polygon new titles 2016

36
POLYGON NEW TITLES Spring 2016

Upload: birlinn-limited

Post on 31-Jul-2016

213 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

DESCRIPTION

 

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Polygon New Titles 2016

POLYGONNEW TITLES Spring 2016

Page 2: Polygon New Titles 2016

CONTENTS

ALEXANDER McCALL SMITHAlexander McCall Smith – My Italian BulldozerAlexander McCall Smith – The Bertie Project

NEW FICTIONKevin MacNeil – The Brilliant & Forever Denzil Meyrick – The Rat Stone SerenadeSandra Ireland – Beneath the Skin

NON-FICTIONNick Perry – Peaks and TroughsStuart Cosgrove – Young Soul Rebels: A Personal History of Northern SoulStuart Cosgrove – Detroit 67Louise Wyllie & Jan Patience – Arrivals & Sailings: The Making of George WyllieRobert Crawford (Editor) – The Book of Iona: An AnthologyMalachy Tallack – The Un-Discovered Islands

POETRYLiz Lochhead – Fugitive ColoursJenni Fagan – The Dead Queen of Bohemia: New & Collected PoemsNeu!Reekie! – #UntitledTwoLizzie MacGregor (Editor) – Whatever the Sea: Scottish poems for growing older

NEW EDITIONSRosemary Goring – Dacre’s WarMalachy Tallack – Sixty Degrees North: Around the World In Search of HomeLewis Grassic Gibbon – Sunset SongLewis Grassic Gibbon – A Scots QuairShirley McKay – Queen & CountryMichael F. Russell – Lie of the LandChristopher Jory – The Art of Waiting

SPECIAL EDITIONSTimothy Neat – The Day of the MountainShirley McKay – 1588: A Calendar of Crime

JAN-PHILIPP SENDKERJan-Philipp Sendker – A Well-Tempered HeartJan-Philipp Sendker – Whispering ShadowsJan-Philipp Sendker – Dragon Games

FROM 2015Cara Ellison – Embed With Games: A Year on the Couch With Game DevelopersZoë Howe – Lee Brilleaux: Rock’n’Roll GentlemanAlexander McCall Smith – Chance Developments: Unexpected Love StoriesGregory Dowling – Ascension

A45

N678

N91011121314

P15161718

N19202122232425

S2627

282930

31

32

Page 3: Polygon New Titles 2016

POLYGON NEW TITLES

JANUARY – NOVEMBER 2016

A45

N678

N91011121314

P15161718

N19202122232425

S2627

282930

31

32

Page 4: Polygon New Titles 2016

4 Fiction

ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH

ISBN 9781846973550Price £14.99Format 216 x 138mm hardbackRights UK & Commonwealth ex. Canada Publication 19 May 2016Extent 224pp

MY ITALIAN BULLDOZERAlexander McCall Smith

When writer Paul Stewart heads to the idyllic Italian town of Montalcino to finish his already late book, it seems like the perfect escape from stressful city life. Upon landing, however, things quickly take a turn for the worse when he discovers his hired car is nowhere to be found. With no record of any reservation and no other cars available, it looks like Paul is stuck at the airport. That is, until an enterprising stranger offers him an unexpected alternative. While there may be no cars available there is something else on offer . . .

A bulldozer.

With little choice in the matter, Paul accepts and so begins a series of laugh-out-loud adventures through the Italian countryside, following in the wake of Paul and his Italian Bulldozer. A story of unexpected circumstances and a lesson in making the best of what you have, My Italian Bulldozer is a warm holiday read guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Praise for Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party‘All you can eat platter of humour . . . once again McCall Smith doles out an appropriately extra-large helping of fun’ – Scotland on Sunday

‘McCall Smith’s generous writing and dry humour, his gentleness and humanity, and his ability to evoke a place and a set of characters without caricature or condescension have endeared his books to readers’ – The New York Times

9781846973291£9.99 hbk

9781846973239£7.99 pbk

9781846972638£7.99 pbk

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and most popular authors. For many years he was a professor of Medical Law until the publication of his highly successful No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, which has sold over twenty-five million copies. He now devotes his time to the writing of fiction and has seen his various series of books translated into over forty-six languages, becoming bestsellers throughout the world.

Page 5: Polygon New Titles 2016

Fiction 5

THE BERTIE PROJECTAlexander McCall SmithOnce more, we catch up with the delightful goings-on in the fictitious 44 Scotland Street from Alexander McCall Smith. With customary charm and deftness, Alexander McCall Smith gives us another instalment in this popular series, now running in its eleventh season in the Scotsman. Anything could happen to Bertie and the gang. . .

ISBN 9781846973284Price £16.99Format 216 x 138mm hardbackRights World ex. Canada & United StatesPublication 13 August 2015Extent 368pp

THE REVOLVING DOOR OF LIFE

ISBN 9781846973598Price £16.99Format 216 x 138mm hardbackRights UK & Commonwealth ex. CanadaPublication 04 August 2016Extent TBC

Page 6: Polygon New Titles 2016

6 Fiction

WHEN HEAVY SNOW CUTS OFF KINTYRE, DCI JIM DA-LEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS VISITORS. AS AN ANCIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZ-ZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COMING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

ISBN 9781846973376Price £9.99Format 198 x 129mm paperback w/flapsRights World All LanguagesPublication 03 March 2016Extent 256pp

KEVIN MacNEIL

THE BRILLIANT & FOREVERA NovelKevin MacNeil

On an island like no other, the annual Brilliant & Forever festival is a much anticipated event, its participants a story away from either glory or infamy.

This year, three best friends – two human, one alpaca – are chosen to compete, so victory is not only about reward. The glitterati descends, the festival begins: thirteen performers, each have their own story to tell. Who will be chosen by the judges? Who will be chosen by the people?

This is a novel like no other, a whip-cracking, energetic, laugh-out-loud satire on what we value in culture, and in our lives. And yet, written with exquisite warmth and empathy, The Brilliant & Forever is also a moving exploration of integrity, friendship and belonging. It’ll split your sides and break your heart.

‘A wise, warm-hearted meditation on the human condition’ – The Scotsman

‘It is as rich a reading experience as you will discover this year . . . pitch perfect’ – West Highland Free Press

‘Lyrical, satirical, funny and utterly, utterly heartbreaking’ – Heat Magazine

‘It is a joy to read such an engaging illuminating novel’– The Guardian

9781846971839£7.99 pbk

9781846971969£9.99 hbk

Kevin MacNeil is an award-winning writer from the Outer Hebrides now living in London. He is a novelist, poet, editor and screenwriter. The Brilliant & Forever is his third novel.

Page 7: Polygon New Titles 2016

Fiction 7

DENZIL MEYRICK

THE RAT STONE SERENADEA D.C.I. Daley ThrillerDenzil Meyrick

It’s December, and the Shannon family are returning home to their clifftop mansion near Kinloch for their annual AGM. Shannon International is one of the world’s biggest private companies, with tendrils reaching around the globe in computing, banking and mineral resourcing, and it has brought untold wealth and privilege to the family. However, a century ago Archibald Shannon stole the land upon which he built their home – and his descendants have been cursed ever since.

