All we want for Christmas is ...

Word of mouth, hand-selling, whatever you call it we do like a personal recommendation. So we asked the Birlinn Elves what their favourite Birlinn and Polygon book of 2012 was.

Our Publicity and Marketing Elf, Sarah, was first off the mark with the obvious choice. Given that she has a packet of cat treats about her person at all times, well ... you get the picture.

‘I loved Debi Gliori’s "The Tobermory Cat". On the outside it’s the adorable book for children you'd expect from Debi with beautifully observed and executed pictures. On the inside, so to speak, it’s a pithy and pertinent lesson in what makes us all special. Being very fond of fuzzy redheads I thought it was just gorgeous!’

So. Yes. Well, there you have it. For children and cat (and fuzzy redhead) lovers alike, enjoy the stripey orange tale of The Tobermory Cat this Christmas!

Hat-trick for Birlinn and Polygon Authors!

Not content with four shortlisted titles at the Saltire Society's Literary Awards, Birlinn and Polygon authors managed to sweep three awards in one week! 

Alexander McCall Smith kicked things off when he was honoured by Aberdeen Asset Management with their Great Scot Award for his work in literature. Unable to attend Alexander asked our Managing Director, Hugh Andrew, to collect the award with the message, ‘I am extremely grateful for this award. My only regret is that I cannot be here because I had agreed some time ago to do a charity event in Edinburgh tonight that I simply could not call off. I would like to thank the sponsors – and the judges, of course, – for the honour they do me and I am delighted that an old friend, Hugh Andrew, can collect the award on my behalf. Hugh has been my publisher for many years and I am pleased that he is getting an award tonight, even if I intend to take it off him the moment he gets back to Edinburgh. Thank you again.’

The 2012 Garden Media Guild Awards (formerly Garden Writers' Guild) awarded Fruit and Vegetables for Scotland: What toGrow and How to Grow It by Ken Coxand Caroline Beaton the hotly contested Practical Book of the Year prize. Awarding the prize, the judges commented that Fruit and Vegetables for Scotland was ‘A practical book with personality, meticulously researched and impressively informative. It fills a long-empty gap for Scottish gardeners coping with weather conditions that are vastly different to the rest of the UK. But even if you’re not north of the border, the comprehensive growing advice is applicable to all. This is an engaging and enjoyable read that you will return to time and time again.’

And St Andrew’s Day saw the winners of the 2012 Saltire Society Literary Awards announced at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh with Scotland: Mapping the Nation by Christopher Fleet, Charles W.J.Withers and Margaret Wilkes taking Best Research Book of the Year. Two other Birlinn titles – Grand Designer: The Third Marquess of Bute by Rosemary Hannah and Scotland’s First Oil Boom: The Scottish Shale-Oil Industry,1851–1914 by John McKay – were shortlisted in the Research Book and Scottish History Book of the Year categories respectively. Aonghas MacNeacail’s bilingual poetry collection Laughing at the Clock/DéanamhGáire Ris A’ Chloc was shortlisted in the Scottish Book of the Year category, losing to Polygon stablemate James Kelman.

Managing Director Hugh Andrew commented, 'The Birlinn team is absolutely delighted that these books and their authors have been singled out for praise in such highly competitive award arenas. We offer our congratulations to Alexander, to Ken Cox and Caroline Beaton, to Christopher, Charles and Margaret and, of course, to Rosemary, Aonghas and to John’s family. Thanks too have to go to the skilled staff at Birlinn who strive for high standards with every book published. These books are all a joy to look at and to handle as well as to read and we are very proud of their achievements.’

And so say all of us!

2012 Saltire Society Literary Awards

This year is a bumper year for Birlinn and Polygon authors at the Saltire Society’s Literary Awards, and rightly so. The winners are announced at the National Library of Scotland on St Andrews Day, and we’ll be keeping our fingers, toes and everything else we can cross crossed. Congratulations to all the shortlisted poets and writers, but particularly to …

Aonghas MacNeacail

Aonghas MacNeacail – Aonghas’ collection poetry Laughing at the Clock: New and Selected Poems/ Déanamh Gáire Ris A’ Chloc: DáinÙra Agus Thaghte was published earlier this year to celebrate his 70^th birthday. Described by James Robertson as ‘A fine record of a distinctive bilingual voice’, this is a poet at the height of his powers. The shortlist for Scottish Book of the Year is a stellar one this year with Aonghas up against Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, Kathleen Jamie, James Kelman, Ewan Morrison and Irvine Welsh.

