Auld Reekie: An Edinburgh Anthology - Softcover

Lownie, Ralph

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845963881 ISBN 13: 9781845963880

Publisher: Mainstream Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

For centuries, Edinburgh has inspired affection, admiration and awe amongst visitors and residents alike, and in this widely praised anthology Ralph Lownie draws on an expansive range of sources, including speeches, memoirs, letters, poems, novels and journals, to capture the unique spirit of Scotland's capital.

Alongside the set-pieces, familiar names and city landmarks - the Porteous Riots, Burke and Hare, Deacon Brodie, the Castle and Arthur's Seat - are numerous less well-known accounts of the city, which cast fresh light on both the writer and topic: Chesterton, Betjeman, J.B. Priestley, Brontė and Wordsworth, for example, are names not generally associated with the city but are featured here.

Auld Reekie showcases Edinburgh in all its beauty and historic worth but doesn't flinch from the less savoury side of its character, including sections on the city in adversity and on its crime record.

This varied and absorbing collection will be treasured by all those who love Edinburgh.

About this title

Review

"...a rich compilation of writings on the city...The compiler...could not have devised a finer tribute...a treasure of a book.' -- The Scots Magazine

"...hard put to match the style and grace and eye for the unusual of this personal selection." -- The Herald

"This is a wonderful collection of stories, letters and tales all pertinent to Edinburgh past and present." -- Forth Radio website

...a rich and diverting anthology of the city, embracing hundreds of years and a variety of contribution... -- Daily Mail

...they (the city fathers) would have been hard put to match the style and grace and eye for the unusual of this personal selection -- Herald

Lownie's pride and pleasure in Auld Reekie is evident. This is a book to delight in -- Allan Massie, Sunday Times

This book will be treasured by all those who love the city of Edinburgh and the hundreds of thousands of visitors drawn every year to Auld Reekie... -- Scots Heritage

This is a book to delight in. -- SUNDAY TIMES, 6 February, 2005

What a wonderful collection! -- Alexander McCall Smith

You would go far to find a fresher and more fascinating celebration of one of God's great cities. -- Daily Mail, March 11, 2005

From the Publisher

Reviews for Auld Reekie:

What a wonderful collection! There are historical snippets, garnered from a very wide range of sources, well-known and not-so-well known facts, statistics, and vignettes of the characters and incidents that have made the city so interesting and appealing. And these have been chosen with care, humour, and - most important of all - with love - Alexander McCall Smith

About this edition

• Publisher: Mainstream Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1845963881
• ISBN 13: 9781845963880
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304