26/07/2026
A rare glimpse into Glasgow’s vanished past goes under the hammer at Great Western Auctions.
Our forthcoming Book Auction on Thursday 6th August 2026 will feature a rare copy of Thomas Annan’s Photographs of Old Closes, Streets, &c., one of the most important photographic records of 19th-century Glasgow.
Commissioned following the Glasgow City Improvement Act of 1866, Annan’s photographs documented the condemned closes, streets and wynds of the old city before their demolition — an extraordinary early example of photography used to record urban poverty and social history.
Presented in monumental folio format and bound in green Morocco, this circa-1878 second edition includes forty mounted carbon prints and offers collectors a remarkable opportunity to acquire a defining record of historic Glasgow.
The sale will also feature a wide selection of rare books, bindings, maps, manuscripts and photographs, including Glasgow School bindings by Jessie M. King, Talwin Morris and C.R. Mackintosh.
The Book Auction
📅 Thursday 6th August 2026
📍 Great Western Auctions
Entries are still invited. If you have books, maps, manuscripts or photographs you are considering selling, our valuer Tommy Alexander would be delighted to hear from you.
Contact us for valuations or visit our website to view forthcoming highlights.