When heavy snow cuts off Kintyre, D.C.I. Jim Daley and D.S. Brian Scott are assigned to protect their illustrious visitors. As an ancient society emerges from the blizzards, and its creation, the Rat Stone, reveals grisly secrets, ghosts of the past come to haunt the Shannons. As the curse decrees, death is coming – but for whom and from what?

Praise for the series:‘Touches of dark humour, multi-layered and compelling’ – Daily Record

‘The right amount of authenticity ... gritty writing ... most memorable’ – Herald

‘Has the ability to give even the least important person in the plot character and the skill to tell a good tale’ – Scots Magazine

ISBN 9781846973406Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights English Language (UK & Commonwealth)Publication 14 April 2016Extent 384pp

9781846973215£8.99 pbk

9781846972881£8.99 pbk

9781846973154£8.99 pbk

After studying politics, Denzil Meyrick worked as a police officer, distillery manager, freelance journalist and company director. He is originally from Campbeltown in Argyll, but now lives with his wife Fiona on Loch Lomondside.

Page 8: Polygon New Titles 2016

8 Fiction

WHEN HEAVY SNOW CUTS OFF KINTYRE, DCI JIM DA-LEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS VISITORS. AS AN ANCIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZ-ZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COMING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

SANDRA IRELAND

BENEATH THE SKINA NovelSandra Ireland

Taking a job in the studio of an Edinburgh taxidermist probably isn’t Walt’s wisest decision. Suffering from combat stress and struggling to outrun the demons from his past, he now finds himself confronted by the undead on a daily basis.

His enigmatic boss, Alys, and her sister, Mouse, have their own uneasy relationship with the past. Someone doesn’t want to let them go. Can Walt save Mouse’s eight-year-old son, William, from becoming the next victim? And can he save himself?

Deliciously disturbing, this psychological thriller peels back the skin of one modern family to reveal the wounds no one wants to see. It deals with the effects of trauma and how facing up to vulnerability is sometimes the only way to let go of the past.

This is a compelling suspense thriller for lovers of the Gothic and the macabre and will appeal to fans of Louise Welsh and Patrick McCabe

ISBN 9781846973611Price £9.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 22 September 2016Extent 272pp

Sandra Ireland was born in Yorkshire, lived for many years in Limerick, and is now based in Carnoustie. She began her writing career as acorrespondent on a local newspaper but quickly realised that fiction is much more intriguing than fact. In 2013 Sandra was awarded a Carnegie-Cameron scholarship to study for an MLitt in Writing Practice and Study at the University of Dundee, graduating with a distinction in 2014. Her work has appeared in various publications and women’s magazines. She is currently writing her second novel, another psychological thriller.

Page 9: Polygon New Titles 2016

Non-Fiction 9

PEAKS AND TROUGHSWild Farming in the Welsh HillsNick Perry

Peaks and Troughs is the story of a naïve young man who is initiated into adulthood through the harsh reality of having to survive in the material world.

Despite the hardships, he never loses his belief that there is an alternative way to farm that is sympathetic to the earth and the animals in his care. His neighbours never take him seriously and try to undermine his efforts as he struggles against the elements and nagging self-doubt, but he carries on, no matter how close to the edge he and his family get.

This is a warm-hearted, humorous and ultimately inspirational tale of a young man’s attempt to run an organic farm in the unforgiving Welsh hills.

ISBN 9781846973659Price £14.99Format 234 x 156mm hardbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 21 October 2016Extent 256pp

Nick Perry spent his childhood in Dorset, out in the countryside daydreaming most of the time. He was educated at Parkstone Sea TrainingSchool before leaving for London where he worked for ATV Television. He travelled around Europe moving from job to job until he came intomoney. On impulse he bought a hill farm in North Wales, some experiences of which form the backdrop to Peaks and Troughs. He lives with his wife Arabella in the Wiltshire countryside where he spends time writing, walking and listening to classical music.

NICK PERRY

Page 10: Polygon New Titles 2016

10 Non-Fiction

WHEN HEAVY SNOW CUTS OFF KINTYRE, DCI JIM DA-LEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS VISITORS. AS AN ANCIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZ-ZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COMING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

STUART COSGROVE

YOUNG SOUL REBELSA Personal Historyof Northern SoulStuart CosgroveNothing will ever compare to the amphetamine rush of my young life and the night I was nearly buggered by my girlfriend’s uncle in the Potteries . . . The opening line of Stuart Cosgrove’s Young Soul Rebels sets up a compelling and intimate story of northern soul, Britain’s most fascinating musical underground scene, and takes the reader on a journey into the iconic clubs that made it famous – The Twisted Wheel, The Torch, Wigan Casino, Blackpool Mecca and Cleethorpes Pier – the bootleggers that made it infamous, the splits that threatened to divide the scene, the great unknown records that built its global reputation and the crate-digging collectors that travelled to America to unearth unknown sounds.

The book sweeps across fifty years of British life and places the northern soul scene in a social context – the rise of amphetamine culture, the policing of youth culture, the north–south divide, the decline of coastal Britain, the Yorkshire Ripper inquiry, the rise of Thatcherism, the miners’ strike, the rave scene and music in the era of the world wide web.

Books have been written about northern soul before but never with the same erudition and passion. Young Soul Rebels nails a scene that is as popular today as it was in its heyday in the 1970s.

ISBN 9781846973338Price £14.99Format 240 x 170mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 19 May 2016Extent 320pp

Stuart Cosgrove, originally from Perth, was a fanzine writer on the northern soul scene before joining the black music paper Echoes, as a staff writer. He became media editor with the NME and a feature writer for a range of newspapers and magazines. A graduate of Hull University, he completed a PhD in modern American theatre history. In 2005 he was named Broadcaster of the Year in the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards and in 2012 he won numerous awards including a BAFTA and Royal Television Society award for Channel 4’s coverage of the London Paralympics 2012.

Page 11: Polygon New Titles 2016

Non-Fiction 11

DETROIT 67The Year That Changed SoulStuart CosgroveDetroit 67 is the story of Motor City in the year that changed everything. Twelve chapters take you on a turbulent year-long journey through the drama and chaos that ripped through the city in 1967 and tore it apart in personal, political and interracial disputes. It is the story of Motown, the break-up of The Supremes and the damaging disputes at the heart of the most successful African-American music label ever.

Set against a backdrop of urban riots, escalating war in Vietnam and police corruption, the book weaves its way through a year when soul music came of age and the underground counterculture flourished. LSD arrived in the city with hallucinogenic power and local guitar band MC5 – selfstyled holy barbarians of rock – went to war with mainstream America. A summer of street-level rebellion turned Detroit into one of the most notorious cities on earth, known for its unique creativity, its unpredictability and self-lacerating crime rates.

The year 1967 ended in social meltdown, rancour and intense legal warfare as the complex threads that held Detroit together finally unravelled.

