Books & Literature in Edinburgh

John Cooper Clarke

Literary phenomenon John Cooper Clarke is a British cult hero. Known as the “Godfather of Punk Poetry” and the original people’s poet, John’s cultural influence…

The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh

Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival

Edinburgh Women's Fiction Festival is a literary festival celebrating writing for, by, and about women.

Christ Church, Edinburgh

Last chance · 5 days left

Miranda Malins for The House of Cromwell

'Fascinating, gripping, revelatory' - Kate Williams_Within a century, the Cromwell family produced two of the most powerful, impactful and controversial commone…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Last chance · today

T.S. Elliot Prize-winner Alice Oswald for Rhapsody: A Manifesto

Alice Oswald has published several poetry collections, including Dart - a long poem about a river - and Memorial, a version of Homer's Iliad.

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Last chance · 2 days left

Jasper Fforde for Dark Reading Matter

The final novel in the highly acclaimed and beloved Thursday next series. Will Thursday find her happy ending?Swindon-based Literary Detective Thursday Next is…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Last chance · 3 days left

Perilous Enchantment:The True History of Faeries

"Inviting, charming, funny, sometimes horrifying and always informative, a wonderfully personal and lively introduction to the world of fairies" -- marion gibso…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Last chance · 4 days left

Oz Clarke for A Vine is a Wild Thing

_The award-winning book from one of the best loved wine writer of our time _"Oz is one of the wine greats and this book embodies all his best qualities.

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Last chance · 4 days left

In Conversation: Travis Baldree and Miles Cameron

Grab your steaming coffees and your loaded crossbows for an evening of adventure with Travis Baldree, author of Legends and Lattes.Travis will be joined by Mile…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Garth Nix for Massif

'You are in for a treat' GEORGE R.R. MARTIN'One of the best world-builders' BRANDON SANDERSON'Nix sets the standard' LEIGH BARDUGO'I will never get enough' SARA…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Tim Downie for Rituals

Tim Downie is an actor and podcaster. As an actor, he has starred in productions as varied as _Outlander_, _Paddington_ and _The Kings Speech_ as well as cult h…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

British Museum Lectures: Rachel King for The Tudor Heart

This book tells the remarkable story of a spectacular chance find of a pendant associated with Henry VIII and his first wife Katherine of Aragon, as well as Mar…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

James Crawford for the Vanishing Earth

'Crawford belongs with other storyteller-explorers - strolling player-writers like Iain Sinclair, Rebecca Solnit, and Robert Macfarlane - who are stretching nat…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Julia Harding for World Atlas of Wine: Ninth Edition

"_the world atlas of wine_ is the single most important reference book on the shelf of any wine student." - eric asimov, _new york times_"simply superb work...

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Edinburgh's Radical Book Fair

The Radical Book Fair showcases the best in radical and progressive publishing and ideas for building a better tomorrow, featuring book stalls, activist stalls,…

Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

Literary Escape Festival

Book lovers, discover your next favourite read at the Literary Escape Festival, a UK-wide celebration of independent authors, books, creativity and small busine…

Ps & Gs Church, Edinburgh

Emile Chabal for The Age of Hobsbawm

Join us for an evening with professor Emile Chabal, as he reflects on the life and intellect of one of the most influential historians of the modern world: Eric…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

An Evening With Jackie Kay

In partnership with the Fingal Hotel, don’t miss this lively and intimate event with the award-winning poet and writer Jackie Kay!

Fingal, Edinburgh

Jeremy Lee for Kitchening

'gorgeous recipes in an equally gorgeous book' stanley tucci'jeremy's simple dishes are glorious' claudia roden'stuffed with tempting recipes' prue leithThis No…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Benoit Loiseau for The Death of the Clinic

'Divergent and elaborate in the pursuit of its enthusiasms, balancing the personal and the intellectual, The Death of the Clinic is a book of hope and affirmati…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Coinneach MacLeod: A Scottish Christmas

From scotland's bestselling cookbook author, coinneach macleod, this irresistible festive collection is packed with everything you need to create the ultimate s…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Irvine Welsh for Can Nothing Save Us?

A divided Las Vegas family is forced to confront the past and reckon with a dangerous future in the searing new novel from Irvine Welsh._'Welsh writes with a sk…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Booker-Longlist: Luke Kennard for Black Bag

'the funniest and smartest novel i've read in a while' -- zadie smith'a campus novel for our end times . . .

