THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

Ann Cleeves Classic Crime – engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again

Murder in Paradise is the third mystery novel featuring George and Molly Palmer-Jones by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series.

Cheerful festivities take a dark turn when the groom’s sister slips and tumbles to the perilous rocks below . . .

Newlyweds Jim and Sarah are welcomed home from their honeymoon to the Scottish island of Kinness with a huge celebration, and the whole island is present to witness the bitter end. But did Jim’s younger sister Mary fall? Or was she pushed? George Palmer-Jones, retired birdwatcher and amateur detective, suspects the latter. But proving it will be difficult – no one wants to upset the balance of the island’s ancient relationships.

There are definitely secrets being hidden, and George, helped by Sarah, begin to piece together a tragic story he wishes he had never heard. Kinness is a paradise lost . . .

Graham Logie was brought up in Bruichladdich in the 1960s. This book tells how, as the Distillery Manager’s son, he saw village life, and the special access he had to the distillery.

The 1960s probably saw one of the biggest changes to island life when the constant stream of supplies provided by much-loved cargo boats, mailboats and puffers, was replaced by roll-on/roll-off ferries, virtually overnight. Many tales involve boats, lorries and the sea, and show how different a child’s upbringing was then, compared to today’s technological age.

Inspired one day, when asked what it was like to be brought up on a small island, Graham decided to record his thoughts and memories as they shouldn’t be lost to the island.

Many tales describe what he and his peers did in their childhood within the village, and periodically Graham digresses to explain how people, boats etc, turned up again later in his life.

Concluding the book by comparing life in a distillery in the 1960s, to life 35 years later when he returned to Islay in 2006, as a Distillery Manager himself (albeit on the ‘wrong’ side of the island); Graham has given a very personal account of island life through a boy’s eyes and his affection for Islay and Bruichladdich in particular are evident throughout.

Family always brings challenges and tribulations, but when there are 22 of you living in Picinisco, Italy, facing the repercussions of the Second World War, life spins in multiple directions.

As we are invited into Mamma Matilda’s household, we see the true conflict at heart. With another baby on the way, will the older siblings keep up the family responsibilities or follow their own dreams? With the growing issues surrounding Italian poverty, death and lack of opportunities, where will they turn to?

A fictional story inspired by a real gravestone marked ‘An Exemplary Mother of Nineteen Children’, this book documents not only the struggle of supporting a large family, but the harsh realities one must face when it comes to deciding to follow your own footsteps or continue down the path of tradition.

The Family will be of interest to any Scots-Italian readers, alongside fans of historical fiction. It was also provide a key title towards those who enjoy dramatic fiction.

This is a triumph. A love letter to the ghosts of Edinburgh. I feel its hand upon my shoulder. -Sara Sheridan

As a writer of fiction, I found myself itching to lift some of these characters from the page into the fertile fields of my own imagination. -Val McDermid

About the book

10 Scotland Street – the story of an Edinburgh home and its cast of booksellers, silk merchants, sailors, preachers, politicians, cholera and coincidence and its widespread connections over two centuries across the globe.

Following the first volume of Bill Hare’s exploration Scottish Artists, Scottish Artists in an Age of Radical Change, this new volume, Scottish Art and Artists in Historical and Contemporary Context will expand on the invaluable contribution to the cultural development of modern and contemporary Scotland.

Joan Eardley, Alan Davies, the Boyle Family, Ken Currie, Anthony Hatwell, Doug Crocker, Jack Knox, Lys Hansen, William Turnbull, Iain Robertson, Douglas Gordon and John Kennedy – are just some of the artists who Bill Hare explores in both their historical and contemporary contexts. From body politics to the Athenian way to Scottish artists in Venice, this book will reveal the importance and intellectual power this generation of Scottish artists have had over decades of time through a compilation of in-depth essays and interviews.

FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED

‘The finest Fergie book of them all’ – Tom English, BBC Sport

When Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of the 2013 season he was the most successful football manager Britain had ever seen, having won twice as many trophies as his nearest rival. But that success had not come easily. Thirty-five years previously he had arrived at the rain-swept training ground at Aberdeen F.C. as the recently sacked manager of St Mirren. Already a divisive figure, this Alex Ferguson came with a reputation for trouble and a lot still to prove. Not for nothing, many thought he was a risky choice.

