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Discover one of the Scottish Enlightenment's brightest stars. Among the giants of the Scottish Enlightenment, the name of James Hutton is overlooked. Yet his Theory of the Earth revolutionised the way we think about how our planet was formed and laid the foundation for the science of geology. He was in his time a doctor, a farmer, a businessman, a chemist yet he described himself as a philosopher – a seeker after truth. A friend of James Watt and of Adam Smith, he was a polymath, publishing papers on subjects as diverse as why it rains and a theory of language. He shunned status and official position, refused to give up his strong Scots accent and vulgar speech, loved jokes and could start a party in an empty room. Yet much of his story remains a mystery. His papers, library and mineral collection all vanished after his death and only a handful of letters survive. He seemed to be a lifelong bachelor, yet had a secret son whom he supported throughout his life. This book uses new sources and original documents to bring Hutton the man to life and places him firmly among the geniuses of his time. 2026 marks 300 years since the birth of James Hutton.

Anne Cholawo was a typical 80s career girl working in a busy London advertising agency, when in 1989, holidaying in Skye, she noticed an advert for a property on the Isle of Soay - 'Access by courtesy of fishing boat'. She had never heard of Soay before, let alone visited it, but something inexplicable drew her there. Within ten minutes of stepping off the said fishing boat, she had fallen under the spell of the island, and after a few months she moved there to live. She is still there. When she arrived on the remote west coast island there were only 17 inhabitants, among them the legendary Hebridean sharker Tex Geddes and his family. Today, including Anne and her husband Robert, there are only three. This book describes her extraordinary transition from a hectic urban lifestyle to one of rural isolation and self-sufficiency, without mains electricity, medical services, shops or any of the other modern amenities we take for granted. Anne describes the history of Soay and its unique wildlife, and as well as telling her own personal story introduces along the way some of the off-beat and colourful characters associated with the island, notably Tex's one-time associate, the celebrated writer and naturalist, Gavin Maxwell.

In 1985, Tilquhillie Castle, in the picturesque Royal Deeside region in Aberdeenshire, was a ruinous Z-plan Scottish tower house. Originally built in the middle of the sixteenth century for the important local Douglas family, it had been derelict for nearly forty years, inhabited only by bats. John Coyne and his wife Kay had the vision and dedication to buy this property and restore it to its former glory, working together with talented local craftsmen over many years. The philosophy that guided the restoration was based on authenticity, informed by the building itself. During the process, a picture emerged of a building that was the product of an unknown but highly gifted master mason, probably a Frenchman. Details of his genius were evident everywhere in the building. He had designed and built a simple and elegant fortified dwelling for the Douglas laird, which stood in defiance of any potential foe and provided evidence of the social, political and historical norms of a bygone era. Although of modest proportions as castles go, Tilquhillie Castle is revealed as an architectural masterpiece of the period.

One of the List's Best Scottish Books of All TimePeggy is sixteen, ambitious and wants to get a job to help her rise above her current predicament. Soon, she is employed at Willie Roper’s corner shop. But before long, her situation goes from bad to worse as she falls in love with her married, older employer. Looking back to her misspent youth, Peggy, now in a psychiatric hospital, is turning her teenage exploits into a romance novel and is trying to get her bedfellow, the duchess, to read the manuscript – but she would rather read a Mills and Boon. As we read both sides of the tale, we learn about the fate of young Peggy and how she came to be in the duchess's company; the novel culminates in a surprising narrative punch. 'A book that remains both shocking and quietly revolutionary' – Heather Parry'Agnes Owens' hallmarks have been a frank irony, a deadpan gothic quality and a down-to-earth insistence on the surreality of most people’s normality' – Ali SmithPublished to celebrate Agnes Owens' centenary year in 2026.

Eilidh Muldoon brings the alphabet colourfully to life in this adventure story from A to Z. Follow a group of animals as they journey through the alphabet, identifying each letter and connecting it to features, animals and buildings in Scotland. The animals spot Bridges and Castles, Eagles and Gannets from the Ferry . . . before making their way finally to the Zoo!

