Scottish poet, born at Peebles, July 1802. Chambers is best known as the author of the provocative pseudo-scientific book, Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation (1844), although the authorship was not officially disclosed until 1884, after his death. Robert and his brother William set up a publisher, W. & R. Chambers, one of the most successful publishers in Britain, which helped to publish books of general interest but, it would be safe to say, his major interest was in Scottish history and folklore, as is seen in his publications of Traditions of Edinburgh (1824), Scottish Ballads (1829) and numerable books of these related topics. The two brothers produced a widely circulated weekly magazine, Chambers’s Edinburgh Journal.  (Y. Y.)