Mathew Forster Heddle: Mineralogist and Mountaineer

Orkney-born Professor Matthew Heddle (1828-1897) was a larger-than-life character, a renowned academic and one of Scotland’s most famous mineralogists. His rich legacy includes: The Mineralogy of Scotland (published posthumously in 1901, still the classic work on the subject); 5,700 specimens from his collection now housed in the National Museum of Scotland and the National Museums Collection Centre, a mountaineering record admired by Sir Hugh Munro.

This book is not an account of Heddle’s scientific work but is about Heddle the man – written by his great-great-grandson.