We were recently pleased to be able to add a complete run of “Scoops” to the collections. “Scoops” was a weekly published by C.A. Pearson of London from 10th February to 23rd June 1934. It is important because it is considered to be the first British science fiction magazine. Our copies are in almost perfect […]
Author: Ian Scott
John Burnside’s first novel “The Dumb House”
The picture at the top of this blog is of the first edition of “The Dumb House: A Chamber Novel” (1997). The cover illustration is “The Letter” by Dutch painter Carel Willinik In 2023 Scottish writer John Burnside (1955-2024) won the prestigious David Cohen Prize for Literature. Previous winners of the prize (which is in […]
Deacon Brodie: the novel
Above is a detail from the cover of “Deacon Brodie, or, behind the mask” a 1901 novel by Dick Donovan, the complete cover is at the foot of this blog. William Brodie (1741-1788) was a seemingly respectable Edinburgh locksmith and cabinet-maker who was both deacon of a trades guild and a city councillor. By night […]
A Christmas card from Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath’s closest friends and family were sent a very special card for Christmas 1960. It was a small pamphlet that included her recent poem “A Winter Ship”. Although it was the size and shape of a Christmas card, this was much more than just a simple card . It was the first stand-alone publication […]
Jack Kerouac meets Len Deighton downtown
The writers Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) and Len Deighton (1929-) were near contemporaries but otherwise would seem to have very little in common. Kerouac was a key figure in the Beat movement, celebrated for his stream of consciousness prose style in “On the Road” (1957) and other novels. Deighton is the bestselling author of well-crafted and […]
The first Broons book is on display at the Library
In October 2023 the National Library of Scotland bought a copy of the first Broons book published in 1939 by D.C. Thomson of Dundee Ltd. Now just over a year later we are putting it on public display in our Treasures gallery at our main building in George IV Bridge, Edinburgh. On March 8th, 1936, […]
William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” is 70
It is now just over seventy years since Faber and Faber first published “Lord of the Flies” in September 1954. “Lord of the Flies” is one of the most famous and commercially successful novels of the 20th century. A staple of the school curriculum for decades it has been an important formative reading experience for […]
“The Camomile” by Catherine Carswell is back in print
We are delighted to have played a small part in bringing back into print Catherine Carswell’s 1922 novel “The Camomile”. The novel vividly evokes the Glasgow of the early 20th century. It tells the story of Ellen Carstairs, a women in her early twenties who rents a room so she can think, write and just […]
“The Wasp Factory” by Iain Banks celebrates its 40th anniversary
Iain Banks published his debut novel “The Wasp Factory” on 16th February 1984 which was also the author’s 30th birthday. Abacus have slightly belatedly published a 40th anniversary edition which includes a number of interesting design features. As well as a small wasp on the book’s spine it has illustrated endpapers. If you remove the […]
Desperate Dan, you’re my main man
Desperate Dan made his first appearance in issue 1 of the “The Dandy Comic” in December 1937 as reproduced above. “The Dandy Comic” was arguably Scotland’s greatest contribution to 20th century popular culture at least until a single mother completed her book about a boy wizard in an Edinburgh café in 1995. “The Dandy Comic” […]