Poem of the Week: ‘The Callanish Stones’ by Nikki Robson
20 Jun ’22
The Callanish Stones in Lewis are one of Scotland’s oldest manmade structures, and many people visit them at sunrise on the summer solstice in…
Summer Solstice: Extract from Native by Patrick Laurie
20 Jun ’22
Summer Solstice – the Longest Day Extract from Native: Life in a Vanishing Landscape by Patrick Laurie Battering heat and a dry wind to take your…
The Best Books to Take with you on your Summer Holiday
13 Jun ’22
There’s hardly anything better than stretching out on a lounge chair on the beach, feeling the sun on your face, and losing yourself in the perfect…
TAKING THE VERY BEST OF THE HIGHLANDS TO THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN
10 Jun ’22
‘A TASTE OF THE HIGHLANDS‘ BY GHILLIE BAŞAN, SHORTLISTED FOR PRESTIGIOUS AWARD Just two weeks to go until the announcement of the winner…
ALL TOGETHER NOW… Edinburgh International Book Festival is Back (let summer begin)
09 Jun ’22
2022 Programme announced and live for ticket booking! All Together Now is the rallying call from the Edinburgh International Book Festival which…
HOORAH for the MCILVANNEY PRIZE FOR CRIME FICTION!
08 Jun ’22
TWO POLYGON BOOKS INCLUDED IN THIS YEAR’S LONGLIST FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE 2022 Sponsored by The Glencairn Glass In Bloody Scotland’s 10th…
Excerpt from Talking at the Gates: A Life of James Baldwin
07 Jun ’22
“I never had a childhood,” James Baldwin told a French interviewer in 1974. To a journalist ten years earlier, he proclaimed, “I did not have…
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…
MacGregor’s Mussels in Chunky Tomato Sauce from A Taste of the Highlands
17 May ’22
Want to get creative in the kitchen this week? Try this recipe from Ghillie Basan’s acclaimed cookbook, A Taste of the Highlands!…
‘Lone Seal Travelling South’ from Other Worlds, An Anthology of Scottish Island Poems
17 May ’22
Other Worlds is a captivating collection of poems devoted to the sights, sounds, and feelings of Scotland’s islands. Editor Stewart Conn has…
Aye Write, 6th–22nd May 2022
03 May ’22
Aye Write is back for 2022 with a live programme of over 200 events. Tickets are now on sale for all all three weekends from 6th to 22nd May. The…
Landscapes in Stone series: The Geology of Scotland’s Most Famous Landmarks
29 Apr ’22
Scotland is known for its visually striking landscape, from jagged cliffs to rolling hills – the natural scenes iconic to this northern nation….
A Cracking Start to Spring
15 Apr ’22
Did we have a cracking start to Spring last week? Yes we did… at the launch of Alternatives to Valium in a brand new bookshop, and with a…
The Great Tapestry of Scotland on BBC 4’s The Museums That Make Us
07 Apr ’22
Neil MacGregor, renowned presenter and author of A History of the World in 100 Objects, is now visiting the UK’s most significant museums and…
Translation in Focus: Beyond Any Curtain
25 Mar ’22
This year Scotland celebrates its Year of Stories – a year in which stories inspired by and created in Scotland will be showcased and platformed….
Highlights from Winter Words Festival 2022
22 Feb ’22
Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s annual literary festival, Winter Words 2022, returned this February to kick off Scotland’s Year of Stories with an…
Polygon – An Eye to our Rebellious Past
21 Feb ’22
Today’s impressive Polygon list, grew from radical beginnings in the 1970s – a time of vibrant interest in Scotland’s place both at home and…
Something a little different for Shrove Tuesday
21 Feb ’22
As Covid closed-in once again in the Autumn of 2021, Ghillie Basan found herself one of a number of people appointed by Scotland: Food and Drink as…
Taste test for Shrove Tuesday
21 Feb ’22
Shrove Tuesday is fast approaching. Try a Birlinn recipe for your pancakes this year!
Jenni Fagan’s Hex – the powerful new Darkland Tale
03 Dec ’21
A witch will die here in the morning. It is the 4th of December 1591. On this, the last night of her life in a prison cell several floors below…
Vegan Three Nut ‘Meatloaf’ from The Scottish Vegan Cookbook
22 Nov ’21
Whether you are starting to think ahead to Christmas dinner and the logistics of planning for different dietary requirements, or you simply fancy…
COP26: Extract from Of Stone and Sky
12 Nov ’21
Merryn Glover is an award-winning writer of fiction, drama and poetry. Her stories are widely anthologised and her plays broadcast on BBC Radio. She…
COP26: Weathering The Storm: Scottish Poets Discuss Climate Change Resilience and Adaption (with Roseanne Watt)
09 Nov ’21
On Saturday, Shetlandic poet Roseanne Watt (Moder Dy, 2019) was joined by Pàdraig MacAoidh and Donald S. Murray, both from Lewis, to give readings…
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…
Getting Over Christmas (in Japan)
15 Dec ’20
Iain Maloney moved to Japan in 2005. This year, we published his memoir The Only Gaijin in the Village, the story of moving out of the city to the…
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Paperback | Pub: 07 Oct 2021£14.99The 21st century’s own Gin Craze continues unabated, with exciting new crafted gins launched on a regular basis. Most recently, we have seen growing interest in Pink Gins and the development of a range of flavoured gins, not to mention the…
