Image 1 of 5
Image 2 of 5
Image 3 of 5
Image 4 of 5
Image 5 of 5
E-book | Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes
About the Author
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–94) was a travel writer, essayist, novelist and poet. Born and brought up in Edinburgh, he saw himself foremost as a storyteller with a mission to transport the reader to another place, captivating generations of readers, young and old, across the world.
Stevenson is also a trusty, witty and irreverent tour guide. In this book, drawing from his own memoirs of growing up in Edinburgh – and shaped by his interest in social history, legend and myth – he takes the reader on a journey through the city, visiting memorable houses and picturesque areas, bringing to life its most engaging characters and landmarks.
Many of the buildings, places and people he describes in Edinburgh went on to inform the settings of his timeless adventure novels, such as Kidnapped, Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
A ‘sort of Bible’ to all Scots in the 19th century, this gloriously vivid and entertaining portrait of Edinburgh continues to beguile the modern reader 150 years after it was first written.
A few quotes from Alexander McCall Smith’s introduction:
“This is not a compendium of dry facts – this is an account of why Stevenson found Edinburgh so fascinating and such a rich source of inspiration for his writing.”
“If every writer has his place that comes to mind when he or she closes his or her eyes, then for Stevenson it is the narrow closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town, the dank tenements, the windy passages that do that work. Stevenson inhabited Edinburgh in the fullest possible sense. He knew its twists and turns, its colourful, violent history, its glories and absurdities, its pretences and ambitions."
"Stevenson’s writing strikes the twenty-first century ear as still being fresh and intensely readable … we are in the company of an agreeable and relaxed guide giving us an anecdotal run-down on Edinburgh over a cup of coffee or a lunch."
About the Introduction
Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s best-loved and best-selling authors, thanks to his series of books The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and 44 Scotland Street, amongst many others. He was a professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh before turning his hand to writing, and still lives in Edinburgh. The city of Edinburgh has inspired many of McCall Smith’s books, both fiction and non-fiction.
About the Illustrations
Iain McIntosh is an award-winning illustrator whose work has appeared on packaging, advertising and book covers. His publishing work includes a bookcase full of titles, each designed for the best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith. Iain lives and works in central Edinburgh, only two minutes’ walk from 44 Scotland Street.
