Books
The brave RAF base that protected our skies from the Luftwaffe
When war broke out in 1939, the Luftwaffe attacked the Royal Navy base at Rosyth. Spitfires from the Drem airfield in East Lothian were scrambled to protect it, engaging in one of the first air battles over Britain, with Drem aircraft patrolling the skies over the Firth of Forth until the end of the war.…
Read MoreLife on Oronsay with a year in the Hebrides
Once the centre of the major sea route between Scotland and Ireland, the small, remote island of Oronsay has been inhabited by humans for 5,000 years. Columba landed there in AD 63, the Vikings in the 800s, and the Lords of the Isles founded an abbey in the 1300s. Now farmed by the RSPB for…
Read MoreTrue events inspired this werewolf trial novel
Inspired by true events, The Wolf Trial is a historical epic telling the horrifying tale of a man whose crimes were thought so great, locals wanted to try him as a werewolf. Fictionalising the first documented case of a convicted serial killer, the Herald writer tells the story of Peter Stumpf, a 16th-century German landowner…
Read MoreA new case for Sherlock Holmes in Edinburgh
A combination of an intriguing crime novel for young adults, with a new case for Sherlock Holmes and a reawakening of Scotland ‘s forgotten heroes, The Calling is a magical story set during the Edinburgh Festival. Nearly all of its characters can be observed standing on plinths in the heart of the city. Only one…
Read MoreAtlantic kayaking book to launch in Scotland
Historian and kayaker David Gange will launch his book The Frayed Atlantic Edge in Scotland next month. Subtitled ‘A historian’s journey from Shetland to the Channel’, the book is published by Harper Collins and tells the story of his epic Atlantic kayak trip over the course of a year, and will be launched at Shetland…
Read MoreScotland’s connections to the Windrush revealed
SS Empire Windrush’s connections to Scotland are revealed in new book. On 22 June 1948 newsreels captured the disembarkation of 1,027 passengers from the Windrush’s gangplank at Tilbury, Essex. It is the voyage Windrush would become most famous for, but it is not the only one that changed the course of world history, and people’s…
Read MoreA satirical look at what we value in modern culture
The Brilliant & Forever is an unusual novel draws the reader through its satirical looking glass into a recognisable but not-quite-familiar world. On a small island populated entirely by writers, the annual Brilliant and Forever Festival is a focal point in the calendar. Its stakes are glory or ignominy. Who will be chosen by the…
Read MoreFrom a lover of royalty to a French Revolution prisoner
One-time mistress of the Prince of Wales, who later became George IV, career courtesan Grace Dalrymple Elliott led a fascinating life. This major new biography, written by two Dalrymple Elliot enthusiasts who met online through their love of history, explores the life, loves and family of the celebrated personality who ended up as a prisoner…
Read MoreA mystery as a dead man returns full of life
The first in a new series from The Legend of Barney Thomson writer Douglas Lindsay, this chilling crime novel follows ex-spy turned detective Ben Westphall, who has retreated to the north of Scotland to live a quiet life. But the reawakening of a cold case quickly draws him into the sinister world of international organ…
Read MoreA complete guide to discovering the true Scotland
Scotland the Best is described as the ‘true insider’s guide to Scotland’. Author Peter Irvine has composed everything that a Scots traveller ought to know, from the best artisan cafes and restaurants to hidden gems, secret waterfalls and country walks. This is the perfect guide to Scotland for tourists planning a trip to the country…
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