‘It is to be consumed rather than to be dipped into, a whole-hearted evocation of people and places filled with the confidence that it is telling a tale set at a fulcrum of American social and cultural history’ – The Independent

ISBN 9781846973666Price £12.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 21 October 2016Extent 512pp

STUART COSGROVE

Stuart Cosgrove, originally from Perth, was a fanzine writer on the northern soul scene before joining the black music paper Echoes, as a staff writer. He became media editor with the NME and a feature writer for a range of newspapers and magazines. A graduate of Hull University, he completed a PhD in modern American theatre history. In 2005 he was named Broadcaster of the Year in the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards and in 2012 he won numerous awards including a BAFTA and Royal Television Society award for Channel 4’s coverage of the London Paralympics 2012.

Page 12: Polygon New Titles 2016

12 Non-Fiction

WHEN HEAVY SNOW CUTS OFF KINTYRE, DCI JIM DA-LEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS VISITORS. AS AN ANCIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZ-ZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COMING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

LOUISE WYLLIE & JAN PATIENCE

ISBN 9781846973062Price £25.00Format 250 x 240mm hardbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 14 April 2016Extent 224pp

ARRIVALS AND SAILINGS The Making of George WyllieLouise Wyllie & Jan PatienceThe Making of George Wyllie has been co-written by his elder daughter, Louise Wyllie, and arts journalist Jan Patience. Containing never-before-seen images and fresh insight into his influences and early life, this book seeks to answer questions about the forces which shaped Wyllie’s unique worldview.

The voyage begins with Wyllie’s Glasgow childhood – a period ‘disadvantaged by happiness’ – and moves on to time spent serving in the Pacific with the Royal Navy during WWII, where he witnessed first-hand the devastation caused by the world’s first atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima.

After the war, like Robert Burns and Adam Smith before him, Wyllie became an Exciseman. He made ‘time for art’ in his forties, going on to create memorable public art works such as the life-sized Straw Locomotive, which hung from the Finnieston Crane in Glasgow, and the giant seaworthy Paper Boat, with the letters QM (Question Mark) on her side.

By the time of his death at the age of 90 in 2012, this idiosyncratic self-taught artist had laid out his vision of himself as the artist-shaman, arrow in hand, making a last Cosmic Voyage.

Louise Wyllie is the artist’s elder daughter. Recent writings include an episode of CBeebies drama, Katie Morag. She edited and commissioned the recent George Wyllie Retrospective exhibition catalogue, which won an D&AD In-Book Award.

Jan Patience has been a journalist and editor for over twenty-five years. She writes on visual art for the Herald, Homes and Interiors Scotland and the Daily Record, among others. Jan was a driving force behind the Whysman Festival in 2012.

Page 13: Polygon New Titles 2016

Non-Fiction 13

ROBERT CRAWFORD

THE BOOK OF IONAEdited by Robert CrawfordThis brand new anthology is comprised of creative prose, non-fiction and poetry that ranges from Columba to the present day, all linked by the island of Iona.

Featuring the writing of Meaghan Delahunt, Jennie Erdal, Sara Lodge, Victoria Mackenzie, Candia McWilliam, Ruth Thomas, and Alice Thompson this wonderful collection will have broad historical and contemporary appeal.

The Book of Iona is a celebration of one of Scotland’s most beautiful islands and follows on from the success of The Book of St. Andrews (Polygon, 2007).

ISBN 9781846973512Price £12.99Format 216 x 138mm hardbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 14 July 2016Extent 320pp

Robert Crawford is Professor of Modern Scottish Literature in the School of English at the University of St Andrews. His seven collections of poems include A Scottish Assembly (Chatto & Windus, 1990), Selected Poems (Cape, 2005) and Apollos of the North (Birlinn, 2006), which featured his English translations alongside poems in Latin by George Buchanan and Arthur Johnston. With Mick Imlah he is co-editor of The New Penguin Book of Scottish Verse (2000). His books include The Modern Poet (Oxford University Press, 2001), The Book of St. Andrews (Polygon, 2007), The Beginning and the End of the World (Birlinn, 2011) and Young Eliot (Jonathan Cape, 2015). He lives in St Andrews with his wife and two children.

9781904598992£7.99 pbk

Page 14: Polygon New Titles 2016

14 Non-Fiction

WHEN HEAVY SNOW CUTS OFF KINTYRE, DCI JIM DA-LEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS VISITORS. AS AN ANCIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZ-ZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COMING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

MALACHY TALLACK

THE UN-DISCOVERED ISLANDSMalachy TallackIllustrated by Katie ScottCritically acclaimed author Malachy Tallack returns in the Autumn of 2016 with a brand new excursion into the beautiful, mysterious and mythical landscapes of the world with The Un-Discovered Islands.

Gathered in this book are over twenty islands that have decidedly human origins, whether they are the products of imagination, deception or simply human error. They are phantoms, fakes and legends: an archipelago of ex-iles and forgotten lands. From the well-known myths of Atlantis to the more obscure legends of Thule and Antilla, from the islands of pure fiction to others whose existence is still in doubt, Malachy has created an atlas of fairytale and wonder.

This time Malachy’s prose will be accompanied by glorious full colour illustrations from Katie Scott. She has worked with The New York Times, Convers, Urban Outfitters and the BBC. She is the illustrator of the beautiful Animalium.

‘It’s a joy to read, its prose as clear as the light on the Greenland ice-cap. In the past year, I’ve read three or four books combining travelogue and memoir. . .this was the best’ – Telegraph on Sixty Degrees North

Praise for Katie Scott’s illustrations‘Animalium is a treasure trove of knowledge represented beautifully through its glorious, large-scale illustrations’– the Guardian

‘It’s easy to imagine these exquisite images hanging in the guilded hall of a museum, but unlike a museum, readers can

ISBN 9781846973505Price £14.99Format 240 x 180mm hardbackRights UK & Commonwealth exc. CanadaPublication 13 October 2016Extent 96pp

9781846973420£8.99 pbk

Malachy Tallack has written for the New Statesman, the Guardian, the Scottish Review of Books, Caught By the River and many other publications, online and in print. He won a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust in 2014, and the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2015. He is from Shetland and currently lives in Glasgow.

Page 15: Polygon New Titles 2016

Poetry 15

LIZ LOCHHEAD

ISBN 9781846973451Price £9.99Format 198 x 129mm hardbackRights World English LanguagePublication 26 May 2016Extent 112pp

FUGITIVE COLOURSLiz LochheadThis stunning new collection features never before published work along with poems written during her time as Scots Makar, and marks the end of her term as Scotland’s Poet Laureate (2011-2016). Whether commissioned works, such as ‘Connecting Cultures’, written for the Commonwealth Games in 2014, or more personal works, ‘Favourite Place’, about holidays in the west coast with her late husband, this collection is beautiful, sensitive and brilliant.

Throughout her career Liz Lochhead has been described variously as a poet, feminist-playwright, translator and broadcaster but has said that ‘when somebody asks me what I do I usually say writer. The most precious thing to me is to be a poet. If I were a playwright, I’d like to be a poet in the theatre.’

