birlinn edinburgh (Más de 3.500 resultados)

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. For nearly forty years John Wilson travelled the length and breadth of Scotland as a school inspector. From orkney to campbeltown and Jura to Dundee, he visited hundreds of schools and met thousands of teachers and pupils. In these memoirs, first published in 1928, he paints an insightful yet humorous picture of life in the countrys schools after the 1872 education Act, which brought free schooling for all Scottish children between the ages of five and ten. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. This is the fifth novel in the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Once again we are transported to Gaborone, capital of Botswana, and enter the world of Mma Ramotswe and her friends. This time, Mma Rmaotswe is investigating the suitors of a wealthy businesswoman. As always, she has prepared bush tea and is waiting for you to join her. She has much to tell you. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. 'Plakos is a strange place, for the tides of civilisation and progress seem to have left it high and dry. It is a relic of old days, full of wild beliefs and pagan habits.' Young Englishwoman Kore Arabin has inherited a remote Greek island, Plakos, from her unscrupulous father, who was reviled by the locals. The superstitious islanders blame Kore for every minor mishap and natural disaster, and they are about to sacrifice her as a witch in the sacred ground called 'The Dancing Floor'.Sir Edward Leithen and his acquaintance Vernon Milburne must save her. The Dancing Flooris one of Buchan's most intriguing novels a love story, a dramatic thriller and a tale of the clash between paganism and Christianity. With an introduction by Robert Hardy. This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. This book is an intimate, fond and funny memoir of one of the greatest novelists of the last century. This colourful, personal, anecdotal, indiscreet and admiring memoir charts the course of Muriel Sparks life revealing her as she really was. Once, she commented sitting over a glass of chianti at the kitchen table, that she was upset that the academic whom she had appointed her official biographer did not appear to think that she had ever cracked a joke in her life. Alan Taylor here sets the record straight about this and many other things. With sources ranging from notebooks kept from his very first encounter with Muriel and the hundreds of letters they exchanged over the years, this is an invaluable portrait of one of Edinburghs premiere novelists. The book was published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Muriels birth in 2018. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Katie Scott Ilustrador. Journey through the imagined islands of history. Gathered in this book are over twenty islands that have decidedly human origins, whether they are the products of imagination, deception or simply human error. They are phantoms, fakes and legends: an archipelago of ex-isles and forgotten lands. From the well-known story of Atlantis to more obscure tales from around the globe, from the islands of pure fiction to others whose existence are still in question, Malachy has created an atlas of fairytale and wonder. Beautifully illustrated throughout with original full-colour maps. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. 1582, St Andrews. A violent storm wrecks a ship nearby, and the only man about dies without revealing how he came to be there alone, or where the ship was headed. But neither he nor the wreck is really of interest to the townsfolk of St Andrews. Lashed to the deck of the ship is a windmill, a much-needed innovation for the town, but one which soon brings devestation as squabbling over its ownership breaks out. Tasked with tracing the ship to its source, reluctant lawyer Hew Cullan embarks on a journey that will take him far from the security of home and family to Ghent, in the war-torn Low Countries. But are the truth and tragedy surrounding the windmill's real owner and the death's connected to it closer to home than Hew could ever imagine? Time & Tideis the third Hew Cullan mystery by Shirley McKay. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Selected as one of the 100 best novels in English in The Guardian Recently returned from South Africa, adventurer Richard Hannay is bored with life, but after a chance encounter with an American who informs him of an assassination plot and is then promptly murdered in Hannays London flat, he becomes the obvious suspect and is forced to go on the run. He heads north to his native Scotland, fleeing the police and his enemies. Hannay must keep his wits about him if he is to warn the government before all is too late. This classic spy thriller sold a million copies before Buchan died in 1940, has been adapted countless times for film, television and the stage, and features the most exciting chase in the history of fiction. With an introduction by Stuart Kelly. This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. A Croft in the Hills, first published in 1960, is now acknowledged as a classic among Highland books. It captures, in simple, moving descriptions, what it was really like trying to make a living out of a hill croft near Loch Ness fifty years ago. A couple and their young daughter, fresh from city life, immerse themselves in the practicalities of looking after sheep, cattle and hens, mending fences, baking bread and surviving the worst that Scottish winters can throw at them. Their neighbours are few, but among them they find the generosity and community spirit that has survived in the Highlands for generations. Working as a tight family unit, they learn to cope, and in time grow to love their little croft. