Publisher of the Month: Floris Books
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.
- The Boy With The Bronze Axe
Kali and Brockan are in trouble. They have been using their stone axes to chip limpets off the rocks, but they've gone too far out and find themselves trapped by the tides. Then, an unexpected rescuer appears, a strange boy in a strange boat, carrying a strangely sharp axe of a type they have never seen before. - Catscape
Fergus can't believe it when his new digital watch starts going backwards. When he bumps into Murdo, another new mystery comes to light - cats are going missing from the neighbourhood! As the two boys start to investigate, they find help in the most unusual places. - The Celtic Gift Of Nature: Illustrated Selections From The Carmina Gadelica In Gaelic And English
This is an inspiring selection of Celtic lyric poems and prayers on the theme of nature, from the Carmina Gadelica. Each poem is presented in both Gaelic and English. The full-colour illustrations and illuminations make this an ideal gift book. - The Chaos Clock
In Edinburgh, where Kate and David live, time is coming unstuck and the past is breaking loose. Old Mr Flowerdew needs their help in the war between the Lords of Chaos and the Guardians of Time, which is centred around the mysterious Millennium Clock. - Carmina Gadelica: Hymns And Incantations
This is a collection of lyric poems and prayers from the Gaelic tradition of oral poetry, gathered from the highlands and islands of Scotland. - Chill
Samuel is trapped by huge snow drifts in an old, remote house. And that's not the only thing causing a cold shiver to creep down his spine. He feels like the ghostly figure in the locked library has a message - but who is it for? - The Desperate Journey
The Murrays are forced to move to the slums of Glasgow - the first step in a journey that takes them across the seas to Canada, and to the Red River. All of the events described by Kathleen Fidler actually happened to the Red River colonists. - Dragonfire
Set against the backdrop of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Military Tattoo, this is a fast-paced comic adventure, full of magic, mahyem and mystery - and a dragon. - Ecovillages: A Practical Guide To Sustainable Communities
The author explores the background and history of the Ecovillages movement and provides a comprehensive manual for planning, establishing and maintaining a sustainable community. Issues discussed include leadership and conflict management, house design, building techniques, and food production. - Extreme Weather
Describing and exploring extreme weather events, including Hurricane Katrina, the Alpine floods of 2005 and the heavy European and American snowfalls of 2006, this title looks at what happened, the human cost, what caused it, and what can be done to change things for the future. - Flash The Sheepdog
Tom Stokes is an orphan. His sister is going to America to get married, but where can he go? His only other relatives are an uncle and aunt he scarcely knows who live in the Borders of Scotland. - Getting The Point: A Panic-Free Guide To English Punctuation For Adults
This guide to punctuation gives step-by-step explanations in readable English. It covers the basics, including sentences and full stops, commas, apostrophes, colons and semi-colons, brackets, hyphens, question marks, inverted commas and paragraphs. Differences between US and UK punctuation are addressed. - Growing Eco-Communities: Practical Ways To Create Sustainability
In his first book 'Ecovillages', Jan Bang explained the principles & practice of setting up a sustainable community, including difficult decisions about management, design & architecture, farming & food, water, sewage, energy sources & economics. 'Growing Eco-Communities' looks at what comes next. - The Hill Of The Red Fox
Alasdair uncovers a web of espionage after a chance meeting with a man on the train to Skye who slips him a desperate message. - Nature's Due: Healing Our Fragmented Culture
Brian Goodwin, acclaimed author of 'How the Leopard Changed its Spots', argues for a view of nature as complex, interrelated networks of relationships. He proposes that, in order for us to once again work with nature to achieve true sustainability, we need to adopt a new science, new art and new economics. - Ortha Nan Gàidheal: Carmina Gadelica In English And Gaelic, In Six Volumes
An anthology of poems and prayers from the Gaelic oral tradition, this set serves as a useful resource for those wanting to study and understand Gaelic culture, and for those wanting to experience the beauty and wisdom of its oral literature. - Quest For A Kelpie
Jeannie Main, a fisher-lass from Nairn, is warned by a gypsy that she will make a king and break a king, and be in the shadow of the gibbet four times. Involved with both Jacobites and Hanoverians, Jeannie does indeed fulfil all the prophecies. - Reading Round Edinburgh: A Guide To Children's Books Of The City
This volume is a guide to help children and adults discover Edinburgh and its children's books. - Time Stands Still: New Light On Megalithic Science
Keith Critchlow, an internationally-renowned scholar, has studied a wide range of Neolithic artefacts. In this book, he adopts a technique of cross-cultural comparison to uncover some previously unknown characteristics of the Neolithic peoples. - Uan The Little Lamb
On a remote Scottish island, two children find an abandoned lamb and take her home. They call her 'Uan', which in Gaelic means 'little lamb'. Slowly the lamb grows up and they love playing with her and taking her everywhere - but what will happen when she becomes a sheep? - Wings Of Ruksh
From an Edinburgh literally cloaked in tartan, through the forbidding Highland hills, Neil and Clara set out with old and new friends on a perilous journey full of danger, daring - and a reluctant broomstick. - The Witches' Mark
When 15 year-old Murdo befriends Old Pheemie, he discovers the hard way that the East Neuk of Fife in the 17th century is not the place to be if you are associated with anyone believed to be a witch. This tale is set against a backdrop of witch trials, superstition and smuggling.
