In 1682, Sibbald began assembling material for a projected two volume geographical description or atlas of Scotland, recruiting parish ministers and members of the nobility and gentry to assist him in the task. While the work was never published, many of the manuscripts describing aspects of the geography, natural history and antiquities of parts of Scotland have survived.Withers, Charles, W.J. (1999), Introduction to A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland circa 1695 by Martin Martin, Birlinn, Edinburgh, pp. 1 - 12,