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Innovative Books Fair

Get ready for a new literature exhibition, based on the 35-year career of Kenny Redmond from Innovative Books.Come and explore new innovative books, new brochur…

Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh

Ryan Cahill for of Darkness and Light

To celebrate the launch of our exclusive edition of Of Darkness and Light, we are so glad to welcome Ryan Cahill back to Edinburgh this November.He'll be joined…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Nick Harkaway: a Novel of John Le Carre's Circus

'le carre's legacy is in good hands - smiley is back with a vengeance!' -- ian rankin'note-perfect' -- mick herronNick harkaway is the acclaimed author of _gnom…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

A Wine Tasting with Noble Rot's Dan Keeling for Pick Your Bottles

_“The more you read, the more you want to pour a glass and taste. The ultimate dinner-party cheat sheet — just enough knowledge to sound effortlessly well-infor…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Bonnie Garmus With Donna Ashworth for Peck & Peck

Welcome to another dazzling and unforgettable novel from Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry.

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Between and Beyond Stage and Page: Documenting Spoken Word

The popularity and low barrier to entry of open mics means that for many poets, spoken word is their way into writing and sharing poetry.

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

An Evening With Maki & Ramen's Teddy Lee

Teddy Lee is the founder of Maki & Ramen. From an early age, he worked in his family's restaurant kitchens, learning not just techniques but the rhythm and team…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Poetical Pub Quiz

Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. But do you know who actually said that?

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

New Writers Awards 2027: Spoken Word Shortlist

Our friends over at Scottish Book Trust are joining us for an evening of electrifying performances.

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Patrick DeWitt for Dodge City

From the booker-shortlisted author of _The Sisters Brothers_ comes _Dodge City_, a thrilling novel about a young man on an amphetamine fuelled cross-country roa…

Topping & Company Booksellers, Edinburgh

Editing Your Own Work

Good editing can make the difference between a mediocre poem and a good one, between a good poem and maybe even a great one.

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Shared Reading With Open Book

Fancy digging deeper into the amazing talent taking part in this year’s festival? Join Jess and Lizzie from Open Book for a gentle session of shared reading and…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Opening Night Cabaret, With Luke Wright

Join us as we launch Push the Boat Out 2026 in style!Luke Wright will take the stage with an explosive set spanning more than two decades of poetry and performa…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

Meet the Programmers

The decisions that go into creating a festival programme are many and varied: as a poet, how can you best work with programmers, and how can you put your best f…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

An Evening With Henry Normal

To celebrate the publication of his fourth collected poems anthology, Henry Normal has concentrated his thousand or so poems into a one-hour show like a tin of…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

Meet the Publishers

Meet three fantastic publishers and learn more about how they work with poets and what they look for in new work.

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Contracts and Copyright: What Do You Need to Know?

Navigating the world of contracts and copyright is daunting even at its best: how do you decode the jargon, what should you be looking out for, and how can you…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Beyond the Margins

Join us to celebrate the launch of this brand new poetry zine, and take home your own copy.

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Young Verses With Scorescotland

Join the young people from Tynecastle High School as they share poetry, music and stories created with Bee Asha and Kat Borrowdale (for Push the Boat Out) and D…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Words and Wine

Celebrate the start of the weekend by raising a glass with us! Joe Trotter from Edinburgh’s independent wine merchants Great Grog will take you through a tempti…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Loud Poets Slam

The prestigious Loud Poets Slam Series returns for its fifth year! Join us to cheer, clap and holler as Edinburgh’s top poets compete in the first of twelve hea…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Hip-Hop Night With Culture Clan

A celebration of true Scottish rap music, bringing together artists from across the country.

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Poetry Tasting Menu With Ella Risbridger

Treat yourself at this exclusive event with poet and food writer Ella Risbridger, editor of the poetry anthology Set Me On Fire: A Poem For Every Feeling.

Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar, Edinburgh

New

Takeover: On the Shoreline of Infinity

Shoreline of Infinity is Scotland’s brightest and best Science Fiction magazine, publishing stories, poetry and articles since 2015.

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

States of Emergency: Writing the Plague

Join Polly Atkin and Niall O’Gallagher for a double bill, reading from two collections which explore solitude and connection in a time of plague.Niall O’Gallagh…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New

Experimenting With Words and Music

Interested in collaborating with musicians, but not sure where to start? This workshop with Iona Lee, poet, performer and frontwoman of the poetry-led band Acol…

The Pleasance, Edinburgh

New