Praise for Liz Lochhead‘An inspirational presence in British poetry – funny, feisty, female, full of feeling’ – Carol Ann Duffy

‘The social satires in Liz Lochhead’s new collection are among the wittiest and most original pieces she has written’ – Herald

‘One of the few poets writing today capable of encompassing the matter of contemporary life in terms that are both attractive and thought-provoking’ – Books in Scotland

‘This is the work of a highly intelligent, sensitive, perceptive, and humorous young woman ’ – George Mackay Brown

Poet and playwright Liz Lochhead is a Fellow of Glasgow School of Art, an Honorary Doctor of Letters of Glasgow University, a Fellow of RSAMD and of Glasgow Institute of Art, and is an Honorary President of the Scottish Poetry Library. Her poetry collections include Dreaming Frankenstein (Polygon, 1984), True Confessions and New Clichés (Polygon, 1985), Bagpipe Muzak (Penguin, 1991), The Colour of Black and White (Polygon, 2003) and A Choosing: Selected Poems (Polygon, 2011). Her plays include Tartuffe (Polygon, 1986), Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off (Penguin, 1989) and the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award-winning Medea (Nick Hern Books, 2000). In 2016 Liz will be awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry

9781846972072£9.99 pbk

9780954407520£9.99 pbk

Page 16: Polygon New Titles 2016

16 Poetry

DALEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRI-OUS VISITORS. AS AN AN-CIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COM-ING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

JENNI FAGAN

ISBN 9781846973390Price £9.99Format 205 x 145mm paperbackRights World English LanguagePublication 14 April 2016Extent 176pp

THE DEAD QUEEN OF BOHEMIANew & Collected PoemsJenni FaganThe Dead Queen of Bohemia is a journey through a life lived on the edge. With a poetic style influenced by Gertrude Stein and William Burroughs, this collection is woven with surrealistic imagery that is both unflinching and dislocating. Fagan’s poetry is raw and tough yet beautiful and tender and with themes of loss and recovery, hope and defiance, her work represents a clarion call from a self-taught poet who started writing at the age of seven and so far has not stopped.

The Dead Queen of Bohemia documents the progression of a voice and a life written over the last twenty years. It opens with Jenni’s most recent work and includes her previous two collections, both now out of print.

Jenni Fagan is an author, poet, screenwriter, essayist and a playwright. She has won awards from Creative Scotland, Arts Council England, Dewar Arts, and Scottish Screen, among others. She was named one of the Best Young British Novelist by Granta, a once-in-a-decade accolade. Her debut novel was in Waterstones 11 as one of the best worldwide debuts 2012. Fagan has twice been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, was shortlisted for the Dublin Impac, Dundee International Book Prize, the Desmond Elliott Prize and the James Tait Black Prize, and has recently written for BBC Radio 4, The New York Times, the Independent, and Marie Claire. She is currently completing the screenplay of The Panopticon. Jenni lives by the coast and is working on two new novels. Her second, The Sunlight Pilgrims comes out in 2016.

Page 17: Polygon New Titles 2016

Poetry 17

MICHAEL PEDERSEN & KEVIN WILLIAMSON

ISBN 9781846973536Price £12.99Format 234 x 156mm paperbackRights World English LanguagePublication 01 May 2016Extent 112pp

#UNTITLEDTWONeu! Reekie!Edited by Michael Pedersen& Kevin WilliamsonA follow up to last year’s immensely popular #UntitledOne. This year’s anthology gives us more of the promising and established names in British poetry who have all shared the Neu! Reekie! bill. Many of the works are new, many are favourites read at the events; all are savoured, sublime, sumptuous voices within poetry already.

Contributors include: established poets Jackie Kay, Kathleen Jamie and Liz Lochhead; younger poets Rachel McCrum and Ryan van Winkle; as well as poets from the spoken word circuit: Luke Wright and Ross Sutherland. Accompanying the book is a downloadable compilation album.

Praise for #UntitledOne

‘Neu! Reekie! dismantles the structures and snobberies dividing high and low art – art is for everyone’ – Skinny

‘Genre-crossing performance night led by Michael Pedersen and Kevin Williamson, incorporating spoken word, animation, drama, music and more’ – Time Out

Michael Pedersen is a poet, playwright and animateur with an electric reputation on the performance circuit and a prolific precedent of collaborations, having teamed up with some of the UK’s top musicians, film-makers and artists. He is widely published in magazines, journals, anthologies and e-zines, and a key creative within Dream Tower Productions. Michael’s collection, Play with Me, was published by Polygon in 2013.

Kevin Williamson is a writer, publisher, and activist, originally from Caithness. He is a Scottish socialist and republican and was an activist for the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP). He wrote a regular weekly column, Rebel Ink, for the Scottish Socialist Voice. He is co-founder of Neu! Reekie!

9781846973345£12.99 pbk

Page 18: Polygon New Titles 2016

18 Poetry

DALEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRI-OUS VISITORS. AS AN AN-CIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COM-ING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

LIZZIE MacGREGOR

ISBN 9781846973383Price £9.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 01 September 2016Extent 100pp

WHATEVER THE SEAScottish poems for growing olderEdited by Lizzie MacGregorage has drifted down / imperceptibly, like dust

Age comes to us all. It is not a unique phenomenon, but it is personal, and it can be perplexing. Poetry gives us a fresh way to think about growing older, and these poems, introduced by Sally Magnusson, celebrate maturity, widen perspectives and confront the inevitable.

The poets acknowledge the advent of age, in rueful or upbeat mode, celebrate the bonuses of friendship and late love, survey the weaknesses of body and mind with black humour, and face the final destination with indomitable spirit.

Whatever the Sea: Scottish poems for growing older, edited by Lizzie MacGregor, is published in association with the Scottish Poetry Library and with support from the Baring Foundation. It includes poems by Edwin Morgan, Stewart Conn, Alison Prince, Douglas Dunn, Vicki Feaver and Diana Hendry.

9781846973321£12.99 hbk

9781904598244£9.99 hbk

Lizzie MacGregor is the Assistant Librarian of the Scottish Poetry Library, and editor of several popular anthologies co-published by the SPL and Polygon, including Handfast: Scottish poems for weddings and affirmations, Lament: Scottish poems for funerals and consolation; and Luckenbooth, an anthology of Edinburgh poetry.

Cover visual courtesy of Olivia Lom

enech Gill

Page 19: Polygon New Titles 2016

New Editions 19

ISBN 9781846973413Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights UK & Commonwealth exc. CanadaPublication 03 March 2016Extent 352pp

ROSEMARY GORING

DACRE’S WARNew EditionRosemary GoringDacre’s War is a story of personal and political vengeance. Ten years after the battle of Flodden, Adam Crozier, head of his clan and of an increasingly powerful alliance of Borderers, learns for sure that it was Lord Thomas Dacre – now the most powerful man in the north of England – who ordered his father’s murder. He determines to take his revenge.

As a fighting man, Crozier would like nothing better than to bring Dacre down face to face but his wife Louise advises him that he must use more subtle methods. So he sets out to engineer Dacre’s downfall by turning the machinery of the English court against him. A vivid and fast-moving tale of political intrigue and heartache, Dacre’s War is a fascinating portrait of the historical Scottish and English borderlands, a place were there is never any chance of peace.