A Working Mother is a perfectly crafted novel that will enthral, entertain and surprise in equal measure. Our unreliable narrator, Betty – arch, witty, clever – is married with children and feels trapped. While her husband, Adam, drinks and bemoans his lot in life, Betty flirts with their best friend Brendan and tries to avoid the roving hands of her new employer. Soon, Betty plots her escape. Agnes Owens' sharp wit, dark humour and lean prose are expertly displayed in one of her finest achievements. 'Agnes Owens was an absolutely brilliant novelist' – Kirstin Innes'A terrific writer' – Liz Lochhead'Her black humour and piercing observation bear comparison with the work of Muriel Spark' – GuardianPublished to celebrate Agnes Owens' centenary year in 2026.

Despite dreaming of fun and adventure, Little Otter likes nothing better than snoozing in the sun. When the rock she falls asleep on turns out to be the head of a Highland cow, a real-life adventure begins as she is carried further and further away, across the heather and the river and into the loch and the deep blue sea. But just as she finds herself as far from home as she can be, her animal friends rally round and help her return to her family. This delightful picture flat, full of amazing naturalistic detail of animals and their habitats, from Highland cows, eagles and seals to basking sharks and minke whales, is a moving tale which shows that sometimes we don't know just how brave we really are until we have to be.

My First Scottish 1 2 3 is a colourful counting book. Eilidh Muldoon’s distinctive illustrations guide young readers from numbers one to ten, encouraging them to identify and count animals, birds and sea creatures associated with Scotland such as the Loch Ness Monster and Shetland ponies, all the way through singing seals and diving dolphins, to sleepy sheep who are ready for their bed . . . With something different to look at on every page, and interesting and unusual animals to find and count, this interactive book is full of fun!

From the author of the bestselling 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die. Island whiskies have long held a fascination and a powerful emotional draw on whisky drinkers the world over. Their special combination of heritage, mystique and remote location captures the imagination; their highly distinctive flavours are often imitated but seldom bettered. Join Ian Buxton on a personal journey across Scotland’s islands, where he learns to fish with high explosives, ends up hurling his dinner into the sea and comes face to face with a basking shark. Combining an expert’s knowledge of whisky with a travel writer’s fondness for anecdote, and with a keen description of place, he provides a special treat for all who love the islands’ magical drams. This new edition brings the acclaimed book up to date, capturing changes on the island whisky scene, including new and proposed distilleries such as Benbecula; Ardnahoe, Gartbreck Farm, Ili, Laggan Bay, Port Ellen and Portintruan (Islay); Orkney; Lerwick and Shetland Reel (Shetland); Isle of Tiree and others, along with Ian’s typically acerbic comments on whisky investment, luxury marketing and private cask sales.

Everything Everyday is a poetic journal of the year that charts winter through to autumn in a richly textured sequence of diary-poems, lyric fragments and a crown of sonnets. Each month’s entry weaves together mythic figures – Tahlequah the mourning orca, Brigid’s mountain dance, Sister Icarus’s fragile flight and Beira’s shore vigils – with the unfolding chronicle of contemporary grief and protest. Readers move from January’s frozen harbour and political flashpoints into spring’s ritual planting of ‘lemon-drop’ seeds, summer’s drum-driven rallies and smoky vigils, and autumn’s oil-slick swans and ash-borne snowdrops. The collection’s formal innovations mirror its thematic urgency: bracketed interjections pulse like heartbeats, dated stanzas resonate like journal entries, and the season-by-season structure creates a mythic ledger of solidarity and hope. Lavery’s work becomes both witness and archive—where personal confession and public ritual converge in an unflinching testament to collective mourning, unbroken resilience, and the ember of promise that refuses to cool. Each poem is an unflinching exploration of memory and identity in an era defined by both loss and possibility. Bold, uncompromising, and deeply resonant, Everything, Everyday invites you to confront the delicate art of living—and loving—in a world that is as beautiful as it is unpredictable.

