An independent publishing house and bookshop in Pittenweem, formerly of Edinburgh’s Old Town
Featured Publications
Alexander Selkirk, arguably the most famous castaway in history, was born in Lower Largo, Fife, 350 years ago this year.
Much has been written about his life but there is no unanimous agreement about the details of the story, given the dearth of written evidence. On the other hand, the fictional Robinson Crusoe, drawing heavily on the story of Selkirk’s four-and-a-half years on a Pacific island, is so well known that the real Alexander Selkirk is hard to find.
Using the available evidence, Ronnie Graham brings the story of Alexander Selkirk to life in an attempt to decide what kind of man he was – hero, anti-hero or ‘skellum’.
‘He diverted and provided for himself as well as he could; but for the first eight months had much ado to bear up against Melancholy, and the Terror of being left alone in such a desolate place.’
—from Woodes Rogers, A Cruising Voyage Round the World (1712)
THE AUTHOR
Ronnie Graham is a Scottish historian and the author of five books on various aspects of African history and popular culture, most notably a two-volume guide to contemporary African music: ‘Indispensable’ (New Society), ‘The essential work on the subject’ (Village Voice). His most recent book is Zanzibar:A People’s History.
Ronnie has contributed to many academic papers on the subject of eye health in Africa. In 2017 he returned to Largo, where he grew up, and now lives 100 yards from the Alexander Selkirk statue.
AVAILABLE FOR FOR PRE ORDER BEFORE 30 SEPTEMBER PUBLICATION DATE
‘The perfectly named Inspector Gloria – for she is glorious indeed – is up
against it in her fourth outing, The Fruit of the Sassywood Tree, chasing down a
child-killer, in an Ebola outbreak, with a tightening curfew and the threat of
total lockdown at her heels. The chaos and corruption in the city and the grit
and goodness of Gloria and her team make for a pacy and satisfying thrill of
a read. I loved it.
- - Catriona McPherson, multi-award-winning author of The Dead Room
‘Gloria found herself face to face with the victim and had one of
those moments of revulsion and anger that aff ected them all when
they looked murder straight in the face. The bulging eyes seemed
to look at her reproachfully, as if asking on behalf of Liberia’s
children, Why? Why were children still so often the victims and the
scapegoats for the anger and resentment and jealousy that seemed
to bubble so ferociously under the thin veneer of everyday life?’
Liberia had been enjoying a time of peace but that looks like it’s
running out. Rumours of an Ebola pandemic are swirling around the
capital, people are beginning to panic and children are once again
being targeted and killed. Inspector Gloria and her team are stretched to the limit as
they race to stop the killings as long-buried secrets from the civil war begin to
surface.
Praise for the first Inspector Gloria mystery, A Lone Star Weeps:
A dark and compelling crime mystery with a brilliantly fresh main character…
a wonderfully tense and suspenseful read.
—-Diane Setterfi eld, author of The Thirteenth Tale and Bellman and Black
THE AUTHOR
Joseph Glackin, a native of North Lanarkshire, is the author of the
Inspector Gloria mysteries. Gloria and the stories are inspired by
Joseph’s twelve years of living and working in Liberia before during
and after the civil war. As well as crime and confusion, his books portray
the warmth, humour and resilience for which Liberians are justly famous.
Joseph has also worked in South Sudan, South Africa, Rwanda, Romania,
Sierra Leone and Bulgaria – places Inspector Gloria may well have cause
to visit at some point in the future.
Without this Irish priest’s work with the Old Town poor all those years ago, there would not be a Hibernian Football Club.
- PAT STANTON, HIBERNIAN LEGEND
Edinburgh’s First Hibernian is the first biography of Edward Hannan, a Catholic priest who rose from poverty in rural Ireland to become one of the most influential figures in 19th-century Edinburgh. Hannan worked tirelessly in the medieval Old Town to provide Catholic boys with an education and a sense of fulfilment that could save them from falling into a life of crime.
It is a tale of charity and commitment in a city still dominated by its Protestant elite, a tale that culminates in the foundation of Hibernian Football Club by members of the city’s Irish community in 1875 – surely Hannan’s most permanent legacy to his fellow citizens.
