Originally published in 1935 and authored by a supporter of Scottish Nationalism, this book ascribes many of Scotland’s misfortunes in history to the sectarian wars and those of Edward I, as well as the havoc wrought by the Industrial Revolution and the decay of Scotland’s successive cultures. Reduced to political impotence by the early 20th Century and severed from that contact with Europe which fostered its early culture, the author feels its national life dwindled. Many of the themes surrounding Scottish identity and independence are once again part of today’s political debate.

Originally published in 1935 and authored by a supporter of Scottish Nationalism, this book ascribes many of Scotland's misfortunes in history to the sectarian wars and those of Edward I, as well as the havoc wrought by the Industrial Revolution and the decay of Scotland's successive cultures. Reduced to political impotence by the early 20th Century and severed from that contact with Europe which fostered its early culture, the author feels its national life dwindled. Many of the themes surrounding Scottish identity and independence are once again part of today's political debate.

Angelo, a private in Mussolini's 'ever-glorious' Italian army, may possess the virtues of love and an engaging innocence but he lacks the gift of courage. However, due to circumstances beyond his control, he ends up fighting not only for Italy but also for the British and German armies. With his patron the Count, the beautiful Lucrezia, the charming Annunziata, and the delightful Major Telfer, Angelo's fellow characters are drawn with humour, insight and sympathy, making the book a wittily satirical comment on the grossness and waste of war. Eric Linklater, who served with the Black Watch in Italy in World War II, is one of Scotland's most distinguished writers. In Private Angelo he has written a book which demonstrates that honour is not solely the preserve of the brave.

Poet's Pub is the classic comic novel by Eric Linklater, set in an English pub. When an Oxford poet named Saturday Keith assumes control of the Pelican Pub, what he desires most is the peace and freedom to craft his poems without being disturbed. To his dismay, however, the local watering hole soon becomes an attraction for various eccentric characters ranging from uncouth rogues to members of academia. Comprised of an entertaining series of vignettes that occur at the Pelican Pub in the fictional Downish, Poet's Pub is a humourous collection of stories by award-winner Eric Linklater. Includes a new introduction by Nancy Pearl.

This hilarious novel charts the rise and fall (and perhaps the rise again) of Magnus Merriman--would-be lover, writer, politician, idealist, and crofter--moved by dreams of greatness and a talent for farcical defeat. Convinced that small nations are safer to live in than big ones, Magnus becomes a Nationalist candidate for the parliamentary seat of Kinluce. With details based on Linklater's own experiences in an East Fife by-election in 1933, the way is set for a satirical and irreverent portrait of Scottish life, literature, and politics in the 1930s. Nothing is sacred and no-one is spared. Introduced by Douglas Gifford.

'I have often wondered what I would be when I grow up, but never, never, never did I expect to be a Kangaroo!' When the wind on the moon blew straight into Dinah and Dorinda's hearts it meant that they couldn't help but behave badly for a whole year. Transformed into kangaroos,they terrorise the sleepy town of Midmeddlecum with glee. But what they didn't count on was being locked in a zoo. Things get even stickier for the mischievous sisters when they learn their father has been imprisoned in a dungeon by Count Hulagu Bloot, the tyrant of Bombardy. Their poor father! Can they rescue him in time? Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can find out what life was like when this book was written and meet some more naughty children! Vintage Children's Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

" The Pirates in the Deep Green Sea," written for children, is a fantasy, in which Davy Jones and all the drowned pirates under the sea are discovered guarding the great knots that tie latitudes and longitudes together to keep the world from splitting.

In the early years of the Second World War an army officer is sent to the Faroe Islands to investigate rumours of a collaboration with the Nazi regime in Norway. What he finds changes lives, not least his own. No one who reads this book will forget the frozen corpse tied to a chair in an icehouse guarded by two drunken seamen, or the raging storm which batters their, ship as they carry the body to Shetland. That's just the beginning. As the tale takes grip, the reader becomes haunted, just as the characters are haunted by a sense of guilt and betrayal. One of the finest of Linklater's later, deeper, darker novels, The Dark of Summer combines national and family histories as it sets out to understand the past, redeem the corrosion of memory and find meaning in a world of divided loyalties.