Publisher of the Month: Mainstream Publishing
Mainstream was founded in Edinburgh in 1978 and is one of the leading non-fiction publishing company based in Scotland. In 2005 Mainstream announced an exciting new publishing partnership with Random House so now combines the marketing might of the biggest publisher in the UK with the independence Mainstream has always prided itself on.
Mainstream are currently riding high in the bestseller lists with Don't Ever Tell by Kathy O'Beirne ("A tragic account of one woman's incredible journey of survival amid the most horrifying circumstances" - OK! Magazine) and previous Sunday Times bestsellers include Ashes Fever, Catch Me If You Can, Jihad!, Soldier Five and Sweet Chariot.
With particular emphasis on biography, current affairs, sport, health and true crime the list features prominent names including Gordon Brown MP, Magnus Magnusson and Jan de Vries.
Mainstream has received a number of prestigious awards, most recently, the James Beard Award for Food Writing for Last Chance To Eat, the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Prize for Non Fiction for Things That Must Be Forgotten and the William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for Dark Trade.
Controversial new titles include Murder in Samarkand by former ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray ("Heroic. This darkly comic tale... rings horribly true. It helps explain the moral bankruptcy [of] the Blair government" - Sir Max Hastings, Sunday Times) and The Palace Diaries by the Princes Charles's former secretary, Sarah Goodall ("Racy, outrageous and hilarious - it's the most surprising book of the year" - Mail on Sunday), which is published this month.
On the home front, Magnus Magnusson has just launched his book, Fakes, Forgers and Phoneys at the Edinburgh Book Festival. Other Scottish authors appearing to promote new titles included James Hunter (Scottish Exodus), Alistair Moffat (Tyneside), Billy Kay (The Scottish World) and Trevor Royle (The Royal Scots - read an extract from Chapter 1).
- Ashes Fever: How England Won The Greatest Ever Test Series
Illustrated throughout with over 200 colour photographs, 'Ashes Fever' relives the incredible story of how England won the Ashes in 2005 and explains the creation of new English sporting heroes and how cricket became the media focal point. - Catch Me If You Can: The Amazing True Story Of The Most Extraordinary Liar In The History Of Fun And Profit
This work is the story of Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams and Ringo Monjo, one of the most daring con men, forgers, impostors, and escape artists in history. It is an irresistible tale of deceit. - Dark Trade: Lost In Boxing
McRae tracks the strange and interlocking lives of the most extraordinary figures in contemporary boxing and reveals how they are haunted by themes of race and celebrity, poverty and wealth, violence and sex, crime and death. - Don't Ever Tell: Kathy's Story
Kathy recounts her tragic experiences as a Magdalen girl in unflinching detail, along the way stirring up many extreme emotions. She details her will to survive horrific circumstances and her subsequent fight for justice. - Fakers, Forgers And Phoneys: Famous Scams And Scamps
The author explores the shadowy world of deception and counterfeiting. This is a guide to ingenious art and literary forgeries, archaeological frauds, imposters, and hoaxers in the world. - Jihad!: The Secret War In Afghanistan
Jihad! provides an account of combat espionage & high adventure, against the backdrop of the last truly wild and lawless country on earth. It sheds light on the sharp edge of the Cold War and the conduct of special operations in the modern era. - Last Chance To Eat: The Fate Of Taste In A Fast Food World
Where has all the good food gone? This is the question at the heart of Gina Mallet's account of the fate of food. Lingering over sensual memories of forgotten taste, Mallet traces the vicissitudes of five popular foods, their history and their predicament. - Murder In Samarkand: A British Ambassador's Controversial Defiance Of Tyranny In The War On Terror
Craig Murray was the United Kingdom's Ambassador to Uzbekistan until he was removed from his post in October 2004 after exposing appalling human rights abuses by the US-funded regime of President Islam Karimov. This memoir lays bare the dark and dirty underside of the War on Terror. - The Palace Diaries: A Story Inspired By Twelve Years Of Life Behind Palace Gates
At the age of 24, having graduated from the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, Sarah Goodall decided that there must be more to life than being a farmer's wife. She found a job in London working for the Prince of Wales. This is an account of a Lady Clerk's 12 extraordinary years at St James's Palace. - The Royal Scots: A Concise History
The Royal Scots are Scotland's oldest infantry regiment, with a tradition that stretches back to 1633. This history of the regiment is based on the recollections of generations of Royal Scots - men like Private McBane, who carried his three-year-old son into battle at Malplaquet, and Private Begbie, the youngest soldier to serve in WWI. - Scottish Exodus: Travels Among A Worldwide Clan
Over the years, millions of native Scots have left their home country but, until now, they have been written about only in general terms. 'Scottish Exodus' breaks new ground by taking a set of emigrants, by the name of MacLeod and, with the help of their descendants, investigating exactly what happened to them. - The Scottish World: A Journey Into The Scottish Diaspora
Travelling the world from Bangkok to Brazil, Warsaw to Waikiki, the author found ringing endorsements for the Scottish people and their contribution in every country he has visited. He uncovers remarkable stories of a wealthy merchant community in Gdansk and of national geniuses of Scots descent such as Lermontov in Russia. - Soldier Five: The Real Truth About The Bravo Two Zero Mission
'Soldier Five' challenges many of the assumptions and assertions of 'Bravo Two Zero'. Mike Coburn, the soldier left for dead on the Syrian border, sets the record straight about that famous mission. - Sweet Chariot: The Complete Book Of The Rugby World Cup 2003
This title tells the story of the competition from the opening ceremony to the presentation of the Cup, with details of every game played and photographs of all the action on and off the field. - Tyneside: A History Of Newcastle And Gateshead From Earliest Times
This text tells the story of Newcastle and Gateshead, from the retreat of the icefields 10,000 years ago, through the coming of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the achievement of Bede of Jarrow, the building of the New Castle in 1080, growth of the industrial revolution, the trials of its football team, and into the 21st century.