‘Dacre’s War is an absorbing, dense read, packed with political twists. The Scottish Borders are superbly evoked – this is a land of constant fear and hardship, as well as great beauty. Highly recommended.’ – Antonia Senior, The Times

‘A packed and atmospheric tale of intrigue and derring-do in 16th century border country, astoundingly well written with a cracking plot coming to a satisfying conclusion’ – Sue Broom, Love Reading

9781846972836£8.99 pbk

Rosemary Goring studied social and economic history at the University of St Andrews. She was the literary editor of Scotland on Sunday, editor of Life & Work, the Church of Scotland’s magazine, before returning to newspapers as literary editor of the Herald, and later also of the Sunday Herald. In 2007 she published Scotland: The Autobiography: 2000 Years of Scottish History By Those Who Saw it Happen, which has since been published in America and Russia. Rosemary’s first novel was After Flodden.

Page 20: Polygon New Titles 2016

DALEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRI-OUS VISITORS. AS AN AN-CIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COM-ING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

20 New Editions

MALACHY TALLACK

ISBN 97818469733451Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights UK & Commonwealth ex. CanadaPublication 02 June 2016Extent 208pp

SIXTY DEGREES NORTHNew EditionMalachy TallackThe sixtieth parallel marks a kind of borderland. It wraps itself around the lower reaches of Finland, Sweden and Norway; it crosses the tip of Greenland and of Southcentral Alaska; it cuts the great spaces of Russia and Canada in half. The parallel also passes through Shetland, at the very top of the British Isles. In Sixty Degrees North, Malachy Tallack explores the places that share this latitude, beginning and ending in Shetland, where he has spent most of his life. The book focuses on the landscapes and natural environments of the parallel, and the way that people have interactedwith those landscapes. It explores themes of wildness and community, of isolation and engagement, of exile and memory.

In addition, Sixty Degrees North is also a deeply personal book, which begins with the author’s loss of his father and his troubled relationship with Shetland. Informed by the journeys described, it moves towards a kind of resolution: an acceptance of loss, and ultimately a love of the place Tallack calls ‘home’.

‘It’s a joy to read, its prose as clear as the light on the Greenland ice-cap. In the past year, I’ve read three or four books combining travelogue and memoir. . .this was the best’ – Telegraph

‘Malachy is a fine, sensitive writer with an eye for detail and a talent for descriptive prose’ – Gavin Bell, Herald

Sixty Degrees North was chosen as BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.

Malachy Tallack has written for the New Statesman, the Guardian, the Scottish Review of Books, Caught By the River and many other publications, online and in print. He won a New Writers Award from the Scottish Book Trust in 2014, and the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2015. He is from Shetland and currently lives in Glasgow.

Page 21: Polygon New Titles 2016

New Editions 21

SUNSET SONGLuxury Hardback EditionLewis Grassic Gibbon‘Oh, she hated and loved in a breath!’

Since its first publication in 1932, Sunset Song has been regarded as one of the most important novels ever written in Scotland and it has retained its power to shock and to inspire ever since.

Its heroine, Chris Guthrie, endures much hardship and tragedy, yet her desire to learn, her powerful spirit and her passionate love of the land have made her a beloved favourite with generations of readers.

Together with Cloud Howe (1933) and Grey Granite (1934) her story forms A Scot Quair, which is also published by Polygon, and this deluxe edition is perfect to treasure or to give as a gift.

‘Its great gripping hybrid of melodrama and realism has left me scorched’ – Ali Smith

‘Chris Guthrie is the most passionate and appealing heroine in Scottish Literature; Grassic Gibbon’s magnificent novel is fresh, powerful and timeless’ – Anne Donovan

ISBN 9781846973574Price £9.99Format 198 x 129mm hardbackPublication 18 February 2016Extent 264pp

9781846973567£6.99 pbk

Lewis Grassic Gibbon (James Leslie Mitchell) was one of the finest writers of the twentieth century. Born in Aberdeenshire in 1901, he died at the age of thirty-four. He was a prolific writer of novels, short stories, essays and science fiction, and his writing reflected his wide interest in religion, archaeology, history, politics and science. The Mearns trilogy, A Scots Quair, is his most renowned work, and has become a landmark in Scottish literature.9781904598664

£7.99 pbk

LEWIS GRASSIC GIBBON

Page 22: Polygon New Titles 2016

DALEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRI-OUS VISITORS. AS AN AN-CIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COM-ING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

22 New Editions

LEWIS GRASSIC GIBBON

A SCOTS QUAIRThe Mearns TrilogyLuxury Hardback EditionLewis Grassic GibbonOne of the all-time greats of Scottish literature, truly revolutionary, A Scots Quair is a trilogy of novels: Sunset Song (1932), Cloud Howe (1933) and Grey Granite (1934). At each book’s core is the heroine Chris Guthrie, as she grows from a child into adulthood through the Great War to the development of communism in the 1920s. Grassic Gibbon’s writing is unique and riveting, blending Scots and English in an accessible style, and eloquent in its humanity and celebration of nature.

‘This book may be read with delight the world over’ – The New York Times

‘It would be impossible to overestimate Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s importance . . . A Scots Quair is a landmark work’ – David Kerr Cameron

ISBN 9781846973673Price £14.99Format 198 x 129mm hardbackPublication 07 October 2016Extent 736pp

9781846973567£6.99 pbk

9781904598664£7.99 pbk

Lewis Grassic Gibbon (James Leslie Mitchell) was one of the finest writers of the twentieth century. Born in Aberdeenshire in 1901, he died at the age of thirty-four. He was a prolific writer of novels, short stories, essays and science fiction, and his writing reflected his wide interest in religion, archaeology, history, politics and science. The Mearns trilogy, A Scots Quair, is his most renowned work, and has become a landmark in Scottish literature.

Page 23: Polygon New Titles 2016

New Editions 23

SHIRLEY McKAY

ISBN 9781846973437Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 14 April 2016Extent 288pp

QUEEN & COUNTRYNew EditionShirley McKay1587. Three years after his enforced departure to London, Hew is reconciled with King James VI and recalled to Scotland. He elopes to St Andrews with a young Englishwoman. The death of Mary, Queen of Scots has unleashed a wave of anti-English sentiment among the Scottish people, and fear and confusion in the king himself. James will grant his blessing to their controversial marriage on the condition that Hew discovers what lies behind a painting cunningly contrived to prick the young king’s conscience – an anamorphic death’s-head with his mother’s face.

Meanwhile in St Andrews, the death of a painter is troubling Giles Locke, and the English Frances, struggling to adapt to a foreign town and culture, helps Hew find the link among the artists and intriguers of opposing courts, a quest for love – and life – requiring all his skills.

This is the fifth book in the bestselling Hew Cullan Series.

‘Charms the reader’ – Scotland on Sunday

‘Wonderful stuff’ – Good Book Guide

Shirley McKay was born in Tynemouth but now lives with her family in Fife. She studied English and Linguistics and was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger. Shirley works as a freelance

9781846971525£8.99 pbk

9781846972188£8.99 pbk

9781846971808£8.99 pbk

9781846973222£8.99 pbk

Page 24: Polygon New Titles 2016

DALEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRI-OUS VISITORS. AS AN AN-CIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COM-ING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

24 New Editions

MICHAEL F. RUSSELL

ISBN 9781846973604Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 16 June 2016Extent 304pp

LIE OF THE LANDNew EditionMichael F. RussellInvestigative journalist Carl Shewan lives in a world controlled by terror. When an informant summons him to the Highland town of Inverlair with information on the mysterious new communications system, S.C.O.P.E. Carl thinks he might finally be onto something. Not long after he arrives, however, the system is activated . . . with catastrophic results.

