We are delighted to announce the exclusive arrival of Edinburgh , a fantastic new collaboration between acclaimed photographer Allan Wright and award-winning writer, actor and director Gerda Stevenson .   Edinburgh: Allan Wright & Gerda Stevenson Edinburgh is a portfolio of Allan Wright’s wonderful images of Scotland’s capital in collaboration with 22 new poems by Gerda Stevenson, as photographer and poet inspire each to look afresh at the city today. With Edinburgh, Wright and Stevenson take us on a journey of both the expected and unexpected, but with a new perspective that looks behind the familiar to the human stories that make the city what it is. Edinburgh: Allan Wright & Gerda Stevenson Allan Wright has been a professional photographer since the 1980s, and Edinburgh is the his 17 th book in an illustrious career that has seen him travel throughout South East Asia, Australia, North Africa, as well as his native Scotland. Allan says: “The poetry collection featured in this book has, to my mind, interacted with the images to help penetrate the veneer that tends to dominate the city. All those prestigious castings and fine masonry may have collectively created one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, but there were struggles in its making, and so often a human price was paid.” Gerda Stevenson: “…along Middle Meadow Walk, its braid of global colours in full annual swing” Gerda Stevenson’s work has been widely performed, published and broadcast on stage, in print, and on the radio. Previous works include If This Were Real and Quines: in tribute to the women of Scotland , and with Edinburgh she provides a thought-provoking, witty, and above all personal viewpoint to the place she calls home.   Edinburgh: Allan Wright & Gerda Stevenson   Gerda says “My Edinburgh won’t be your Edinburgh any more than yours won’t be mine. But here in Allan Wright’s Edinburgh, my response to it, and, in turn, his response to mine – the interaction of two perspectives, adding we hope, to the debate about Scotland’s on-going story, our tribute to one of the world’s great capital cities. Richard Holloway writes of this new book: “The combination of Allan Wright’s gorgeous photography and Gerda Stevenson’s searing poetry is a stunning tribute to that magnificent old hypocrite, the city of Edinburgh.” Edinburgh: Allan Wright & Gerda Stevenson Edinburgh by Allan Wright and Gerda Stevenson is available to the book trade now from Lomond Books. Click here to order your copies.  

1997 was an eventful year. Tony Blair became Prime Minister. Scotland voted in favour of a Scottish Parliament. Scientists in Midlothian announced that they had successfully cloned a sheep, and her name was Dolly. Titanic became the world's highest grossing movie of all time. The Spice Girls became the first artists to have their first 6 singles all reach Number 1. And on June 26th 1997, a writer from Edinburgh had her debut novel published, and so began a literary phenomenon the like of which the world has never seen. With combined global sales of more than 500 million, the 7 books, from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in 1997 to the final instalment (so far?) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, have made the Harry Potter series the best-selling book series of all time. Furthermore, the accompanying series of films that began in 2001 make the Wizarding World the third biggest movie franchise, and one of the biggest media franchises of all time. With millions of new readers being enchanted every year we celebrate the birthday of J K Rowling, Harry Potter's brilliant creator, on the 31st of July. Lomond Books offer a comprehensive choice of Harry Potter books, games, and merchandise - just look here !        

