Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes
Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes by Robert Louis Stevenson, introduced by Alexander McCall Smith and illustrated by Iain McIntosh.
Published by Manderley Press, 2021
Photograph by Ruth E. Ward
Once upon a time, in a pandemic, I decided to set up a publishing company and launch it with this book - a brand-new edition of Robert Louis Stevenson's Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes.
(I had found it in the London Library, and, intrigued, took it home before Covid set in...)
The whole enterprise felt very risky and I had no idea whether it was a good idea or not. But when one of my favourite authors - Alexander McCall Smith - agreed to write the introduction, and in turn suggested the wonderful Iain McIntosh to illustrate the book - I decided to go for it.
Fast forward a year and a half and Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes is the number one Manderley Press best-seller. I have already reprinted it twice so far.
Without sounding too smug, this is a huge achievement and I still can’t quite believe how lucky I’ve been. There is no way I could have achieved all those sales without the support of so many friends and family - and then all you amazing readers and subscribers too! And there's no way I could have made the business work for subsequent titles without the encouragement of so many bookshops across the country – but most especially in Edinburgh itself.
On this publishing journey, Manderley Press has made it possible for me to meet some of the most amazing creatives in the industry, and I am so very grateful. Early on, I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Duncan Tattersall, who, if you don’t know him yet, is a fabulous artist in his own right, a font of knowledge on old buildings and has also worked as an interiors specialist for the Landmark Trust.
Duncan has been unfailingly enthusiastic about Manderley Press from the beginning, and we have plans together for a new book – watch this space. Anyway, this is a very long-winded way of saying thank you to Duncan for sending me a photo last week - of Edinburgh, in Edinburgh, on display in John Kay’s Bookshop.
I have not had the pleasure of visiting this bookshop yet, but it’s on my list and the next time I’m in Edinburgh, I will be making a beeline.
In the meantime, there are so many other bookshops and stores which stock our books - some of whom I have highlighted on my Instagram account because they have been AMAZING, but others I have not yet got to.
Therefore, one of my belated New Year’s resolutions is to showcase many more of these superb bookshops over the next few months. If you can think of a bookshop which stocks Manderley Press titles that I should be aware of, please drop me a line - feel free to contact me at info@manderleypress.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!