Books
The Restless Wave: My Two Lives With John Bellany
Helen Bellany, twice married to the late John Bellany, is beautifully candid about her life with the renowned Scottish artist in The Restless Wave: My Two Lives With John Bellany. Having fallen in love at Edinburgh College of Art, the couple had three children together, but endured a tumultuous marriage which saw divorce, despair and…
Read MoreThe Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries: The Vanishing Dragon
Sherlock Holmes has undergone something of a revival over recent times. In addition to two popular films starring Robert Downey Junior as the Great Detective, two modern day Sherlock Holmes series have been created, Sherlock in the UK with Benedict Cumberbatch, and Elementary in the USA, with Johnny Lee Miller. It should therefore come as…
Read MoreA Painter’s Scotland: Favourite Places, Favourite Paintings
A full-time painter for almost two decades, Charles Simpson’s native pull is expressed in his artwork and candid writing, which comes to the fore in A Painter’s Scotland: Favourite Places, Favourite Paintings. Based in the Borders, he never lost his childhood enthusiasm for art and muses over the North West of Scotland, depicting the tranquil landscape…
Read MoreThe Battle of St Monans: Scotland’s Forgotten Battle
Fife author Leonard Low investigates the forgotten battle of St Monans and explores the darker side of history in his latest book. It was the 16th century when Henry VIII’s armies decided to travel to East Lothian to attack the Fife coast as part of their ‘rough wooing’ crusade. Low comprehensively documents this historic period,…
Read MoreReview – Edinburgh: A Personal View in Photography
Bewitched by Edinburgh on a visit to the city as a young boy, Douglas Corrance captures his personal view in photographs that span five years. With work published in Rolling Stone and National Geographic Traveller, Corrance turns his attention to the capital’s alluring charm in all its diversity. Replete with architecture that reflects Edinburgh’s countless epochs of…
Read MoreA celebration of popular children’s writer to open
An award-winning children’s author’s work is being put in the spotlight at a new exhibition. A fascinating new attraction focussing on the work of award-winning author Michael Morpurgo – one of Britain’s most loved children’s story makers – opens at the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock on Friday, August 10. This unique event, devised by Seven…
Read MoreRandom Treasure: Antiques, Auctions and Alchemy
In Random Treasure, Edinburgh antiques collector Roger Stewart reflects upon six decades of auction success. An essential read for anyone who wishes to go into this field, Stewart offers a tell-all on how he capitalises on forgotten charity shop goods, turning £1500 worth of so-called junk into £250,000 worth of profit. The book also offers…
Read MoreChance for the over 40s to boost writing career
They say everyone has a book in them – and now the over 40s have the chance to prove that’s the case. The Scottish Book Trust has announced that the Next Chapter Award 2019, to support a talented yet unpublished writer over the age of 40. The Next Chapter Award supports an emerging writer for…
Read MoreThe Course of History: Ten Meals that Changed the World
This uniquely engaging read is perfect for those who combine a love for history with a passion for food. In The Course Of History: Ten Meals that Changed the World the unlikely duo of politician and award-winning author Struan Stevenson and Leith chef Tony Singh MBE join forces to give us an insight into meals…
Read MoreBook review – Woodland Gardening
Kenneth Cox’s latest tome Woodland Gardening is a significant Scottish horticultural publication which brings the art of woodland gardening to life. As well as being a third generation nurseryman, Cox is the managing director of Glendoick garden centre in Perth, which specialises in rhododendrons, azaleas and ericaceous plants. A vastly experienced plant-hunter and hybridiser, Cox is…
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