Scotland: Mapping the Nation – Christopher Fleet, Charles W.J.Withers and Margaret Wilkes have produced that rarest of books, one that is historically rich and significant but which is also lavishly illustrated and just a joy to read. The history of Scotland has been told so many different ways, but the use of maps from the earliest times offers a fascinating new angle on the subject. The shortlist for Scottish Research Book of the Year also contains another Birlinn title …

The Grand Designer: Third Marquess of Bute – Rosemary Hannah has written an enthralling biography of one of the last great artistic patrons, the thirds Marquess of Bute. Fabulously wealthy, Bute worked closely with architects and artists to create some of the most remarkable interiors in Britain including the high Victorian Gothic exuberance of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch and the wildly ostentatious Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute. But he was also a man at odds with his times. A Catholic convert, he openly criticised his Church. A traditional Victorian Patriarch, he championed feminism and was intimately involved in his children’s lives.

 

And last, but definitely not least, on the Scottish History Book of the Year shortlist is Scotland's First Oil Boom: The Scottish Shale-Oil Industry, 1851–1914 by John McKay. Just as big, but less well known than its modern counterpart, the Scottish shale oil industry was just as big a boom as the North Sea industry. At its peak it employed 10, 000 people, it exploited new technology to produce a whole range of new products and paved the way for Scottish expertise to be recognised in the oil and petrochemical industry at large.

 

Congratulations to all our authors who have been shortlisted!

Birlinn and Polygon at Book Week Scotland

It’s Book Week Scotland next week, and we have plenty events planned with our fantastic authors. Get your diary out, here we go!

If you’re near the Mull of Kintyre on 26th November, the wonderful Jess Smith, author of Way of the Wanderers, will be performing at Campbeltown Library. With stories and songs Jess brings to life the history of the travelling community. And in Fife on the same day, our very own Jan Rutherford (Publicity & Marketing Director) will be taking part in the panel discussion ‘So You Want to be a Writer?’ exploring the future of publishing at 7pm, in the Dalgety Bay Library.

The 27th of November is a busy day for our authors and no mistake. The lovely Sara Sheridan, author of Brighton Belle, will appear at the MacDonald Library in Edinburgh with a talk entitled ‘How to be a Lady’. Learn from the best from throughout history! On the same day up in Oban, Catherine Brown, acclaimed food writer and author of Scottish Seafood, will be at Oban Library with a talk to get your mouth watering!

And in Edinburgh it's the launch of brand new short story collection The Seven Wonders of Scotland at Blackwell’s, South Bridge at 6.30pm! Seven writers re-imagine Scotland through a fictional exploration of its possible future, landscapes and mindsets. There are some pretty out-there ideas so come along to hear readings from this provocative and entertaining collection from contributors Gavin Inglis, Kirsti Wishart and Caroline von Schmalensee, introduced by the collection’s editor, Gerry Hassan.

Ron Butlin, Edinburgh's Makar or Poet Laureate, is a busy man in Book Week Scotland. He will be promoting his latest poetry collection, The Magicians of Scotland with two performances. Firstly, he will be reading at the Edinburgh Bookshop, Bruntsfield on 29th November at 6.45pm. Then, on Saturday December 1st , Ron will appear at the Scottish Storytelling Centre accompanied by musicians Dick Lee and Anne Evans, in an exciting new show, which proved a hit at this year’s Fringe. 

On the 29th of November Main Street Trading Company will host the Borders launch of Fauna Scotica, a beautiful new book crammed with fascinating information and gorgeous photographs, with author Mary Low. Come along to St Boswells at 6pm to explore Scotland’s diverse range of wildlife.

On the same day - if you’re in Paisley - join us at Paisley Abbey at 7.30pm to hear the delightful Alexander McCall Smith speak about his latest novel, Trains and Lovers. But don’t fret if you can’t make that event! He will also appear at the National Library of Scotland on 30th November in a discussion on the joys of reading. Also on the 30th, the talented Keith Brockie will be speaking about his beautifully illustrated book, Return to One Man’s Island at the Scottish Seabird Centre, North Berwick at 11.30am. For more information or to make a booking telephone +44(0)1620 890202 or email info@seabird.org.

Off the mainland Kevin MacNeil, editor of These Islands, We Sing, and Donald S. Murray, author of And On This Rock, will be talking on Isles FM about island literature . First broadcast at 7pm on the 25th November, it will be repeated throughout the week at 2pm on the 28th November and 6pm on the 30th November.

Phew! That’s a lot of celebrating of Scottish books and writing. We need a lie down and a cup of tea just thinking about it. See you there!

