Books
Lifting the lid on cult film classic Highlander
With a helping hand from more than sixty cast and crew members from the cult classic film Highlander, arts journalist Jonathan Melville reveals all about life behind the scenes. Myths are untangled and out pours pages upon pages of film buff gold dust. Highlander fan or not, this is a fascinating snapshot in time with…
Read MoreSecrets, death and malt whisky in debut novel
The Mash House is a story of secrets, murder and whisky – and first time novelist, Alan Gillespie cites time spent in the Highlands as his muse. A Scots author has used his time spent living and working in Ardnamurchan and family ties to Ross-shire for the inspiration behind his debut tartan noir novel, The…
Read MoreThe fascinating tales of boarding school sports
An old Etonian? A recent Wykehamist? Remember the good old days at Edinburgh Academy? If you have fond memories of boarding school or are a sports historian then you will find this book fascinating. Malcolm Tozer has collated the pre-rugby early codes of football from an array of public schools in the 19th century, including…
Read MoreBrookmyre’s latest thriller is a Cut above the rest
Dark humour and jittering suspense underlines the twisting narrative of Chris Brookmyre’s latest thriller. Expertly crafted, our unconventional characters Millicent and Jerry narrate us through their turbulent lives. Scarred by and scared of the world around her, we are introduced to Millicent, who has spent 25 years in jail for murder, but who is now…
Read MoreThe latest Highland Book Prize winner is revealed
The 2020 Highland Book Prize has been named as The Changing Outer Hebrides: Galson and the Meaning of Place by Frank Rennie. This is an intimate account of the inter-relationship between one small island village in the Hebrides and the wider world. From the formation of the bedrock three billion years ago, to the predictable…
Read MoreA celebration of our beautiful trees and outdoors
For The Love of Trees: A Celebration of People and Trees is not just for 21st-century hippies or ‘forest bathers’, it is a beautiful reminder of the benefits of the outdoors. A host of household names including Judi Dench, Aldo Kane, Miranda Hart and Chris Packham contributed to this book, heralding the benefits of being…
Read MoreThe lost letters of two literary legends are assembled
Until recently, JM Barrie’s letters to Robert Louis Stevenson were presumed lost. In this fascinating book, Shaw compiles these lost letters into a chronological record of the pair’s written correspondence. He sheds light on their friendship, careers and shared love for Scotland. Their friendship would not have been so remarkable nor the book so readable…
Read MoreWe’ve an exclusive preview of new whisky book
A full colour guide to Scotland’s whisky distilleries across all regions, aimed at whisky fans and the many tourists visiting the country each year, is being released next month. Whisky, a major industry in Scotland which ties in both with the country’s history and present-day attraction, has been boosted thanks to a modern-day surge in…
Read MoreFascinating places and facts from the Kingdom of Fife
Have you heard the tale of Elie’s Janet Fall, who demanded a village be flattened to improve her own views? Or seen Gateside’s The Bunnet Stane, an Aeolian sculpture from aeons past? How about visiting the resident ghost at St Rule’s Tower in St Andrews? This book is crammed with short, sharp snippets on Fife’s…
Read MoreAnother success for Alexander McCall Smith
Alexander McCall Smith, the most prolific British author since Barbara Cartland (who penned 720 novels), returns to his hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series. This is the fourteenth novel set in Edinburgh’s most famous fictional location. With its vividly surreal cast of outlandish characters – including ‘aphorism-coining socialite nun’ Sister Maria, and ‘chino-wearing narcissist’ Bruce…
Read More