Books in the news – perfect Christmas gifts
20 Nov ’23
As we build up to Christmas, our books are in the news for gift giving and more… The Scotsman published its annual Books of the Year supplement…
Saltire Celebrations
26 Oct ’23
Huge and sincere congratulations to our shortlistees for the Saltire National Book Awards 2023 (announced today). The members of the Birlinn team are…
Spooky recommendations for Halloween
25 Oct ’23
Halloween is the perfect time to read some haunting and thought-provoking books. Here are some of our recommendations – happy reading! …
Denzil Meyrick’s NO SWEET SORROW hits the ‘PAPERBACK BOOKS OF THE YEAR’ list at Waterstones
23 Oct ’23
Hoorah! This is a huge accolade for this book, for DCI Daley, for the series. WHAT THEY SAY… THE YEAR’S BEST PAPERBACK READS From the most…
Exploring Scotland’s bookshops with our new app
13 Oct ’23
Today is Bookshop Day! We are particularly excited to celebrate Scottish bookshops this year as we have recently launched a brand new app that…
Celebrating Prestwick – The Home of the First Professional Golf Tournament
13 Oct ’23
Extract from Stphen Proctor’s The Long Golden Afternoon, Chapter 1: ‘Terrible Things’ October 17 marks the anniversary of the first…
Cheltenham in the Sunshine: Alexander McCall Smith and Anna Marshall
12 Oct ’23
Comfort Food and Comfort Reading –– the perfect companions at Cheltenham Alexander took to the stage in Cheltenham yesterday with fellow author…
Must Read
One for Discussion – 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…
ARCTIC EXPLORERS: EXTRACT FROM NORTHERN LIGHTS
29 Sep ’23
by Edward J. Cowan Extract from Chapter Two, John Ross’s Expedition of 1818 Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters; and thy…
Salt: Scotland’s Newest Oldest Industry launches at Blackthorn Salt, Ayr
25 Sep ’23
Despite its long history and importance, the Scottish sea-salt industry is little known. Authors Christopher Whatley and Joanna Hambly have sought to…
On the road with Alexander McCall Smith
25 Sep ’23
As the weather starts to change the road beckons and so Alexander McCall Smith travelled to the south and south west of England for a short tour to…
Birlinn Launches New App Scotland by-the-Book
18 Sep ’23
Officially launching on 15 September 2023, Scotland by-the-Book is a brand-new free app which brings books on history, geology, mapping, cooking,…
Andrew Crummy dons the Coat of Hopes
11 Sep ’23
Have you heard of the Coat of Hopes? It was the vision of one person during lockdown and created by many hands on the long walk to Cop26, each person…
Edinburgh International Book Festival
06 Sep ’23
… until next year August is an energising, exhausting month in Edinburgh. Make of that what you will but if you live in Edinburgh or have…
Polygon Acquires Beyond Summerland by Jenny Lecoat
05 Sep ’23
Polygon has acquired World rights for Jenny Lecoat’s second novel, Beyond Summerland, in a deal brokered by Lisa Highton of Jenny Brown Associates….
The Hidden Fires shortlisted for the Boardman Tasker
01 Sep ’23
We are thrilled to share the news that The Hidden Fires by Merryn Glover has been shortlisted for the Boardman TaskerAward for Mountain Literature…
Mara Menzies on stage at Edinburgh International Book Festival 2023
24 Aug ’23
As part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s Outrider project, performance storyteller and award-winning writer Mara Menzies (author of…
A Country of Eternal Light goes on a whirlwind tour round Scotland
17 Aug ’23
Over the past two weeks, Paul Dalgarno has travelled with us around Scotland, visiting 15 bookshops, taking part in three book launches, signing…
Polygon Acquires World English Language Rights to Night Train to Odesa by Jen Stout
10 Aug ’23
Polygon will publish a deeply reported, deeply human book of stories shedding new light on the Russian invasion of Ukraine – Night Train to Odesa:…
Another Way to Split Water longlisted for TWO poetry prizes
10 Aug ’23
It’s a fantastic week for Alycia Pirmohamed and her debut poetry collection Another Way to Split Water, which has been longlisted for not one,…
Calling Occupants… of Rum!
10 Aug ’23
Who knew? The Isle of Rum has interplanetary significance On a planet far, far away, NASA’s Perseverance Rover is currently collecting rocks…
A Country of Eternal Light by Paul Dalgarno Chosen as Waterstones’ Scottish Book of the Month
03 Aug ’23
Paul Dalgarno was born and raised in Aberdeen, and now he has returned to Scotland to promote his hugely successful novel, A Country of Eternal…
Listen in to The Love Scotland Podcast
27 Apr ’23
Have you discovered the National Trust for Scotland podcast, The Love of Scotland? It is a great way to find out more about Scotland’s story…
Denzil Meyrick and Doug Skelton meet crime superstar Ian Rankin
14 Sep ’21
Our favourite crime writers, Doug Skelton and Denzil Meyrick are back after an 18 month hiatus with their much loved podcast SBooks. To kick start…
Have you heard it? The Parting Glass on BBC Radio 4
28 Jul ’21
I’m a bit hit and miss with BBC Radio 4 these days. Some of the programmes are truly world class, others leave me cold and struggling to understand…
Burns Night? It’s Looking a Little Different This Year…
25 Jan ’21
A Poem for Burns Night by Alexander McCall Smith Give us your hand – here’s ours: All Scotland, though a little quieter now, Is a bit happier in…