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. The brainchild of bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith, historian Alistair Moffat and artist Andrew Crummy, the Great Tapestry of Scotland is an outstanding celebration of thousands of years of Scottish history and achievement, from the end of the last Ice Age to Dolly the Sheep and Andy Murrays Wimbledon victory in 2013. This book tells the story of this unique undertaking from its original conception and creation by teams of dedicated stitchers to its grand unveiling at the Scottish Parliament in 2013, its subsequent touring and the creation of its permanent home in the Scottish Borders. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Fine. IT TAKES A LOT TO GET UNDER THE SKIN OF CORNELIUS FATTY OLEARY, .literally. The heroically proportioned Fatty OLeary can normally take life as it comes. Right at home in easy-going Fayetteville, Arkansas, he is happily married to his childhood sweetheart Betty and likes nothing better than chewing the fat with his good friends Tubby ORourke and Porky Flanagan. But when Fatty and Betty head off to Ireland on a trip of a lifetime, they find that they have left their comfort zone far behind. Calamity and mayhem ensue as one mishap after another befalls the beleaguered couple. Can Fattys broad shoulders take the strain or will he suffer one indignity too many? Will he get his just deserts or just dessert?.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Mactaggart is the rascally skipper of the puffer The Maggie, a flimsy rust-bucket which hauls freight up and down the west coast of Scotland. When wealthy American businessman Calvin B. Marshall, General Overseas Manager of World-International Airways, wants to transport a precious cargo to his newly bought mansion on Kiltarra in the Western Isles, Mactaggart manages to trick Marshall's agent into hiring The Maggie for GBP300, a sum that might be useful for some much-needed repairs. Marshall learns that his valuable cargo is at risk in a vessel that's less than seaworthy, he does all in his power to have the valuable cargo transferred to a more reliable vessel. What Marshall is not prepared for is the wily Mactaggart's sly delaying tactics and crafty machinations. What follows is a hilarious and unexpected journey that will have unforeseen consequences for everyone involved . The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Good. 1582, St Andrews. A violent storm wrecks a ship nearby, and the only man about dies without revealing how he came to be there alone, or where the ship was headed. But neither he nor the wreck is really of interest to the townsfolk of St Andrews. Lashed to the deck of the ship is a windmill, a much-needed innovation for the town, but one which soon brings devestation as squabbling over its ownership breaks out. Tasked with tracing the ship to its source, reluctant lawyer Hew Cullan embarks on a journey that will take him far from the security of home and family to Ghent, in the war-torn Low Countries. But are the truth and tragedy surrounding the windmill's real owner and the death's connected to it closer to home than Hew could ever imagine? Time & Tideis the third Hew Cullan mystery by Shirley McKay. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.

Paperback. Condición: Fine. On 4 June 1942 one of the most powerful figures of the Nazi regime died in agony from wounds sustained during an assassination attempt in Prague. This is the story of the killing of Reinhard Heydrich, a man of extraordinary intelligence, ruthlessness and ambition who had risen from obscurity to become head of the Nazi security police and Governor of Bohemia-Moravia. Regarded by many as Hitlers most likely successor, he was feared and hated even by other high-ranking Nazi officials. Heydrichs death caused shockwaves throughout the Nazi leadership, provoking ferocious reprisals against Czechs and Jews. Those who carried out the assassination were hunted down, and, trapped like rats in the cellar of a Prague church, committed suicide rather than face the certainty of torture and execution at the hands of the SS. Based on original archive material, interviews with surviving members of the Special Operations Executive, who trained the Czech assassins in the UK, and Czech military intelligence, Callum MacDonalds book is a well-researched and gripping account of one of the most audacious assassinations of the Second World War.