Fergie Rises returns to a time when Ferguson was lucky to get Aberdeen, not the other way around. It’s the story of an eight-year revolution that saw the Dons and their ambitious young manager knock the Old Firm off their perch, taste victory in Europe for the first time, and electrify Scottish football. When Ferguson finally left the club for Manchester United, in 1986, fans and rivals were unanimous in believing he had engineered one of the most astonishing upheavals in the game’s history.

The author also examines the personal tragedies Ferguson overcame – the deaths of his father and his mentor Jock Stein – and the rivalries, setbacks and triumphs that shaped a sporting genius.

‘A masterful retelling of how Ferguson was “made” at Aberdeen’ – Alan Pattullo, The Scotsman

‘Fascinating and original … will tell you things even the most ardent United fan will not know’ – Jim White, The TelegraphOn 26 May 1999, Manchester United sealed their historic Treble of league, FA Cup and Champions League in the most dramatic fashion imaginable, scoring twice in stoppage time to snatch an unthinkable victory from Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.The story of what happened on the pitch is well known, enshrined in the annals of football history. But less in known about how this rollercoaster campaign played out behind the scenes. Thanks to unparalleled insight gleaned from hundreds of exclusive interviews, with United players, coaches, opponents, backroom personnel, club staff, journalists and commentators, They Always Score: The Unforgettable, Improbable, Iconic Story of Manchester United?s Treble Winners peels back the curtain to give readers the most comprehensive, illuminating and entertaining picture ever painted of one of the all-time great sports teams.

When Akuany and her brother are orphaned in a village raid, they’re taken in by a young merchant Yaseen who promises to care for them, a vow that tethers him to Akuany through their adulthood. As revolution begins to brew, led by the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Sudan begins to prise itself from Ottoman rule, and everyone must choose a side.

Yaseen feels beholden to stand against this false Mahdi, a decision that threatens to splinter his family. Meanwhile, Akuany moves through her young adulthood and across the country alone, sold and traded from house to house, with only Yaseen as her intermittent lifeline. Their struggle mirrors the increasingly bloody struggle for Sudan itself – for freedom, safety and the possibility of love.

River Spirit illuminates a fraught and bloody reckoning with the history of a people caught in the crosshairs of imperialism. This is a powerful tale of corruption, coming of age and unshakeable devotion – to a cause, to one’s faith and to the people who become family.

With a foreword by Alexander McCall Smith

‘That which is uncooked is destined to be cooked, if has been prepared with cooking in mind’ – The Enigma of Garlic

Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street novels are loved and enjoyed by readers throughout the world. In each book there are countless scenes involving conversations around the table, in the kitchen, or in a cafe – friendship and food go well together. With this delightful cookbook readers can immerse themselves in the world of Edinburgh’s New Town and recreate some of their favourite characters’ signature dishes: enjoy Bertie’s much-loved Panforte di Sienna, Angus Lordie’s famous cheese scones, or host your own Scotland Street supper.

Liz Lochhead is one of the leading poets writing in Britain today. Her debut collection, Memo for Spring (1972), was a landmark publication. Writing at a time when the landscape of Scottish poetry was male dominated, hers was a fresh, new voice, tackling subjects that resonated with readers – as it still does. Her poetry paved the way, and inspired, countless new voices including Ali Smith, Kathleen Jamie, Jackie Kay and Carol Ann Duffy.

Still writing and performing today, more than fifty years on from her first book of poetry, Liz Lochhead has been awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry and was Scotland’s second modern Makar, succeeding Edwin Morgan.

How far would you go to save yourself when the truth can’t set you free?

Scotland, 1589.

Besse Craw is a young mother whose husband has mysteriously vanished. And in a time when women were powerless, she is accused of witchcraft, abused by her employer, and destined to lose her daughter, her freedom and her life.

Set during the infamous North Berwick Witch Trials, that saw many persecuted, tortured and killed, Besse uncovers long-held secrets as she fights for justice and truth in a world of suspicion and lies.

