Edinburgh and the Lothians

Dominated by the castle, a seat of power and influence from the first century AD, at the top of the Royal Mile; dominated by the craggy rocks of Arthur's Seat; dominated by the spire of the Walter Scott monument and dominated by the yearly International Festivals and Festival Fringe: Edinburgh, a compact city of 450,000, rises above all of these, to create one of the most dynamic, beautiful and interesting cities in the world. And we haven't even started on the city's literary heritage!

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In 2004, Edinburgh was designated the first UNESCO City of Literature in recognition of the continuing impact of Edinburgh's writers, poets and publishers. Edinburgh is the birthplace of Robert Louis Stevenson and Arthur Conan Doyle; the city where the Encyclopaedia Britannica was founded; the city where Charles Darwin studied Biology; and where David Hume wrote his Treatise of Human Nature, where James Hutton founded the modern science of geology.

Edinburgh is also home to the world's largest arts festival – in August, nearly a million visitors come to Edinburgh for the International Festival, the International Book Festival, the International Film Festival, the Festival Fringe, the Jazz and Blues festival, and, throughout the year, many others.

Famous literary sons and daughters include Ian Rankin, Alexander McCall Smith, Robert Louis Stevenson, JK Rowling, and Arthur Conan Doyle. Burns came to Edinburgh and took its literary salons by storm.

Books about or set in Edinburgh and Lothians

Local Authors