature an exhibition on loan from the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, which has one of the most significant Burns collections in Scotland.

BBC: The collection will be on display in Stirling

The annual report by the Public Lending Right (PLR), who oversee payments to authors for the loan of their books, also revealed that library lending had dropped by around 4% in 2012, with 200 branches closing over the past year.

BBC: James Patterson tops library lending chart

Other objects are on loan from the David Livingstone Centre, the Royal Geographical Society, Glasgow Museums, the National Library of Scotland and private individuals.

BBC: Edinburgh, Fife & East Scotland