Mike Hennessy should be thanked for rescuing Hannan from obscurity, but for much more, too. He writes with the passion of a lifelong Hibs fan and with a keen feel for the texture of the city streets he knew as a boy, and his book makes a significant contribution to Edinburgh’s social, religious and sporting history.
—ALAN FORREST, EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, UNIVERSITY OF YORK
This is a stunningly researched piece of work that gives an intimate insight into an era as well as the genesis of a great football club.
Through the deep back story of a founding father, it is a serious historical piece but also a very readable one. You don’t have to be a Hibernian fan to enjoy it, but it might help.
—PAT NEVIN, BROADCASTER
I cannot imagine a world without Hibernian FC. The triumphs and disasters of the Club run so fiercely through my life that – at times – it felt like Hibs WAS my life.
This book is a moving and meticulously researched tribute to the Club’s founder… Canon Hannan’s lifetime’s work among the impoverished people of Edinburgh’s ‘Little Ireland’ is as good a case of a life well lived as anything I know of.
Every Hibs goal is in memory of Hannan and all those troublesome immigrants of the Cowgate.
Glory Glory to the Hibees.
—CHARLIE REID, THE PROCLAIMERS
As a current Edinburgh City Centre Councillor, I found this book a fascinating insight into our history. It is a meticulously researched account of the life of the main founder of Hibernian Football Club.
A fascinating read charting Edward Hannan’s life as it intertwined with the Catholic Community in Edinburgh. A must have for any Hibernian Supporter.
—MARGARET GRAHAM, EDINBURGH
The life and times of a cleric working in 19th century Edinburgh is an unlikely topic to hold my interest but as a lifelong fan of Hibernian I was fascinated to read of the origins of our Club and the circumstances of its creation.
Much has been written before but never with the diligent research into original documents as Mike Hennessy has put in.
The book gives a fascinating insight to the life of those who created this amazing football institution. It is a good read and I enjoyed learning more of the history of both the Club and my City.
—MALCOLM MCPHERSON, NON-EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, HIBERNIAN FC
THE AUTHOR
Mike Hennessy is a native of Edinburgh, born in 1952, missing by a month the moment Hibernian last won the Scottish League. After graduating in History from Stirling University, Mike left Scotland in the hope of fame and fortune, neither of which materialised, living and working in London, Paris and Barcelona before settling in his current abode in East Cheshire. In retirement, he has kept himself fully occupied with various good causes such as the Princes Trust, and most recently writing this, his first book, about the man whose former residence he passed every week in his youth without realising it. Author proceeds from the book will be donated to the Hibernian Historical Trust.
The book has its own Facebook page at
AVAILABLE FOR PRE ORDER IN ADVANCE OF SEPTEMBER PUBLICATION DATE
Chilling, meticulous and unforgettable. - Dr Ruth Tingay, Raptor Persecution UK
The head gamekeeper of a Highland Perthshire shooting estate became the prime suspect when one of his former work colleagues, Brian Low, was found murdered on a lonely hill track near Aberfeldy on 17th February 2024.
Over four decades, the gamekeeper, David Campbell was well known for his cruelty to animals, wild and domestic. He was at the centre of numerous police investigations over the years into the illegal poisoning of birds of prey none of which ended in conviction. Did this convince him that he was untouchable?
The murder investigation gets off to a bad start when the police and ambulance crew attending dismiss the death as medical-related and valuable time and evidence is lost. But the ineptitude is short-lived and a team of Police Scotland detectives begin to build a case using solely circumstantial evidence, an extremely difficult task. It was by no means clear that the jury at Glasgow High Court would consider the evidence sufficient to convict.
An utterly compelling read.
- Ian Thomson, RSPB Investigations Manager
A real triumph.
- Iain Macleod QPM, Dep Chief Constable (Rtd)
The truth behind a tragedy.
- Susan Nicholson STV News
I was gripped by this case from beginning to end.
- Dee Ward, Rottal Estate, Glen Clova
Alan Stewart is the author of ten books on wildlife and wildlife crime. He spent 50 years as a police officer and police wildlife crime officer with Tayside Police, then intelligence officer with the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Lindsey Hamilton is the chief reporter of the Courier covering live and breaking news, including incidents such as murders which led to her involvement with the Aberfeldy murder.