This listing is for a set of 24 lantern slides showing the construction of the Forth Bridge, including an extremely rare panoramic slide, plus an original lecturer’s script. The bridge was built between 1883 and 1890 and two of the world’s finest commercial photographers, George Washington Wilson and James Valentine, produced separate (and competing) magic lantern slide sets for lecturers to show to audiences. James Valentine’s was the larger of the two with twenty-three, three-and-a-quarter inch, square slides plus four panoramic slides. They are in excellent condition (some minor marks and blemishes) and very sharp, with much better contrast than shown in my photos. Indeed, even those that look faded in my photos are much ‘stronger’ in reality, it’s my photography that’s the problem! There are four issues worthy of mention. Slide No. 8 has a cracked cover glass; No. 16 is a bit weak towards the top of the image; No. 13 is a real rarity as ‘though a drawing, it is very rarely seen as part of the Forth Bridge set and No. 12 depicts the correct scene but is a Wilson slide, whilst all the others are Valentine’s. The panoramic slide measures an impressive 12 by 3.25 by 0.25 inches and is heavy and is the only one of the Forth Bridge that I’ve seen in over forty years of collecting. I suspect that it is unique and it’s a pity that its three siblings are missing! These Valentine slides have been in my collection for over thirty years and I have shown them many times in my magic lantern shows. I’m reluctant to part with them but it’s time for them to be appreciated by someone else. The postage cost is relatively high because they are very heavy. A word about insurance. The slides will be posted via a reputable carrier with tracking and £250 insurance cover. I've shipped lantern slides for over twenty years and every care will be taken. However, in reality, no parcel carrier covers 'glass' or 'antiques', so the insurance cover is there for loss of the parcel, rather than breakage of its contents. Alternatively, you can arrange and pay for shipping yourself or collect the slides from my home in Lancashire. The magic lantern was the forerunner of the pre-digital slide projector and was used for slide projection from the 1640s to the 1940s. I have collected lantern slides for over forty years and am a professional magic lantern showman. I am downsizing, hence this listing.