The magical Isle of Harris is famous for many things - sandy beaches, tweed, gin... It now also boasts its very own fantasy stories. The McDragon books are stories for children aged 8 and upwards, set on this mystical western Isle. We caught up with author Pam Howard for a chat about her work - Jenny: Firstly Pam, tell us a bit about your novels - Pam Howard: In McDragon, on a visit to the Isle of Harris while on holiday, our young hero Peter is stunned to see some rocks which are in the shape of a dragon melt away and a magnificent black dragon stands before him. His name is McDragon and he has been waiting for Peter to arrive because it is written in dragon lore that Peter will be the one to save the future of the dragons. This is the start of an amazing adventure for our friend. He travels with McDragon, in dragon time, which means that he can fly with the black dragon and still be back in time for breakfast - his parents will be none the wiser! His task is to find the dragon pearl which has been stolen and this brings him into contact with the evil wizard, McMuran, and his nasty and dangerous friends, the squawkins. During his adventure Peter makes some new and very different friends, including a trapped young dragon. J: Tell us about your hero, Peter - PH: Although the object of bullies at school, Peter finds he dreams of dragons. The bullies call him 'Dragon Boy' and laugh at him because one day he foolishly mentions dragons. They also torment him because he has a hand which is missing two fingers and that makes some tasks a little tricky for him. J: If you were to sum up the McDragon series in a tweet, how would you describe it? PH: Thrilling adventure books involving magic, fierce dragons and an evil wizard. J: What's not to love about that?! Both of your novels are set on the Isle of Harris - why does this setting appeal to you? PH: While on holiday on Harris I saw some rocks which could well have been a dragon. That was my moment of inspiration and McDragon came to life! J: If you imagine the reader you think would most enjoy these books, how would you describe them? PH: These books will appeal to children who want to immerse themselves in an exciting adventure involoving dragons, magic and wizards. One boy told me that he was reading McDragon to his whole class and they were really enjoying it. Another read it under the bed covers with a torch because he couldn't put it down. J: Can we expect more books in the McDragon series? PH: There are certainly more books in the series on the way - one has already been written and there is another one half-way in the making. J: What’s your best piece of writing advice? PH: My advice would be to write about where your heart and imagination lead you, but also keep to what you know or has happened to you in your life. J: If you could only write one more book, what would it be about and why? PH: Dragons are my passion - I love the mystery of them and am sure they must have existed in times gone by, because how else would we know about them?  I would definitely include dragons in my books in the future. J: And lastly, if you could only recommend one place in Scotland for someone to visit, where would it be and why? PH: My choice in Scotland would, of course, be the Isle of Harris. It is a truly magical place, a place of beauty and great majesty. It's very inspiring.   McDragon   All three of the McDragon books are available to order now - part of our extensive range of children's books for older readers.

Exciting news for author Allan Martin, whose thrilling and atmospheric novel The Peat Dead has been shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize for Debut Crime Novel 2019. The Peat Dead Set predominantly on the magical island of Islay, The Peat Dead is a remarkably assured first novel that introduces us to Inspector Angus Blue and his team, who are confronted by the grisly discovery of five corpses in a peat bank. Skilfully blending historic and current political events with the intricacies of a police investigation and astute insights into island life The Peat Dead grips the reader from the very first page. On hearing of his nomination, retired teacher and university lecturer Allan said, ' I am thrilled to be shortlisted for such a prestigious prize. It is a great honour and something I could not have imagined when I started writing.' Seonaid Francis, Editorial Director at ThunderPoint Publishing added, 'Allan Martin has crafted a gripping novel that draws on historic events and places them firmly in current times, and reminds us that the past effects us all. He is an author to watch and we strongly recommend people search out The Peat Dead '. Reviews of The Peat Dead “A mystery so redolent of its island setting that you practically smell the peat and whisky on the pages.” – Douglas Skelton “This atmospheric crime novel set on Islay gripped me from the start. A book that shows decades-old crimes cast long shadows.” – Sarah Ward About The Peat Dead On the Scottish Hebridean Island of Islay, five corpses are dug up by a peat-cutter. All of them have been shot in the back of the head, execution style. Sent across from the mainland to investigate, Inspector Angus Blue and his team slowly piece together the little evidence they have, and discover the men were killed on a wartime base, over 70 years ago. But there are still secrets worth protecting, and even killing for. Who can Inspector Blue trust? About the Author: Allan Martin worked as a teacher, teacher-trainer and university lecturer, and only turned to writing fiction after taking early retirement. He lives in Glasgow and with his wife regularly visits the Hebrides and Estonia. He has had several short stories published, notably in iScot magazine and 404Ink magazine. He has also translated from Estonian a ‘closed-room’ mystery, The Oracle, originally published in 1937. The Peat Dead is available in paperback at £9.99 and can be ordered from Lomond Books if you click here.