Imprisoned in this remote refuge by a technological catastrophe, Carl struggles to adapt to impending fatherhood and to a harsh new existence in an ancient landscape, until a childless gamekeeper offers him an alternative to guilt and alienation.

Set in the near future, Lie of the Land examines the claustrophobia of small-town life and questions how far the state will go to preserve an orderly society, one in which ubiquitous surveillance has reduced human life to a virtual experience.

‘Lie of the Land is greater than the sum of its possible parts, and those parts might be 1984, Lord of the Flies, and Under the Dome’ – Shoreline of Infinity

Michael F. Russell grew up on the Isle of Barra before leaving to study Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow, followed by a postgraduate diploma in Journalism Studies at the University of Strathclyde. He is deputy editor at the West Highland Free Press and writes occasionally for the Sunday Herald. His writing has appeared in Gutter, Northwords Now and Fractured West. He lives on Skye with his partner and two children.

Page 25: Polygon New Titles 2016

New Editions 25

CHRISTOPHER JORY

ISBN 9781846973628Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 19 May 2016Extent 304pp

THE ART OF WAITINGNew EditionChristopher JoryRussia, 1943. A girl from Leningrad and a soldier from Venice stand together on the edge of wilderness. He is a shadow of a man, trapped behind wire, an enemy in her land. Taking something from her pocket, she slips her hand through the wire and catches her skin on a barb producing a tiny drop of blood.

‘Have this.’ The man takes the gift – a small crust of bread, a little piece of hope. Its memory will nourish him, keep him alive, on his long journey home to Italy.

But when he returns, he must decide which path to take – to be true to the love of the girl who saved his life, or to pursue his unfulfilled vow and seek revenge on the man who had ruined his home and his family.

This is a tale of love, revenge and survival against the odds, set in Venice and Russia in the 1940s.

‘A profoundly moving novel that sweeps you from Russia to Italy over the course of a gripping, richly evocative and atmospheric tale’ – Alex Preston

Christopher Jory was born in 1968 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. He spent his early childhood in Barbados, Venezuela and finally Oxfordshire. He did a degree in English Literature and Philosophy at Leicester University and then worked for the British Council and other organisations in Italy, Spain, Crete, Brazil and Venezuela. He is currently a Publisher at Cambridge University Press. His first book, Lost in the Flames (Matador, 2011), was a moving account of RAF Bomber Command airmen and their families.

Page 26: Polygon New Titles 2016

26 Special Editions

TIMOTHY NEAT

THE DAY OF THE MOUNTAINLimited EditionDrawings by Timothy NeatPreface by John BergerWritings by Anne MichaelsSince entering his eighth decade Timothy Neat has concentrated his wide-ranging creativity on the act of drawing in sketchbooks. His prime subject is people – the common man, writers, artists, travellers, prisoners: he also addresses war, landscape, and the ancient past with visionary understanding.

Of the four hundred drawings being published, only three have been publicly seen. In this book Neat, the artist, can be seen for the first time – championed by the great art critic John Berger and renowned writer Anne Michaels: these drawings are revelatory.

This special signed edition, produced to the highest specification, is limited to 150 copies and is guaranteed to appeal to collectors of fine art and belles-lettres in Scotland and across Europe.

Neat’s books include The Summer Walkers, Part Seen Part Imagined, a two volume biography of Hamish Henderson and, most recently, These Faces, a collection of photographs and drawings (2013).

ISBN 9781846973581Price £100.00Format 240 x 170mm hardbackRights World English LanguagePublication 19 May 2016Extent 352pp

Timothy Neat was born and brought up in Cornwall. He completed a degree in Fine Art at the University of Leeds and moved to Scotland in 1968. From 1973 to 1988, he lectured in History of Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in Dundee. During his time there, he became the founder-editor of a fine-art periodical called Seer. He also took over the convenorship of the Scottish Sculpture Trust, supervising the major George Rickey sculpture exhibition on Clydeside (1982), the Eduardo Paolozzi exhibition at the Royal Scottish Academy (1984) and the funding and erection of the Hugh MacDiarmid Memorial Sculpture in Langholm (1985). He also organised a series of national conferences on topics including public art, women’s art and Scottish art. In 1997 he was a consultant to the City of Glasgow’s international touring exhibition of work by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His book The Summer Walkers was awarded the Jena Michaelis Ratcliffe Folklore Award in 1996. He lives in Fife.

Page 27: Polygon New Titles 2016

Special Editions 27

SHIRLEY McKAY

1588: A CALENDAR OF CRIMEShirley McKaySet in the year of the Armada, 1588: A Calendar of Crime brings together five eBook exclusive short stories featuring Hew Cullan, together with Frances, Giles, Meg and other characters from the Hew Cullan series. From the gruesome murder of a candlemaker to Spanish ghosts on Hallowmas, Shirley McKay delivers five gripping tales of mystery that will keep you reading long into the night. The stories are being released throughout the year as stand alone eBooks before being gathered into the Calendar of Crime anthology.

Candlemas. ‘The Crackling House’Whitsunday. ‘Visitation’Lammas. ‘Golden Lads’Martinmas. ‘Dead Spaniard’Yule. ‘The Keeping of Christmas’

For fans of historical fiction by Hilary Mantel and CJ Samson, the Hew Cullan mysteries have sold 40,000 copies to date. This is a beautiful hardback anthology comprised of five self-contained mystery short stories; the perfect Christmas gift.

Praise for the Hew Cullan Series:‘One of those rare “historical” thrillers in which the characters are not only utterly believable, but also wonderfully immediate and vivid in their humanity’ – John Burnside

‘A superior historical thriller’ – The Herald

‘a gipping and welcome addition to the growing genre of historical crime fiction’ – Waterstones Books Quarterly

Shirley McKay was born in Tynemouth but now lives with her family in Fife. She studied English and Linguistics and was shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger. Shirley works as a freelance proofreader.

9781846971525£8.99 pbk

9781846972188£8.99 pbk

9781846971808£8.99 pbk

9781846973222£8.99 pbk

9781846973437£8.99 pbk

ISBN 9781846973635Price £12.99Format 205 x 153mm hbkRights World All LanguagesPublication 11 November 2016Extent 256pp

Page 28: Polygon New Titles 2016

28 Fiction

WHEN HEAVY SNOW CUTS OFF KINTYRE, DCI JIM DA-LEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS VISITORS. AS AN ANCIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZ-ZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COMING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

JAN-PHILIPP SENDKER

ISBN 9781846972850Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights UK & CommonwealthPublication 19 May 2016Extent 304pp

A WELL-TEMPERED HEARTThe Burma SeriesJan-Philipp SendkerJulia Win, a successful Manhattan lawyer, is at a crossroads in her life. Despite her wealth and privilege, she is exhausted and unhappy – a lost soul. She returns to Burma, the homeland of her father, where she encounters an anguished mother whose life is shattered when her two sons are called up from theirrural village to fight in Burma’s civil war.

