In Praise of Booksellers and Booklovers Everywhere
23 Jun ’20
This is Independent Bookshop Week in the UK and to celebrate, the author Alexander McCall Smith has written a short poem, ‘Getting Lost in a…
Media highlights April-June 2020
29 Jun ’20
Enjoy a taste of what you might have missed in the media while the world has been on lockdown. A newsletter with coverage highlights across the…
What Does Success Look Like? Like This!
28 Jun ’20
Over the last few weeks we have been raising a virtual glass to a number of our authors who are enjoying success on the awards front. Many…
The Elephant in the Room – Morgan Cry
26 Jun ’20
PREQUEL SHORT STORY TO THIRTY-ONE BONES by MORGAN CRY ‘Let me get this straight, Mr Calderwood,’ I say, the noise of the insurance claim floor…
Death Insurance – Morgan Cry & Douglas Skelton (Complete)
19 Jun ’20
When the computer fed Daniella Coulstoun another client she sighed – a deep, dark, doleful noise that lasted so long the caller on the line was…
Double the Glory – Poet Roseanne Watt wins Two Major Awards
18 Jun ’20
We are delighted to announce that Roseanne Watt is one of the winners of the Eric Gregory Awards, 2020 for her debut collection Moder Dy /Mother Wave…
Scottish Plant Lore – Tune In!
16 Jun ’20
BBC Radio Scotland have recorded a really powerful podcast interview with Gregory Kenicer, author of our Scottish Plant Lore. Greg is a researcher…
Must Read
One for discussion – the 100 Novels that Shaped our World
09 Nov ’19
Birlinn are delighted to have two novels on the list – 100 Novels that Shaped our World, selected by BBC Radio 4 Front Row presenter and TLS…
A Library of One’s Own
09 Nov ’19
‘From the moment I first ventured into a library I wanted one of my own.’ Famously, Virginia Woolf said that a woman must have money and a room of…
Raise a Glass – World Gin Day 2020
13 Jun ’20
The perfect excuse to try a new gin or enjoy an old favourite – World Gin Day 2020! Whether you preference is for one of the stunning new gins from…
A Double Celebration for a Very Special Book
05 Jun ’20
Native: Life in a Vanishing Landscape by Patrick Laurie is LONGLISTED for the WAINWRIGHT PRIZE and sells to Counterpoint in the USA.
What’s in the News (during lockdown)?
01 Jun ’20
Birlinn, Polygon and Arena writers have enjoyed widespread coverage over the last month. Here’s a taste of what the media said about our books:…
Iain Maloney’s Spotify Playlists
28 May ’20
We love it when books and songs come together, and The Only Gaijin in the Village by Iain Maloney is a prime example. In this charming memoir of a…
Listen to Michael Pedersen on Music Matters
26 May ’20
BBC Radio 3’s Music Matters programme featured our very own Polygon Poet Michael Pedersen on Saturday 23rd May as part of their Postcards from…
Listen to Chapter One of Whisky Galore…Read by Birlinn Staff
16 May ’20
To celebrate World Whisky Day 2020, here’s a recording of the first chapter of Whisky Galore, Compton MacKenzie’s classic tale of wartime rationing,…
Meet Polygon author Isla Dewar
07 May ’20
Isla Dewar’s first book, Keeping Up with Magda, was published in 1995. Dewar found success with her second novel, Women Talking Dirty, the film of…
Cooking up a Storm… in Lockdown
05 May ’20
It is always a thrill when new books arrive from the printer. The boxes are delivered, the editors hover nervously, you run a knife along the tape……
Liz Lochhead reads ‘The People’s Poet’, inspired by Edwin Morgan
29 Apr ’20
Liz Lochhead reads her poem ‘The People’s Poet’, which is dedicated to and inspired by poet Edwin Morgan. Recorded at the “Lost Poets” event at the…
Behind the Scenes of the Edwin Morgan Twenties #EM20s
27 Apr ’20
2020 marks the centenary year of Edwin Morgan, Scotland’s first poet laureate. To mark the occasion, Polygon has produced five new collections,…
Meet Polygon author Robert J. Harris
24 Apr ’20
Robert J. Harris was born in Dundee and studied at the University of St. Andrews where he graduated with a first class honours degree in Latin….
Alastair Reid – A Restless Content
23 Apr ’20
From the Archive – a 70th birthday appreciation of Alastair Reid.
Neu! Reekie! to Celebrate Edwin Morgan’s Centenary in a Live Film Transmission
22 Apr ’20
Join our friends Neu! Reekie! on Friday 25th April at 7.30pm as they celebrate the life and work of Edwin Morgan.
Meet Polygon author Sandra Ireland
17 Apr ’20
Sandra Ireland was born in Yorkshire, lived for many years in Limerick, and is now based in Carnoustie. She began her writing career as a…
What to Grow in your Garden in Scotland
15 Apr ’20
Whatever you do in the garden, the key is to enjoy it. Don’t try to do too much so you resent the time spent. Make your gardening activity fit your…
Isla Dewar Reading from A Day Like Any Other
14 May ’20
To celebrate the publication of Isla Dewar’s gorgeous new novel A Day Like Any Other, we are thrilled to bring you an exclusive podcast episode…
Plug in the Headphones… and walk
11 May ’20
Richard Fraser reads from Travels with a Stick: A Pilgrim’s Journey to Santiago de Compostella.
Giving voice to the Lost Poets
24 Feb ’20
Creativity in the Library… On a cold February lunchtime, the legendary Lost Poets gathered at the National Library of Scotland for a 40th…
Edinburgh Napier Talks… Alexander McCall Smith
10 Dec ’19
Edinburgh Napier University has a new podcast series that showcases the work, people and services going on within the university while discussing the…
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Hardback | Pub: 06 Sep 2018£12.99
We’re in the middle of a Gin Craze. Scarcely a day goes by without an established brand offering a fresh take on their established styles or, more likely, a new boutique distillery opening its doors – where gin is de rigueur. From Adnams to…
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Hardback | Pub: 07 Jun 2018£12.99
Rum, once the poor relation of the spirit world, has undergone a revival and is no longer seen just as the preferred tipple for tipsy pirates. The craft drinks movement has certainly stimulated the rum world, with high numbers of new artisan rum…