Our exclusive range has grown over the weekend with the addition of two fabulous new books from photographer Allan Wright. The first is Vintage Tractors, an eclectic celebration of Scotland's rural heritage. Vintage Tractors Award-winning photographer Allan Wright is intent on capturing a lost army; an army that is, of largely abandoned vintage machinery .  Roaming Scotland’s stunning coastal and rural landscape with lens at the ready, Wright takes us on an unusual journey of discovery that reflects on the role of the tractor and on how it has shaped Scotland’s agricultural history, heritage and landscape. Featuring award winning Scottish poet George Gunn and retired farmer and tractor enthusiast Ayrshireman Russell McNab – this unique book celebrates the role of the tractor in ‘making life possible ’. Visitors to Scotland, walkers, farmers, crofters and their families plus historians and lovers of vintage machinery will all find much to enjoy as will thousands of tractor buffs whose enduring fascination for all things mechanical knows no bounds. Allan Wright has been a professional photographer since the 1980s. He says: “My principle occupation is as a landscape photographer, but during my working travels I unwittingly developed a particularly sharp eye for a tractor, abandoned or partially obscured at the back of a barn or in the far distant corner of a field. I felt a strange magnetic draw each time I encountered one of these ‘noble beasts’”. Widely travelled across the globe Wright is renowned for his ability to capture the variant moods and lyricism of his native Scotland’s landscape. As Vintage Tractors clearly demonstrates, he relishes: “zeroing in on the moment, to capture that extra-special shot”.  And on tractors he says: “With some imagination, there can be true poetry in each of their journeys, as very slowly over years, these ‘beasts’ are quietly absorbed back into the land they have worked all their life”. George Gunn: Scottish poet:   “… through them life was made possible as was belief   that these hard acres could provide” A key feature is new work by celebrated poet George Gunn that Allan Wright specially commissioned for his book.  Gunn is renowned for his ability to encompass many contrasting aspects of Scottish culture.  His poetic masterpiece, which explores the tractors’ legacy, features on the book’s centre pages and is a perfect conduit to the land and to the agricultural heritage of rural Scotland.  It strikes like a thunderbolt.   Russell McNab : - Retired Ayrshire farmer, “As with people, the older tractors get the more interesting they become” Tractor enthusiast and long time stalwart of the Ayrshire Tractor and Machinery Club contributes his vivid personal memories of tractor ownership. His impressive knowledge and passion for tractors and his amusing anecdotes will entertain anyone who may have had or maybe still has an ancient machine working their fields or hiding in a shed, a wood – or a bog!   Vintage Tractors is available to the book trade now from Lomond Books. Click here to order your copies.

In May, we're adding several fantastic new additions to our best-selling Picturing Scotland range, and one we are particularly excited about is Coll & Tiree. These islands are so remote, and yet so rewarding to visit, and they offer outstanding views and vistas. Picturing Scotland: Coll & Tiree Sitting out beyond the Isle of Mull, these two small islands are very close neighbours with very different characters. Low-lying Tiree has become Scotland's wind-surfing capital of late thanks to its wonderful beaches and strong tides. It's a largely flat islands that is also popular with cyclists. Coll is rockier, less populated and is the choice for those seeking a quiet retreat from the busy world. Compared with the mainland, this idyllic isle offers a more relaxed pace of life with hints to the grand 'old ways'. Part of the popular Picturing Scotland series, this new book is an ideal souvenir for visitors. Roughly postcard sized but packed with stunning photographs, it provides the reader with a wealth of information about these two Hebridean gems. It's great value too at only £5.99 and it's compact size makes it perfect for packing! We can also offer an attractive display unit for our Picturing Scotland books which can be personalised to your outlet or locality. Just speak to your Sales Representative or our Sales Office for more information. Our Picturing Scotland POS (here holding The Outer Hebrides) can be personalised to your locality or outlet Picturing Scotland: Coll & Tiree will be published on the 14th of May. You can pre-order it here .

September is here and with it the excitement of our appearance at Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn! You can read more about this and new titles joining our range here and also view our full Christmas catalogue here . We have some great titles joining our range this month, so be sure to have a good browse through both our Lomond Letter and catalogue, and visit us at our stand at the fair to make your Christmas selection!

Forget the sunshine outside (it's hard, I know) because we're calling the end of summer and we're looking ahead... to Christmas! We always kick off our Christmas range with a brand new catalogue (which is on it's way to our mail list customers now and available to download here ) and with an exhibition at Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn. This year the show is on Sunday 16th and Monday 17th, as ever in Glasgow's SECC. You can register for your free buyer's entry badge on the STF website by clicking on this link: Registration Lomond featured on STF Show Edit On the site you can also see our exhibitor profile . We cannot recommend enough that you visit our stand at the show, not least because it's a fantastic opportunity to see our range for Christmas, but also because we offer extended credit on all orders placed at the show until the end of December 2018. This means that you can benefit from all of your pre-Christmas sales before having to pay for your stock - what a great early present for yourself! We hope to see you in Glasgow on stand J16 very soon! Lomond Books & Lyrical Scotland Books - Calendars - Maps - Postcards Greetings Cards - Magnets - Jigsaws - Toys Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn 17-18 September 2017 SECC Glasgow STAND J16

While it may be hard to believe, it's that time of the month again! August has flown in and we're looking forward to the busy numbers of tourists visiting Edinburgh for the Edinburgh Festival, Fringe and Book Festival. We also have plenty of great new titles joining our range this month, which you can see in our Lomond Letter , and you can also now view our new catalogue too.