In 1918 Lord Leverhulme bought the island of Lewis with ambitious plans to massively expand its fishing industry and increase its population.

In 1923, when his plans had failed, he offered it free of charge to the islanders in two parts. One part, which included impoverished rural areas, was economically unviable. But the other, based around the busy fishing port and administrative centre of Stornoway, was a different matter. In accepting Leverhulme’s offer, the hardheaded, churchgoing business class of Stornoway took on the responsibility of making the radical slogan ‘Land for the People’ a reality. It was an unlikely coupling, but it worked to perfection.

The 20th century was a tumultuous time for Lewis. Migration and depopulation were exacerbated by two world wars. Such problems could not be addressed in the lottery of private landownership, but in the stable, democratic government of the Stornoway Trust, town and country alike would weather the storms.Roger Hutchinson tells the story of those storms, and of the people who guided their pioneering estate into the relative security and prosperity of the 21st century. In doing so he paints a vivid portrait of a unique landholding experiment, of Highland land struggle and of the island of Lewis itself.

Doug Scott was a legend among mountaineers. His expeditions, undertaken over a period of five decades, are unparalleled achievements. This book describes the extraordinary drama of them all, from the Himalaya to New Zealand, Patagonia, Yosemite and Alaska. It includes his famous ‘epic’ on The Ogre, one of the hardest peaks in the world to climb, his ascent of Kangchenjunga without supplementary oxygen and his ascent, with Dougal Haston, of Everest in 1975.

Catherine Moorehead also uncovers the elusive man behind the obsessive mountaineer. From his rumbustious youth in Nottingham through two tempestuous marriages to a secure third marriage, she shows how Scott matured in thought and action as his formidable global reputation increased. In doing so she reveals him to be a clash of opposites, an infuriating monomaniac who took extraordinary risks yet who developed a deep interest in Buddhism and inspired widespread affection.

Scott spent almost as long as his climbing career in founding and developing Community Action Nepal, providing schools and health posts in remote parts of Nepal, where he is still much revered. Doug Scott died in 2020.

Reassesses Scottish textual practice in the context of the natural and post-natural landscapes

Covers a range of the relationships between landscape, literature, and culture

Explores the lived relationship between form, content, and consciousness

Provides a phenomenological study of the intertwining of self and world, subject and landscape

Landscape Poetics is an interdisciplinary study that seeks to place Scottish writers in relation to their landscape, by investigating how the self is entwined in place. By examinining the writing and practice of particular modern and contemporary authors in the light of environmental thought, the study explores their lived, organic connection to the landscape. Landscape Poetics presents an argument that the relationship between author and world is expressed through the language of vibrant and engaged experience. Shepherd, MacCaig, Jamie, Clark and Finlay are seen as reinventing the perception of the landscape by proposing that the subject is no longer involved in the act of objectification, but is instead an embodied self that enters place, perceiving it more fully.

Volume 3 of the new authoritative edition of Katherine Mansfield’s complete correspondence

Provides accurate transcriptions that shed new light on the everyday, intimate world of Mansfield as a letter-writer

Presents all Mansfield’s letters to John Middleton Murry from 1912 to 1918, foregrounding their years of intellectual apprenticeship and the impact of war, political upheavals and ill-health on their social and cultural environment

Provides meticulous explanatory notes and rich contextual information

Offers extensive attention to the cultural and socio-political context of the correspondence

Unlike the first two volumes of this new edition of Katherine Mansfield’s letters, which encompassed a dazzling variety of correspondents, this third volume focuses exclusively on letters to John Middleton Murry, chronologically arranged, from the day when he first became her lodger in 1912 through to the week after the Armistice in November 1918, when they were newly married. It is no exaggeration to say that over the course of these six years, their entire world was turned upside down. By the time the volume closes, they are married but already increasingly estranged; they have both become professional writers but grapple with increasing economic precarity; Europe lies ravaged by war; and the devastating diagnosis of tuberculosis has been pronounced, not, ironically, for Murry whose fragile health had preoccupied them for two years, but for Mansfield herself. This volume of letters documents the whole spectrum of changes, against a vivid historical and socio-cultural backcloth and contains entirely new, insightful and extensive annotations. A second volume of letters between the pair completes the edition.