'It is dark now and my window onto the world is a small one. I do not know how much longer I will be here.' Shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical FictionOn 9 July 1857, Angus MacPhee, a labourer from Liniclate on the island of Benbecula, murdered his father, mother and aunt. At trial in Inverness he was found to be criminally insane and confined in the Criminal Lunatic Department of Perth Prison. Some years later, Angus’s older brother Malcolm recounts the events leading up to the murders while trying to keep a grip on his own sanity. Malcolm is living in isolation, ostracised by the community and haunted by this gruesome episode in his past. From Graeme Macrae Burnet, the Booker-shortlisted author of His Bloody Project, comes a beguiling psychological novel set on a remote Scottish island. Based on a true story and drawing on the documentary evidence of the time, Burnet constructs a gripping narrative about madness, murder and the uncertain nature of the self. Longlisted for the Highland Book PrizeLonglisted for the CWA Historical Dagger'Dark, intense and utterly compelling' – Laura Wilson, The Guardian

Relive the history of Edinburgh through the eyes of those who witnessed it. From one of the earliest mentions of its name in the sixth century to the Covid lockdowns of the twenty-first, this is a magnificent portrait of one of the world’s great cities in its many iterations, from ‘Edinburgh, the sink of abomination’ to the Athens of the North and everything – including the home of the Enlightenment, the Festival City, the Aids Capital of Europe and a Mecca for tourists seeking tartan tat – in between. As the nation’s capital it has been critical to its progress and a witness to epochal events, such the tumultuous reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the Reformation, the Forty-Five rebellion, the Disruption of the Church of Scotland and the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament. All of these and more feature. But this is not simply a book about the great and good, the famous and infamous. There is testimony aplenty from ordinary folk who may not have made their mark on history but who have contributed to Edinburgh’s ever-expanding tapestry. There are stories of body snatching and murder, drunkenness and drug-taking, sex and shopping, as well rants against inclement weather and the city council.

'Oh, she hated and loved in a breath!'Faced with the choice between her harsh farming life and the seductive world of books and learning, the spirited Chris Guthrie decides to remain in rural Scotland. But as the devastation of the First World War leaves Chris and her community in tatters, she must draw strength from what she loves – and endure, like the land she loves so intensely. Powerful and moving, Sunset Song is an inspirational celebration of the human spirit.

The building trade in the west of Scotland has slowed, and Mac leaves his home and his companions in the Paxton Arms for the oil-rich north to seek his fortune. But he soon finds himself out in the wilderness, chasing the promise of a job. In the meantime, he’s fallen for Nancy, but he can’t tear himself away from the allure of the drink. Agnes Owens is one of the most distinctive and entertaining novelists. Her strength lies in her straightforward storytelling; she understands how laughter and alcohol are vital antidotes to the life of an out-of-work bricklayer. 'I cannot wait for a new generation of readers to re-discover the work of Agnes Owens' – Douglas Stuart'Owens gives us the ordinary as already enough, already weighty, already strange' – Kirsty Logan'Agnes Owens has a canny eye for tragicomedy, a compassionate heart for the unfortunate, an acute ear for dialogue' – Financial TimesPublished to celebrate Agnes Owens' centenary year in 2026.

Gentlemen of the West, Agnes Owens’ debut novel, was first published in 1984 to wide critical acclaim. The novel follows the humorous exploits of Mac, a young bricklayer, who, along with a colourful cast of characters, seeks solace and escape in the convivial atmosphere of the Paxton Arms and the levelling influence of alcohol. Each chapter feels like a self-contained episode, but this engaging novel is a cleverly constructed, coherent narrative that is a darkly humorous portrayal of working-class life. With sharp and inventive language, the novel skilfully balances drama and comedy, making you root for the underdog. 'A moving picture of a hard, surprising world which is forcing a young man to understand it and himself' – Alasdair Gray'Accomplished and resonant and . . . always informed with a comic astringency' – The Scotsman'Simultaneously funny and unflinching . . . an economy of language worthy of Ernest Hemingway or Muriel Spark' – Dani GaravelliPublished to celebrate Agnes Owens' centenary year in 2026.

By comparison with their English counterparts, Scottish nineteenth-century railways have suffered from a degree of neglect by economic historians. Most of the existing literature is written for the railway enthusiast, concentrating mainly on topography, mechanical developments and entertaining episodes. Few of these books cover the whole of Scotland and most are treatments of single companies or of particular dramatic events. This study covers the earliest period of Scottish railway history, from the years of the first waggonway developments in the eighteenth century to the advent of the railway mania of the 1840s. It concentrates on the planning and formation of the various railways, the problems and achievements associated with their construction, and the financial records of the companies up to 1844. The first two chapters cover the horse-drawn waggonways of the eighteenth century and the coal railways of the early nineteenth century, while Chapters 3–5 cover the railways of the 1830s and 1840s.