At the top of the new releases list in Scottish fiction this month is this extraordinary and un-put-down-able wartime romance, We Fought for Ardnish . Following the tremendous success of Ardnish Was Home (now on it's 5th reprint), this is a sure-fire hit for the summer. The story focuses on a young Highlander recruited to his local regiment at the beginning of the Second World War, and follows his dangerous liaisons with a Canadian SOE agent. We Fought for Ardnish - Angus MacDonald We caught up with author Angus MacDonald to discuss all things writing, Ardnish and his latest novel - Jenny: Firstly Angus, tell us a bit about your latest novel, We Fought for Ardnish… Angus MacDonald: The book is the sequel to ‘Ardnish was home’, a romantic story about a lad growing up on the remote West Highland peninsula of Ardnish. At the outset of WW2 he joins the local regiment The Lovat Scouts and then switches to the Special Operations Executive (SOE), in order to fight with the French resistance. On a mission in the alps he meets Canadian SOE agent, Francoise who has a mission to complete. Their lives become intertwined; dangerous and romantic... J: Set in the Second World War, how does this differ from your first novel? Did you undertake a lot of research in the period? AM: The baby from the first book becomes the hero of the second. The stories of the highlands and Cape Breton in Canada are true and the details of the Lovat Scouts and SOE are accurate. The characters are fictional however. J: Tell us about Donald Angus and Francoise, the heroine? AM: Donald Angus is a proud, generous and capable lad, brought up in a very simple existence in a crofters house on the shoreline. A legendary bagpiper and soldier who is rapidly promoted, his love for his beloved highlands is completely authentic.   Francoise is strong, fearless and very intelligent. Her father is a doctor in Cape Breton, Canada. The deprivations she copes with during her mission behind enemy lines are remarkable. J: Both of your novels are set (in part) in the Scottish Highlands – do you find your surroundings influence your writing? Why does this setting appeal to you? AM: The village on Ardnish is a row of houses along a sandy beach with the islands of Eigg and Rum the view. Its impossible not to marvel at the beauty of this place, its stirs the heart. J: Has your own background in the military influenced your writing? AM: My ability to rise at 3.45 in the morning to write and discipline of focusing and getting on with the job may be a result of time in the army. But the writing is such a pleasure its easy to do really. J: Since you’re not a full time writer – we’d imagine you have a very busy schedule. How do you find time to fit writing in? AM: I write in the winter months, and the early start allows me to do my day job. The editing process as I work with Erica Munro, Jo-Anne MacDonald in Canada and Alison Rae from Birlinn is a long and sometimes painful experience. J: We hear you have a great deal of publicity for your latest release – tell us all! AM: BBC Alba, the Gaelic TV station, and Radio Nan Gaidheal came to visit Ardnish and interviewed me, aired on Monday 9 th July. And BBC Scotland had Janice Forsyth interview me, really thorough and interested questioning. Nevis radio and Oban FM too. Lots of coverage in the regional press as well as The Scotsman so far. The Inverness Courier will run almost a full page along with their many subsidiary newspapers across the north of Scotland in mid July.   I'll be at The Edinburgh Festival, Wigtown, Mallaig and Tobermory festivals over the course of the next few months. J: If you had to sum up We Fought for Ardnish in a tweet, how would you describe it? AM: A dangerous war time mission resulting in romance, ‘We fought for Ardnish’ is better than Outlander. J: And if you imagine the reader you think would most enjoy this novel, how would you describe them? AM: Considerate, exciting, loves adventure and the Highlands. J: And lastly, if you could only recommend one place in Scotland for someone to visit, where would it be and why? AM: Two miles north of Lochailort on the A830 past the stunning ‘Our lady of the Braes’ church, park in the big lay-by on the left. Peanmeanach is signposted, put on good boots and set along the same route that Donald Angus and the hundreds of people of Ardnish before him walked for two hours to their stunning village. Sit on the rock that Francoise would have as she looked down to where her beloved Donald Angus was brought up. Wave, then walk down to Ardnish and home... We Fought for Ardnish - Angus MacDonald Angus's recommendation sounds truly blissful, as is his writing. We'd highly recommend We Fought for Ardnish as an addition to your range this summer - it's available from Lomond now.