Explores British cinematic representations of masculinity

From the new man to the metrosexual, British society from the 1990s to the 2000s was pre-occupied with questions about masculinity, and more specifically with the idea that it was somehow ‘in crisis.’ The first book-length study of British cinematic representations of masculinity in this period, this fascinating study offers a feminist analysis of key tropes in this era, including the New Lad, fatherhood and masculine violence. Positioning these representations within the specific context of British manifestations of postfeminism and neoliberalism, the book explores the shifting representations of masculinity in popular British cinema and offers a detailed analysis of important recent developments in gender culture. With case studies of films like Brassed Off (1996), The Full Monty (1997), Trainspotting (1996) and About a Boy (2002), this book is a fascinating insight into an understudied period of British cinema and culture.

Case studies include

:Brassed Off

The Full Monty

All or Nothing

Archipelago

Trainspotting

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

The Football Factory

TwentyFourSeven

My Name is Joe

Bullet Boy

When Saturday Comes

About A Boy

My Son the Fanatic

East is East

Nil by Mouth

Naked

Enduring Love

Bronson

The first ever edition of Nan Shepherd’s correspondence, featuring two hundred and fifty letters

The first ever edition of Nan Shepherd’s correspondence

Includes all available letters to and from Shepherd sent over a career of 60 years

Helpful annotations help the reader navigate the details of Shepherd’s world

Recognised now as one of the most important voices to emerge from Scotland’s literary ‘Renaissance’ in the 1930s, the full extent of Nan Shepherd’s considerable cultural significance is revealed only in the letters she sent and received over the course of her long life and extraordinary career. Including letters from Neil Gunn, Hugh MacDiarmid, Jessie Kesson, Helen B. Cruickshank, Agnes Mure Mackenzie and many more, this edition documents Shepherd’s emergence as a celebrated novelist in the 1920s and 30s, her quieter years editing the Aberdeen University Review, and the composition of what would, eventually, be her most famous work, The Living Mountain. With an introduction, annotations and biographical sketches, Nan Shepherd’s Correspondence brings you into Nan Shepherd’s world as one of the most influential literary figures of her generation.

A collection of proverbs in the original Scots, and translated into English covering family, work, money, self-improvement and food and drink amongst other topics. Scots proverbs tell it like it is, and provide advice for a myriad of situations. This pocketsize volume would make an excellent souvenir or a gift for any occasion.

Ah want tae check she’s awricht. Ah kin luik there fur Brodie an aw.

Burds are meant tae fly.

Brodie goes missing. Being a bird with a bad wing, Iona is sent into a worry. Her mammy is busy trying to get her ready for school and the snaw is settling in. But Brodie must be found.Running through the garden and exploring Mad Billy’s farm, Brodie couldn’t have gone far. After all, she was a hoolet thit couldnae fly.

A fantastic book from award-winning Scots author Emma Grae, exploring themes of confidence and celebrates the idea that it is okay to be different. Meet all the different animals we encounter on the search for Brodie in this bonnie wee book.

There is an untapped market for an original children’s book in Scots and Emma is keen to fill it with great stories for kids aged 7-10 years old. With a snowy setting, it will make a great gift this Christmas for any child in Scotland.

What do we mean by ‘Scottish literature’?

Why does it matter?

How do we engage with it?

Bringing infectious enthusiasm and a lifetime’s experience to bear on this multi-faceted literary nation, Alan Riach, Professor of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow, sets out to guide you through the varied and ever-evolving landscape of Scottish literature.

A comprehensive and extensive work designed not only for scholars but also for the generally curious, Scottish Literature: An Introduction tells the tale of Scotland’s many voices across the ages, from Celtic pre-history to modern mass media. Forsaking critical jargon, Riach journeys chronologically through individual works and writers, both the famed and the forgotten, alongside broad overviews of cultural contexts which connect texts to their own times. Expanding the restrictive canon of days gone by, Riach also sets down a new core body of ‘Scottish Literature’: key writers and works in English, Scots, and Gaelic.

Ranging across time and genre, Scottish Literature: An Introduction invites you to hear Scotland through her own words.