Both women embark on their own journeys of self-discovery, experiencing heartbreak, horror, love and, ultimately, redemption. This mesmerising novel explores the most inspiring and passionate terrain of all: the human heart.

This is the sequel to The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.

‘It’s hard to describe how the book [A Well-Tempered Heart] made me feel; when I finished it I felt emotionally spent. I’d been transported during my reading and barely put the book down once I’d started. I was torn between wanting to find out what happened and wanting the book not to end’– Nicky Hallam, Newbooks Magazine

Praise for The Art of Hearing Heartbeats

‘This novel [The Art of Hearing Heartbeats] is a beautifully woven love story of resilience, passion, and truth thatlingers long into the silence after the last page’– New Jersey Herald

‘[The Art of Hearing Heartbeats] . . . is imbued with Eastern spirituality and fairytale romanticism . . . fans of Nicholas Sparks and Elizabeth Gilbert should eat this up’– Kirkus Review

Jan-Philipp Sendker lives in Berlin with his family. He was the American correspondent for Stern from 1990 to 1995, and its Asian correspondent from 1995 to 1999. The Art of Hearing Heartbeats, his first novel, was an international bestseller, and he’s the author of A Well-Tempered Heart, Whispering Shadows and its sequel Dragon Games. He is currently at work on the third novel set in Hong Kong.

Page 29: Polygon New Titles 2016

Fiction 29

NEW EDITION

Whispering Shadows has been chosen to join an elite list of fifteen books for the UK’s World Book Night 2016. World Book Night brings together a powerful collaboration of publishers, printers, distributors, libraries, booksellers, private donors, trusts and foundations – to inspire more people to read.

Find out more here on the World Book Night websitewww.worldbooknight.org

ISBN 9781846973307Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights UK & CommonwealthPublication 19 May 2016Extent 304pp

WHISPERING SHADOWSThe China SeriesJan-Philipp SendkerPaul Leibovitz was once an ambitious advisor, dedicated father and loving husband. But after living for nearly thirty years in Hong Kong, personal tragedy strikes and Paul’s marriage unravels in the fallout.

When he makes a fleeting connection with Elizabeth, a distressed American woman on the verge of collapse, his life is thrown into turmoil. Less than twenty-four hours later, Elizabeth’s son is found dead in Shenzhen, and Paul, invigorated by a newfound purpose, sets out to investigate the murder on his own.

As Paul, Elizabeth and a detective friend descend deeper into the Shenzhen underworld they discover dark secrets hidden beneath China’s booming new wealth. In a country where rich businessmen with expensive degrees can corrupt the judicial system, the potential for evil abounds.

‘When you hear “crime novel” you think you know what to expect. When you hear love story, you might believe you know the outcome. Yet, in Jan-Philipp Sendker’s astonishing new novel [Whispering Shadows], set against the seamy backdrop of modern-day China, he melds the two to create something so original, so thrilling and moving about the things we want, and what we’re prepared to do to get them. A murder story was never so ravishing’ – Caroline Leavitt, New York Times

‘Beautifully written, with lush descriptions of an exotic society, and driven by complex and intriguing characters who evolve and react with heart and courage, Whispering Shadows is a remarkable novel that succeeds in astonishing fashion and defies categorization’ – The Day

Page 30: Polygon New Titles 2016

30 Fiction

WHEN HEAVY SNOW CUTS OFF KINTYRE, DCI JIM DA-LEY AND DS BRIAN SCOTT ARE ASSIGNED TO PROTECT THEIR ILLUSTRIOUS VISITORS. AS AN ANCIENT SOCIETY EMERGES FROM THE BLIZ-ZARDS, AND ITS CREATION, THE RAT STONE, REVEALS GRISLY SECRETS, GHOSTS OF THE PAST COME TO HAUNT THE SHANNONS. AS THE CURSE DECREES, DEATH IS COMING – BUT FOR WHOM AND FROM WHAT?

JAN-PHILIPP IN 2016

ISBN 9781846973543Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights UK & CommonwealthPublication 22 September 2016Extent 304pp

DRAGON GAMESThe China SeriesJan-Philipp SendkerPaul Leibovitz is 53, living in Hong Kong, deeply in love with the city, its culture, and most of all, Christine. When a fortune teller predicts the death of someone she loves, however, the pair are once again thrust into the murky criminal world of Hong Kong and forced to fight for their lives.

This is book two of the China series, the highly anticipated follow up to Whispering Shadows. Told with Jan-Philipp’s trademark blend of haunting beauty, power and warmth, this is another thrilling tale of murder, love and intrigue set against the backdrop of modern day China.

A well-respected foreign correspondent for STERN magazine, Jan-Philipp Sendker has travelled extensively in China and Burma, conducting hundreds of interviews with the people of both countries. As a result, he has an in-depth knowledge of the reforms underway in these countries and their impact on ordinary communities large and small. It is this insight that informs his works of fiction – books which have been translated into more than 30 languages, selling over 2.5 million copies worldwide . . . so far.

Photo courtesy of Frank Suffert9781846972409

£8.99 pbk9781846973543£8.99 pbk

9781846973307£8.99 pbk

9781846972850£8.99 pbk

The Burma Series The China Series

Page 31: Polygon New Titles 2016
Page 32: Polygon New Titles 2016

32 From 2015

2015 HIGHLIGHTS: ELLISON, HOWE

EMBED WITH GAMESA Year on the Couch with Game DevelopersCara EllisonIn 2014 games critic Cara Ellison rather flippantly pledged to the internet she’d leave home, become itinerant and travel around the world to live with and write about some of the most interesting game developers and their cultural outlook.

Originally Cara put up the Embed With Games series monthly on a free blog as she travelled from couch to couch, writing about the people she met and about the way our game creators express the culture around them. This is the collected work, with an exclusive introduction from Kieron Gillen, a cover from Irene Koh and a conclusion exclusive to the ebook.

‘I didn’t know too much about Cara before reading Embed with Games, now I admire her. This book made me want to play games, it makes me want to make games. I can’t really offer higher praise than that’ – VideoBrains.co.uk

LEE BRILLEAUXRock’n’Roll GentlemanZoë HoweLee Brilleaux, the uniquely charismatic star of proto-punk R&B reprobates Dr Feelgood, was one of rock’n’roll’s greatest frontmen. But he was also one of its greatest gentlemen – a class act with heart, fire, wanderlust and a wild streak, exploding out of Canvey Island in the early 1970s – an ageof glam rock, post-hippy folk and pop androgyny.

Published with the blessing of Lee’s widow Shirley, this is an exhilarating, eye-opening collection of exclusive interviews, memories and unseen drawings and images – the first comprehensive appreciation of Lee Brilleaux and a book no Dr Feelgood fan would wish to be without.

