Floris Books, based in Edinburgh, was founded in 1978. We publish non-fiction titles on religion, science, Celtic studies, language and anthroposophy, as well as children's fiction and activity books. Floris are the largest Scottish publisher of children's books, including the Kelpies imprint.

Originally set up to publish books for the Steiner-Waldorf movement, Floris have since expanded and evolved into a successful independent publishing house with a much wider list. Managing Director Christian Maclean has been involved with Floris since it was first conceived in 1977, when he owned a bookshop on Morningside Road.

Recent highlights of the non-fiction list have been Extreme Weather by Peter Bunyard, a very timely book on climate change and freak weather, and Getting the Point: A Panic-Free Guide to English Punctuation for Adults by Jenny Haddon and Elizabeth Hawksley, which is everything it says on the tin plus more! Forthcoming titles include an exploration of our modern scientific culture, Nature's Due by Brian Goodwin, acclaimed author of How the Leopard Changed Its Spots, and the eagerly anticipated second edition of Time Stands Still: New Light on Megalithic Science, by Keith Critchlow. Also, following on from the popular Ecovillages: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Communities we are publishing Jan Martin Bang's sequel, Growing Eco-Communities: Practical Ways to Create Sustainability, a title which, along with the first book, will appeal to anyone interested in sustainable living and alternative lifestyles.

The Celtic studies list has a strong Scottish element and the most recent addition is the long awaited bilingual edition of Ortha nan Gàidheal. This is a complete six-volume facsimile boxed set of Alexander Carmichael's Carmina Gadelica in Gaelic and English. Other related titles are Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations, a selection from Carmichael's compilation in English, and The Celtic Gift of Nature: Illustrated Selections from the Carmina Gadelica in Gaelic and English. All three of these books make beautiful gifts, for fans of Gaelic and Celtic culture, art and song.

Floris publish hardback picture books which have enduring popularity all over the world. A recent best-selling title, Uan the Little Lamb, by Sandra Klaassen is set in the Outer Hebrides and tells the story of two children who take care of an orphaned lamb.

Kelpies

The Kelpies imprint was acquired by Floris, from Canongate, in 2001. Since then, classic titles, loved by generations of children, have been re-printed so they can be enjoyed by children today. Classic Kelpies include The Boy with the Bronze Axe, set in Skara Brae on Orkney, and The Desperate Journey, an exciting tale of the Highland Clearances, both by Kathleen Fidler. This spring we are reprinting Frances Hendry's Quest for a Kelpie, which won the very first BBC Quest for a Kelpie Award, a precurser to the Kelpies Prize launched by Floris in 2005. The Witches' Mark, by Donald Lightwood, is a newly published addition to the Classic series.

In addition to the Classic Kelpies, Floris also publish a Young Kelpies list and Contemporary Kelpies, a list for brand new Scottish fiction for 9 to 12 year olds. A forthcoming Young Kelpie is Kathleen Fidler's Flash the Sheepdog, due out in May.

Contemporary Kelpies includes the best-selling Chaos Clock, Chaos Quest and Winterbringers by Gill Arbuthnott, Dragonfire by Anne Forbes and Chill by Alex Nye. Other books are the winner of the first Kelpies prize, a modern mystery about missing moggies, Catscape by Mike Nicholson, and the exciting espionage thriller The Hill of the Red Fox by Allan Campbell McLean. All these books are set in various locations around Scotland, from Edinburgh to Skye. Dragonfire is set largely around (and under!) Arthur's Seat and its many fans from all locations will be delighted to know that the sequel, Wings of Ruksh, is due out in April. This new book will not disappoint, being as full of fun-filled fantasy as the first.

The Kelpies Prize was created in 2005 to encourage exciting new contemporary fiction for pre-teens that has an identifiably Scottish feel, without the twee tartan and bagpipes cliches. The prize is awarded annually, subject to suitable submissions.

2007 is an exciting year for Floris and we are proud, in our 30th year of publishing in Edinburgh, to be releasing a unique literary guidebook for children, Reading Round Edinburgh: A Guide to Children's Books of the City, in association with Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature. The book is edited by literary agents Lindsey Fraser and Kathryn Ross and has original contributions from many of Edinburgh's children's writers, including Joan Lingard, Mollie Hunter and Nicola Morgan. It also has an introduction by J. K. Rowling. Reading Round Edinburgh will be launched in April. Look out for special promotional offers and events.