James Kelman and the Best of the James Tait Black

Polygon is very excited that James Kelman has been shortlisted for the Best of the James Tait Black Prize. Six authors from the past century have been shortlisted for the best ever winner of Britain's oldest book award.

James won the award in 1989 with A Disaffection, and joins a stellar shortlist of Angela Carter, Graham Greene, Cormac McCarthy, Muriel Spark and Caryl Phillips. The winning book will be announced in December, chosen by a judging panel including broadcaster Kirsty Wark and award-winning author and writer in residence at the university, Alan Warner.

Regius Professor Greg Walker, chair of the James Tait Black Prizes, said: "This best of the best award is a wonderful opportunity to revisit some of the best writers in the literary canon. It is fitting in the year of celebration of 250 years of study of English literature at the University of Edinburgh that we recognise the wonderful contribution this prize makes to honouring great literature."

Everyone at Polygon will be keeping their fingers crossed for James. To find out more about his work, and the titles by him published by Polygon, click here.

Last of The Stewarts o' Blair Nominated for Lifetime Achievement Award

Birlinn is delighted to announce that Sheila Stewart has been nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award in the British Awards for Storytelling Excellence 2012!

Sheila joins an impressive shortlist including Sandra Agard, Fiona Collins, Mary Medlicott, Taffy Thomas and Robin Williamson.

If you’re not familiar with Sheila’s work, you’re in for a rare treat. Sheila is probably the last link with the traditional traveller ballads and stories, as the daughter of noted singer Belle Stewart and one of The Stewarts o’ Blair who took the folk music world by storm in the 1960s.

Born in a stable to a traditional traveller family, she would overcome the problems and prejudice of life on the road to travel the world singing, telling stories and talking about the traditional ways which were dying out. She has sung for a President, a Pope and a Queen and was awarded an MBE in 2006 for services to the oral tradition of Scotland's folk music and for travelling people. Sheila has written three books, Queen Amang the Heather: The Life of Belle Stewart about her mother Belle, Pilgrims of the Mist: The Stories of Scotland’s Travelling People and A Traveller’s Life: The Autobiography of Sheila Stewart. After sixty years of performing, Sheila retired earlier this year.

 

Congratulations to Sheila from everyone at Birlinn, and if you’d like to find out more about the award and vote go to www.storyawards.org.uk

Animals Beyond the Call of Duty

If you find yourself at Edinburgh Zoo, and you can tear yourself away from the pandas, we heartily recommend heading to the Rainforest Room in the Education Centre for a fantastic exhibition called ‘Animals Beyond the Call of Duty’. The exhibition aims to tell the story of animals in war, and includes two very close to Birlinn’s heart. 

Bamse was a St Bernard dog who served aboard the Norwegian mine-sweeper Thorodd during WWII and became a global mascot for the Royal Norwegian Forces and a symbol of freedom and inspiration for Allied troops throughout Europe. He was a familiar and much-loved sight around his adopted home of Montrose, shepherding his fellow crew members home after nights out, travelling on the local buses and even intervening to save a man overboard and a victim of a robber. In 2006 a statue of Bamse was unveiled in Montrose and his life story was told in Sea Dog Bamse: World War II Canine Hero by Angus Whitson and Andrew Orr.

Just as brave and cuddly as Bamse, if even larger, was Wojtek, a 500-pound cigarette-smoking, beer-drinking brown bear who was adopted as a cub by the Polish Army in Iran also in WWII. He became an enlisted soldier so he could accompany his comrades onboard ship to Italy - bears weren’t allowed on boats - but he did more than just keep morale up with his cute antics. During battle, and under fire, Wojtek carried heavy shells to the soldiers operating the guns without flinching. After the war Wojtek joined other Polish exiles in Scotland, finally retiring to Edinburgh Zoo where he never failed to get very excited at the sound of Polish being spoken. Aileen Orr, whose grandfather met Wojtek on active service, tells his remarkable story in Wojtek: Polish War Hero.

LTR: Angus Whitson, Aileen Orr, Andrew Orr

Aileen, Angus and Andrew all took part in a special event to launch the exhibition, talking about Wojtek and Bamse and their lives. The exhibition itself is kindly sponsored by the Royal Norwegian Consulate General to celebrate the links between Scotland and Norway and the 40th anniversary of a penguin at the zoo, ‘Colonel-in Chief’ Nils Olav, being adopted by the Norwegian Kings Guard. It runs until 31st August, and copies of Sea Dog Bamse: World War II Canine Hero and Wojtek: Polish War Hero are available to buy at the zoo.