Scottish folk and fairy tales are full of mischief and malevolence, with spirits and goblins, bogies, witches, kelpies and mer-folk lurking in every corner of the land, behind every tree and craggy rock at midnight. In these pages lurk the Fairy queen, and the Sith, or silent folk, who mingle with animals that speak of prophesy and lore, and enchantments that rule the twilight. Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction, authors, myths and tales without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new introduction and a Glossary of Terms.

The Scotnotes booklets are a series of study guides to major Scottish writers and literary texts for senior pupils in secondary schools and students in further education. Each booklet in the series is written by a person who is not only an authority on the particular writer or text but also experienced in teaching at the relevant levels in schools or colleges. Furthermore, the editorial board, composed of members of the ASLS Schools and Further Education Committee, considers the suitability of each booklet for the students in question. For many years there has been a shortage of readily accessible critical notes for the general student of Scottish literature. Now that Scottish Literature is an important part of the curriculum, Scotnotes has grown as a series to meet this need, and provides students with valuable aids to the key writers and major texts within the Scottish literary tradition.

This title introduces Scotland's contribution to forms of traditional culture and expression. The 18 acknowledged experts introduce readers to important genres and elements of traditional literature from the late medieval period to the present, as well as providing a clear explanation of key conceptual and theoretical issues. They present a diverse cultural history, explain the ways in which 'tradition' is created through interaction with song and music, and how it relates to popular belief; and explain the role that ideas about national, political, and cultural identity have played in the preservation and transmission of traditional materials. It explores the cultural meanings of 'tradition' and 'living tradition' and the roles of historical and modern informants, storytellers, and singers. It examines the relationship between the oral and the literary in Scots, Gaelic, and English. It draws on a wide range of examples including: Francis J. Child's The English and Scottish Popular Ballads; The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection; the waulking song; Gaelic folktale; the traditions of Fionn mac Cumhail; the songs of Anna Gordon Brown; ballads from Walter Scott's Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border and James Hogg's Jacobite Relics; and material from George Campbell Hay, Sorley Maclean and Hamish Henderson. It guides readers through some of the key theoretical and conceptual issues in the field.

LEWIS GRASSIC GIBBON (1901-1935) is one of the best known of early twentieth-century Scottish writers. Born James Leslie Mitchell, he grew up in the Mearns area of north-east Scotland, a landscape and farming life he recreated vividly in Sunset Song, the first book of his Scots Quair trilogy, published in 1932. A favourite for all ages, Gibbon's work is studied by students at all levels. A Flame in the Mearns is a unique collection of scholarly discussion and criticism and will be of interest to senior school pupils, college and university students, academics and lovers of literature. This new collection of essays celebrates Gibbon's achievement in his own time while emphasising his continuing relevance today - particularly the strong depiction of women in his fiction and his innovative narrative style which anticipates the work of writers such as Kelman and Welsh. This relationship with contemporary writers is most noticeable in the urban setting and political context of Grey Granite, while Sunset Song, with its engaging heroine Chris Guthrie, regularly appears in listings of the most popular Scottish novels. A Flame in the Mearns contains discussions of Gibbon's fiction, essays and little-known poetry, together with analyses of his language and politics. It is essential for all students and existing admirers as well as new readers of this important Scottish writer.

This substantial new volume is a stimulating yet in-depth introduction to Scottish literature in English and Scots. From medieval to modern, the entire range of literature is introduced, examined and explored. Aimed primarily at those with an interest in Scottish literature, this guide also responds to the need for students and teachers to have detailed discussions of individual authors and texts. The volume looks at Scottish literature in six period sections: Early Scottish Literature, Eighteenth-Century, The Age of Scott, Victorian and Edwardian, The Twentieth-Century Scottish Literary Renaissance, and Scottish Literature since 1945. Each section begins with an overview of the period, followed by several chapters examining exemplary authors and texts. Each section finishes with an extensive discussion including suggestions as to how to further explore the rich and often neglected hinterlands of Scottish writing. Extensive reading lists identify primary texts of the period as well as details of a wide range of additional authors. Opening up neglected areas of study as well as responding to the burgeoning interest in novelists, modern poets and dramatists, this book serves as an invaluable guide to Scottish Literature.

This volume of twenty essays presents a unique insight into the world of Scottish children's literature throughout the long nineteenth century. As well as revisiting much-loved authors such as Stevenson, Barrie, and MacDonald, it explores the neglected role of women writers in shaping the inheritance of Scottish children's literature, the significant contribution of Gaelic writers, and the role of folklore and tradition. Essays also examine the significance of children as literary protagonists, and as readers themselves. In recovering these marginal voices and texts, and in showing how well-known stories explore questions of culture, identity, and language, The Land of Story-Books seeks to restore the traditions of children's writing to the heart of Scottish literary history.