‘Zoë Howe presents a fascinating portrait of Lee Collinson (Lee’s pre-Brilleaux name)’ – Louder Than War

ISBN 9781846973444Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 19 November 2015Extent 136pp

ISBN 9781846973352Price £14.99Format 234 x 156mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 19 November 2015Extent 272pp

Page 33: Polygon New Titles 2016

From 2015 33

2015 HIGHLIGHTS: McCALL SMITH, DOWLING

CHANCE DEVELOPMENTSUnexpected Love StoriesAlexander McCall SmithIt is said that a picture may be worth a thousand words but an old photograph can inspire many more. In this beguiling book, Alexander McCall Smith casts his eye over five chanced-upon photographs from the past and imagines the stories behind them. What emerges are surprising and poignant tales of love and friendship in a variety of settings – from an estate in the Highlands of Scotland to a travelling circus in Canada.

Some will find joy and fulfilment – others would prefer happier endings. Each of them, though, will find love, and that is ultimately what matters.

These stories are full of insight and empathy…the first two, ‘Sister Flora’s First Day of Freedom’ and ‘Angels in Italy’ are works of depth and beauty that would not be shamed in the company of the world’s great short stories’ – Kerryn Goldsworthy, Fairfax Papers

ASCENSIONGregory DowlingVenice in 1749 – the city has lost its political and financial primacy but has become Europe’s pleasure capital. Alvise Marangon, born in Italy but brought up in London, returns to the city of his birth and quickly becomes involved in the protection of a visiting wealthy young Englishman and his beautiful cousin.

Amidst the world of gambling dens and courtesans, something momentous is being planned for the Feast of the Ascension, Venice’s most important and spectacular holiday, and it seems that only Alvise can prevent the day from turning into bloody mayhem.

‘Alvise is a terrific character, the murder mystery is absorbinglyingenious and, if you are a sucker for Venice, the sights, sounds and smells of its streets and canals ooze up from the page’– Daily Mail

ISBN 9781846973291Price £9.99Format 170 x 126mm hardbackRights UK & Commonwealth ex. CanadaPublication 19 November 2015Extent 240pp

ISBN 9781846973130Price £8.99Format 198 x 129mm paperbackRights World All LanguagesPublication 24 September 2015Extent 352pp

Page 34: Polygon New Titles 2016

34 Contacts

SALES CONTACTS

SCOTLANDSeol LtdWest Newington House10 Newington RoadEdinburgh EH9 1QSTel: +44 (0) 131 668 4371Fax: +44 (0) 131 668 4466

Borders & Central ScotlandCarol CrawfordEmail: [email protected]: 07810 484001

Edinburgh, Lothians & FifeVikki ReillyEmail: [email protected]: 0131 655 1519

ArgyllHugh AndrewEmail: [email protected]

Highlands, Islands & the NorthCarole HamiltonEmail: [email protected]: 07780 606493

ENGLAND AND WALESCompass IPSLGW Business CentreGreat West HouseGreat West RoadBrentfordMiddlesexTW8 9DFTel: +44 (0) 208 326 5696

Sales AdministrationPat VanceEmail: [email protected]

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALANDNew South Booksc/o TL Distribution15-23 Hailes AvenueMoorebank NSW 2170AustraliaTel: (02) 8778 9999Fax: (02) 8778 9944Email: [email protected]: www.newsouthbooks.com.au

USA, CANADA & CHINAIndependent Publishers Group(IPG)814 North Franklin StChicago, Illinois 60610USATel: (312) 337 0747Fax: (312) 337 5985Email: [email protected]

Military Titles OnlyCasemate2114 Darby RoadHavertown, PA 19083USATel: (+1) 610 853 9131Fax: (+1) 610 853 9146Email: [email protected]

NORTHERN EUROPEBill Bailey Publishers’ Representatives16 Devon SquareNewton AbbotDevon TQ12 2HRTel: +44 1626 331079Fax: +44 1626 331080Email: [email protected]

SOUTHERN EUROPETed DoughertyExport Sales Agency72 Hadley StreetLondonNW1 8TATel: 020 7482 2439Fax: 020 7267 9310Mob: 07802 500 448Email: [email protected]

TRADE TERMSAll orders are subject to a 35%discount, unless otherwisearranged. The standard discountwill be applied to all subscriptionsand cash with order. Singlecopy orders are subject to a 20%discount. Orders with a net invoicevalue under £30 may be subject toa reduced discount of 25%.

RETURNS POLICYAll books must be in mintcondition and suitable for resale.All returns requests mustbe authorised in advance byBirlinn Ltd or an authorisedrepresentative.

No out-of-print titles may bereturned unless permission issought from the publisher.

Books may not be returned withinthree months or after twelvemonths from receipt by thecustomer.

Single copy returns will notnormally be accepted unless byspecial arrangement.

Faulty books must be returnedcomplete. Title page is notacceptable.

Returns must be sent to theBooksource warehouse within onemonth of written authorisationbeing received, otherwise they maynot be accepted. Returns should NOT be sent tothe publisher’s office. All returnsmust have an authorised returnslabel and should be addressed to:

Booksource50 Cambuslang RoadGlasgow G32 8NB

Page 35: Polygon New Titles 2016

Contacts 35

Birlinn Limited was established in 1992 by Managing Director Hugh Andrew, and is comprised of a number of imprints.

Birlinn publishes Scottish and general UK interest books, from biography to history, military history, cookery and Scottish Gaelic. The name comes from the old Norse word ‘birlinn’, meaning a long boat or small galley used especially in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland in the Middle Ages. BC Books is a new children’s imprint, launched in 2015. It is designed to provide writing and illustration of the highest quality for young readers in Scotland and beyond. Birlinn is dedicated to nurturing young readers and helping them discover a passion for reading that will last a lifetime.

Polygon publishes literary fiction and poetry, both classic and modern, from Scottish writers such as Robin Jenkins, George Mackay Brown and the author of the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, as well as selected music and film titles. International writers including Jan-Philipp Sendker are also published under this imprint. Polygon was originally set up by students of Edinburgh University in the late 1960s.

Arena Sport is Birlinn’s sport imprint. The sport books range from football and rugby, to golf and cycling. These books have an international as well as national appeal. Arena’s first titles were published in June 2013.

John Donald publishes academic books.

Birlinn LtdWest Newington House10 Newington RoadEdinburghEH9 1QSTel: +44 (0) 131 668 4371Fax: +44 (0) 131 668 [email protected]

Customer and Trade OrdersBooksource50 Cambuslang RoadCambuslang Investment ParkGlasgowG32 8NBTel: 0845 370 0067Fax: 0845 370 0064Intl: +44 (0) 141 643 3961

Managing DirectorHugh [email protected]

Publicity and Marketing Director / Deputy MDJan [email protected]

Publishing DirectorNeville [email protected]

Finance DirectorJoanne [email protected]

Rights represented by Maria [email protected]: +44 7866713512

Sales DirectorLaura [email protected]

Creative DirectorJames [email protected]

Editorial Director (Birlinn & BC Books)Andrew [email protected]

Managing Editor (Polygon)Alison [email protected]

Academic Editor (John Donald)Mairi [email protected]

Export ManagerCarol [email protected]

Production ManagerLiz [email protected]

Sales Liason ManagerVikki [email protected]

Page 36: Polygon New Titles 2016