Paperback. Condición: Good. Selected as one of the 100 best novels in English in The Guardian Recently returned from South Africa, adventurer Richard Hannay is bored with life, but after a chance encounter with an American who informs him of an assassination plot and is then promptly murdered in Hannays London flat, he becomes the obvious suspect and is forced to go on the run. He heads north to his native Scotland, fleeing the police and his enemies. Hannay must keep his wits about him if he is to warn the government before all is too late. This classic spy thriller sold a million copies before Buchan died in 1940, has been adapted countless times for film, television and the stage, and features the most exciting chase in the history of fiction. With an introduction by Stuart Kelly. This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. 'For three minutes you will turn your eyes inward into the darkness of the mind which I have taught you to make. Then I will give the sign you will look at the paper. There you will see words written, but only for one second. Bend all your powers to remember them.' What begins as a welcome, if slightly dull, weekend at his friend Lady Flambard's house in the Costwolds becomes for Sir Edward Leithen something altogether more intriguing. A fellow guest the brilliant Professor Moe enlists the help of Leithen and his companions in an experiment. If they do as he says, each will get a glimpse a year into the future in the pages ofThe Times. One of Buchan's most unusual novels,The Gap in the Curtain is a tense tale of unexpected from the author ofThe Thirty-Nine Steps. With an introduction by Stuart Kelly. This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Butch Wilkins and the Sundance Kid chronicles the authors decade-long obsession with televised sport during his teenage years in the 1980s. Charting similar waters to Nick Hornbys classic Fever Pitch, but with the hopeless devotion of a teenager faithfully following his team around the country replaced by the hopeless devotion of a teenager faithfully following sport (any sport) around the TV schedules. It is memoir intertwined with nostalgia, ruminations on the changing face of sport during this time, portraits of its heroes and villains, and reflections on teenagehood and impending adulthood. Sweet, wise and witty, Butch Wilkins and the Sundance Kid is a hymn to televised sport in the 1980s as well as to the decade itself combining humour, insight and poignancy to vividly depict the way sport can transcend the television screen to impact on wider life, hopes and ambitions. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. 'Combines historical fact with the fictional narrative, and offers a cast rich with multidimensional characters. Readers will be riveted' Publishers Weekly In June 1940, the Channel Islands becomes the only part of Great Britain to be occupied by Hitlers forces. Hedy Bercu, a young Jewish girl from Vienna who fled to Jersey two years earlier to escape the Anschluss, finds herself once more entrapped by the Nazis, this time with no escape. Hedys War follows her struggle to survive the Occupation and avoid deportation to the camps. Despite her racial status, Hedy finds work with the German authorities and embarks on acts of resistance. Most remarkable of all, she falls in love with a German lieutenant a relationship on which her life soon comes to depend. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Sarah Sutherland wanted to be an archaeologist but now she is struggling to cope with the demands of work and caring for her elderly father, who has his own secret troubles. Her fascination with the past still remains, and she feels a special affinity with Alie Gowdie, the Kilgour Witch, who lived in Sarahs cottage until her unjust execution for sorcery during the Civil War. As Alie and Sarahs stories collide, can Sarah uncover the truth in order to right a centuries old wrong? And what else might modern-day Kilgour be hiding, just out of sight? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. You cant change your past. You can only use the experiences you live through to make your future better, wiser. Anna and her best friend George meet every week to remember, to sigh, to laugh, to reminisce about their moments of glory, guilt and mischief and share their sorrows over a glass or three of wine. The things theyve done still make them blush. Anna wanted to be a poet a famous poet. George left home in a childish rage and years later returned with her baby. When Anna is asked to look after the boy across the road for a few hours each week, she isnt sure. She doesnt really do children. But she takes the job on and, gradually, a childs view of her world shows her a different place. George remembers a flat she stayed in when she ran away from home. It had the kitchen of all kitchens and, oh, how shed love to see it again. Anna sets out to see if it still exists and discovers a cookbook full of recipes, intimates notes and drawings from Georges life. Does all this mark an ending or the beginning of something new and marvellous for Anna and George? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Annette Somerville, a young single mother, earns her living in a high-class Glasgow sauna parlour, scrupulously keeping her respectable home life separate from her professional activities. During a series of murders in the city, seemingly unconnected, Annette realises that all of the victims have been regular customers. What should Annette do? No one else seems interested, and her boss makes it clear that going to the police will cost Annette her job. But Annettes new boyfriend, a former customer of the sauna, could be the murderers next victim. Can Annette continue to keep her two lives separate, or are they destined to violently clash? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Rum, once the poor relation of the spirit world, has undergone a revival and is no longer seen just as the preferred tipple for tipsy pirates. The craft drinks movement has certainly stimulated the rum world, with high numbers of new artisan rum brands launching around the world in the last few years. The rise of the rum cocktails is another successful trend, with the popularity of mojitos and mai tai contributing greatly in the growth and development of the rum market. Ian Buxton, the UKs No.1 bestselling author on spirits, takes us on a tour of the different colours, flavours, creation methods and characteristics, and makes his pick of the best rums in the world. Whether you like your rum in cocktails, or prefer to sip it neat, this is the only book on rum you will ever need. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Once upon a time in Botswana in Africa there was a little girl who would later grow up to be a famous detective: Precious Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. Having already cracked the case of the missing cakes at school, she now has a new mystery to solve. Precious Ramotswe has two new friends at school and they have the funniest and most resourceful pet you can imagine. But they are upset that their family's most valuable possession, their cow, has gone missing. Precious has a plan to find the missing animal but she needs the help of another in her search. Will she succeed and what obstacles will she face on her path? Find out as Alexander McCall Smith tells the story of Precious and the Mystery of Meerkat Hill. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Angus MacLellan was regarded throughout his own lifetime as one of Scotland's finest traditional Gaelic storytellers. Reminiscences of his life were first recorded - on tape in Gaelic - in the early years of the 1960s and later transcribed and translated by John Lorne Campbell into this English-language biography. Born in 1869 into a poverty-stricken crofting community on South Uist, Angus MacLellan spent his childhood and his youth with his family before travelling from the island to find work first in the militia and then on the farms of the mainland. His travels came to an end when he returned to assist and eventually to succeed, his parents on their croft on South Uist in 1896. Angus MacLellan's memory for detail and his gift for telling should bring to the reader a vivid picture of a harsh lifestyle encompassing two centuries of dramatic change. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Well before Precious Ramotswe founded her Number One Ladies' Detective Agency, as an eight-year-old girl she was already solving mysteries. Here, in this delightful, enchanting tale for children, we find out just who has been stealing her schoolfriends' snacks and how the young Precious became the crafty and intuitive private investigator we all know and love! The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Midwinter, a freezing night in Leith, near Edinburghs red light district. A policewomans flashlight stabs the darkness in a snow-covered cemetery. The circle of light stops on a colourless, dead face. It is the body of a prostitute, the first to die at the hands of a serial murderer. But it takes more than one death to keep working girls off the streets. Detective Sergeant Alice Rice joins them as they ply their trade in back lanes and waste grounds, searching for evidence from the girls themselves. She soon finds that is dangerous for any woman to get too close to a killer who has nothing to lose. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. "The place where the German U-boat sank the British battleship Royal Oak was none other than the middle of Scapa Flow, Britain's greatest naval base! It sounds incredible." - William L Shirer, journalist, 18 October 1939 Sinking the battleship HMS Royal Oak in the Royal Navys home anchorage, with the loss of more than 800 of her crew, was Germanys first shattering blow against Britain in the 1939-45 war. Within six weeks the long-standing German dream of breaching the defences of Scapa Flow had been achieved. After years of misinformation, propaganda and conspiracy theories, this meticulously researched book reveals what really happened. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Thank you for the music.It's 1939 and the war in Europe casts a long, all-encompassing shadow. In a sleepy town in Suffolk, the generous and determined widow, La, forms an amateur orchestra to entertain the locals and soothe her own broken heart. She recruits Felix, a refugee from Poland, to play the flute, and a touching friendship emerges. When the war is over and the orchestra disbands, La is left pondering her next move. What role can she play in her community now the war is over? And can she let herself love again? "La's Orchestra" is another delightful story celebrating friendship and the healing power of music, told with the warmth and charm we've come to love from one of the nation's favourite storytellers. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. All is revealed (well, not quite all - this is Scotland) in "The Cannae Sutra", a ground-breaking expose of the nation's best-kept secrets. The book contains previously unpublished historical material, along with helpful advice on ticklish subjects. Topics covered include: techniques, positions, rubberwear, bondage, group sex, sheep love, Scottish porn, secrets of the sporran, FAQs of Life, shortbread fingers, Gaelic symbols, cybersex, curling, and socks. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Focusing on North Mull - north of Glen More, but excluding Craignure, Torosay and Brolas - this book is an anthology of the tales and traditions of Mull in the words of those who tell them. The writing covers belief and superstitions, pastimes, work, health and cures, tales and proverbs. The subjects are taken from a wide range of sources and periods, from Martin Martin in the 17th century to writing which dates from the end of World War II, a time which saw much change in Gaelic society as a whole. The material covers traditions and accounts of a very practical and often harsh existence, variations on tales which are more obscure as well as those that are well known. The book is a celebration of a people that are often excluded from the standard historical accounts of the clans and Highlands, but who have endured much and safeguarded an important heritage. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Precious Ramotswe is on holiday, staying with her Aunty Bee at safari camp deep in the Botswana countryside, and is excited when a new lion arrives. Not just any lion but an actor-lion called Teddy with his own film crew! But when the four-legged movie star goes missing the camp is thrown into confusion. Can the young detective and her resourceful new friend Khumo solve the mystery and find out where Teddy has gone? The search plunges the two young sleuths deep into the jungle. As they dodge the hippos and crocs they will need all their bravery and cleverness to catch their prize. Find out if they succeed as Alexander McCall Smith tells us the story of Precious and the Mystery of the Missing Lion. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.