Robert Watt (bibliographer)

Robert Watt (1774-1819) was a Scottish physician and bibliographer, best known for his monumental and flawed Bibliotheca Britannica; or, A General Index to British and Foreign Literature.

Watt was born in Ayrshire and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow, graduating in 1796. He practiced medicine in Paisley and Glasgow, and was a lecturer in medicine at the Andersonian Institution.

Despite his medical career, Watt devoted a significant portion of his life to compiling the Bibliotheca Britannica. The work aimed to provide a comprehensive catalogue of all books published in the United Kingdom and abroad, arranged by author and subject. It was published in four volumes between 1824 and 1824, after his death, by his son.

The Bibliotheca Britannica was an ambitious undertaking, and while it included a vast amount of information, it suffered from numerous inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and duplications. Watt relied heavily on secondary sources and often failed to verify information. Despite its flaws, it remains a valuable resource for researchers, particularly for identifying obscure or forgotten publications. It is also a testament to the ambition and perseverance of a single individual attempting a massive bibliographic project in the pre-digital age.

Watt's dedication to the Bibliotheca Britannica likely contributed to his early death at the age of 45.