Scotland, Ink: How 10 Scottish Books Changed The World

Launch of exhibition, Eden Court Theatre, 1st-31st October

Scotland’s writers have been making names for themselves all over the world for 500 years, from Robert Burns, to J K Rowling. But could you choose 10 Scottish books that have had a truly global impact, changing the course of history as we know it?

As part of the Homecoming Year celebrations, Publishing Scotland presents a thought-provoking exhibition – Scotland, Ink: 10 Scottish Books That Changed the World. The exhibition takes place at Eden Court Theatre in Inverness (to coincide with the UHI Millennium Institute conference Scotland’s Global Impact – how one small nation changed the world from 22-24 October 2009).

Selected by Publishing Scotland in conjunction with Edinburgh Napier and Queen Margaret University’s SAPPHIRE project, this list - from financial theory, to the age of the earth, to the environmental movement, to the drawing up of the rules for the most popular pastime, passing through Napoleon’s favourite book, and the first work of the Bard, all the way down to the phenomenon that is the Harry Potter series - should provoke debate and elicit alternative Top 10s. (‘What, no Peter Pan? No King James Bible? No Sherlock Holmes?) Visitors to the exhibition will be asked to nominate their choices for their Top 10s.

Highland Publishing Showcase: Eden Court, 22nd October 2009

In the year of Homecoming, Scotland celebrates its past – but we also look to the future. Scottish writing in the 21st century continues to flourish and the next Adam Smith, John Muir or R L Stevenson could be sitting on a publisher’s desk today. To celebrate the contemporary publishing scene in the Highlands today, an event showcasing the work of 6 Highland publishers will take place on 22 October 7pm at the Eden Court Theatre with readings and music in Gaelic and English.