See page 74 / 75 for booking details

Monday 25 August events for adults continued
Iain Gale & Trevor Royle
WAR AND HISTORY
3.30pm I ScottishPower Studio Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
Life for the British soldier explored in fact and fiction by two eminent Scottish
writers. The distinguished historian Trevor Royle discusses the history of
The King’s Own Scottish Borderers dating back to 1689. Iain Gale’s historical
novels brilliantly evoke the adventures of men of war; the latest, Rules of War,
features a guerrilla campaign in Spain.
Ruth Brandon
& Alasdair Roberts
LIVED LIVES
4.00pm I Peppers Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
Gym slips and governesses: a fascinating glimpse into a bygone age of
girls’ education. Ruth Brandon tells the stories of the real Jane Eyres, the
unmarried women with little money who schooled other people’s children.
Alasdair Roberts celebrates the heyday of girls’ schools in Edinburgh in
Crème de la Crème.
Alexander Stoddart
culture
THE ROYAL SOCIETY
OF EDINBURGH EVENT
4.30pm I RBS Main Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
Leading international sculptor Alexander Stoddart has recently completed a
statue of Adam Smith for Edinburgh’s High Street. Today he discusses the
place of statues in modern cities, heroic-realist sculpture, and the challenges
of recreating the spirit of Stevenson’s Kidnapped in three dimensions –
the Robert Louis Stevenson monument in Edinburgh’s Corstorphine.
Hugh Cheape
SCOTTISH CULTURE
4.30pm I Writers’ Retreat I £6.00 £4.00
It is one of the great icons of Scottish identity but little is really known about
the bagpipes and their origins. Hugh Cheape offers remarkable insight into
this magnificent instrument, tracing its impact on Scottish culture and its
place in European history.
Rosemary Goring
history
& Stephen McGinty
SCOTTISH HISTORY
5.00pm I ScottishPower Studio Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
Eye witness accounts of pivotal moments in Scottish history. The Herald’s
literary editor Rosemary Goring’s acclaimed Scotland: The Autobiography
weaves together first-hand testimonies from Bannockburn to the opening of
the Parliament in 1999. Survivors relive the Piper Alpha disaster in Scotsman
journalist Stephen McGinty’s meticulous account, twenty years after the
world’s worst offshore oil disaster. Chaired by Sheena McDonald.
Andrea Wulf
NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
5.30pm I Peppers Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
history
history
culture
environment
Why are the British so passionate about gardening In the last of our
in-depth events on the development of gardens, Andrea Wulf charts the
growth of this national obsession through the stories of six leading botanists
and horticulturalists who brought plants from all over the world to Britain,
learnt how to propagate them, and educated the public.
Rebecca Abrams
FIRST FICTION
6.00pm I Writers’ Retreat I £6.00 £4.00
A remarkable story capturing a crucial moment in medical history in
eighteenth century Aberdeen, where reason triumphs over superstition,
revolutionising the future of childbirth. Leading journalist and non-fiction
fiction
writer Rebecca Abrams has written her first work of fiction, dramatising the
astonishing quest of Dr Alec Gordon as he attempts to conquer childbed fever.
Kate Adie
THE BIGGART BAILLIE EVENT
6.30pm I RBS Main Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
What attracts some people to danger Kate Adie’s career reporting from war
zones has made her curious. In a fascinating worldwide quest, she has met
individuals whose situations put them in daily risk of their lives, from stunt
people, landmine exploders to Saddam Hussein’s food taster. Into Danger is
her new book – full of personal insight.
The Beano’s Barrie Appleby
COMIC BOOKS
6.30pm I RBS Corner Theatre I £3.50
Barrie Appleby’s comic illustrations have been enjoyed by generations of
children. For young fans and nostalgic readers, this is a treat not to be
missed as The Beano celebrates its 70th birthday. Meet the artist behind
Dennis the Menace and Roger the Dodger and watch as your favourite
characters come to life right before your eyes! A great family event.
Sun Shuyun
FOCUS ON CHINA
6.45pm I Peppers Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
In a welcome return to Edinburgh, Sun Shuyun brings her timely, important
and humane study, A Year In Tibet: a revealing personal portrait of a remote
Tibetan village known for its anti-Chinese stance.
Closing Ceilidh
MUSIC AND DANCING
7.00pm I Highland Park Spiegeltent I £9.00 £7.00
Join us for the perfect close to the Book Festival, our much-loved annual
celebration with Bella McNab’s Dance Band playing the finest Scottish
traditional music. A night of dancing and fun.
Candia McWilliam
FINE FICTION
7.00pm I ScottishPower Studio Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
Queen of the short story, perceptive and generous critic, magician of words:
no writer captures the spirit of the Book Festival more than Candia
McWilliam. The Edinburgh-born writer opened last year’s festival – bask
in her wisdom and illuminating company on our closing evening as she reads
and discusses her new memoir.
Sam Meekings & Kei Miller
POETRY
7.30pm I Writers’ Retreat I £6.00 £4.00
On our final day, two striking new poetic voices. Sam Meekings’s collection,
The Bestiary, is a lyrical exploration of our complex relationship with the
natural world. Jamaican-born Kei Miller’s poetry travels between the
Caribbean and the UK, taking us to unexpected new places.
Alastair Reid
LITERATURE AND CULTURE
8.30pm I ScottishPower Studio Theatre I £9.00 £7.00
BSL
BSL
society
fiction
nations
culture
fiction
poetry
literature
A rare treat for our final evening: Alastair Reid, son of a Scottish manse and
citizen of the world, celebrated for his luminous poetry, his peerless prose
and his acclaimed translations of Neruda and Borges. Meet the ‘word
magician’ as he reads from a new collection of writing.
Book now at www.edbookfest.co.uk or 0845 373 5888 See page 74 / 75 for booking details
LATECOMERS WILL NOT BE ADMITTED AFTER THE START OF EVENTS & NO REFUNDS WILL BE GIVEN
EVENTS ARE 1 HOUR LONG UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED & TAKE PLACE IN CHARLOTTE SQUARE GARDENS
EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL 9 – 25 August 2008
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