Reproductions, made c 1977, of photographs taken in 1890 by William Ellerton Fry of the trek of the Pioneer Column from the Macloutsie River in Northern Bechuanaland to the high veld, Matabeleland and Fort Salisbury, Mashonaland, through Providential Pass. The photographs document the progress of the trek and record the contact of the Pioneer Column with the local African population. In addition to the photographs, there is some biographical information about William Ellerton Fry and a press cutting about the unveiling of a memorial to the Pioneer Column in Providential Pass.

This collection forms part of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society collection which is held in the main library. This component of the collection contains the rare and valuable items not available for borrowing.

The collection includes works on polar exploration, mountaineering, travel and topography.

Collection of books, journals, maps and yearbooks. Also SMC library register (1 volume) recording books borrowed from the collection from 1935-2007.

It includes historical and current publications by the Scottish Mountaineering Club and Scottish Mountaineering Trust along with a vast library of books on: technical and philosophical aspects of mountaineering, climbing, skiing, hill walking and other outdoor pursuits; fiction and literature; biographies and autobiographies; travel and exploration from all over the world which includes an extensive collection of Scottish texts; history of mountaineering; antiquarian collection of 18th century Scottish travel and tour books.