Theses Philosophicae is the first book printed in Aberdeen in July 1622. Raban produced it within weeks of his arrival in the town. This first volume was THESES PHILOSOPHICAE was a collection of nine Masters theses for defence that summer. It contains theses by Alexander Wishart (Sophocardius), Andrew Watt (Walterus), George Gordon, Gilbert Wishart (Sophocardius), William Cumming, John Elphinstone, John Lundy (Lundæus), Michael Elphinstone and Patrick Forbes. The Roll of Graduates for 1622 lists only eight (Alexander Wishart is not included). Bishop Patrick Forbes was instrumental in getting Raban to Aberdeen was also the Chancellor of King's College, and the title page shows that from the start Edward Raban was:
Universitatis Tyographus
To this, later that year, would be added the role of
Urbis Typhographus
or Printer to the Town
The work is important because it was the first indigenously printed volume in the North-East of Scotland and also because it demonstrates how quickly Raban was able to deliver printed material, having had little over a month to produce this volume.
Exhibition panel for the volume of Theses.
