The Herald Diary

The Herald Diary - Ken Smith

If all Scotsmen think they are a comedian, then the Herald newspaper’s daily Diary column is their jokebook. We have now carefully gone over the hundreds of Diary stories from the past twelve months to bring you the very best.

Watch Over Me

Watch Over Me - Daniela Sacerdoti

An ethereal and beautifully written debut novel, Watch Over Me is a poignant story about letting go and moving on – with a little bit of help from beyond the grave.

The Completely Unofficial River City Quiz Book

The Completely Unofficial River City Quiz Book - Paul English

Test your knowledge of Scottish soap opera River City in this fun, unofficial quiz about the life and times of the residents of the fictional town of Shieldinch. This quirky quiz covers everything from the birth of Madonna and the parts played by pop stars, to the only stop on Glasgow’s Clockwork Orange never to have seen a train. Whether you’re a casual fan or a loyal devotee, test how much you really know about Scotland’s best (and only) TV soap with The Completely Unofficial River City Quiz Book.

Wee Rabbie’s Rhymes

Wee Rabbie’s Rhymes - James Robertson

Wee Rabbie’s Rhymes is a miniature edition collecting the work of Scotland’s National Bard as a board book in the style of the hugely successful Katie series. A simple, funny, colourful introduction to Burns featuring songs from ‘Ye Banks and Braes’ to ‘Auld Lang Syne’.

Sandison’s Scotland

Sandison’s Scotland is a wonderful collection of stories and tales about some of Scotland’s most wild and evocative places written by celebrated Scottish author and journalist Bruce Sandison.

Willie Miller’s Aberdeen Dream Team

Willie Miller is an Aberdeen legend. He played with and against some of the greatest footballers of all time and now selects his Aberdeen Dream Team of the greatest players ever to pull on the famous red jersey.Packed full of facts and anecdotes about the club’s greatest heroes, Willie Miller’s Aberdeen Dream Team is a fascinating and entertaining read for Dons fans of all ages.

Take It To The Bridge

From the early days of pop when The Beatles shook the Caird Hall, to the current day when local heroes The View shake that same hall, Dundee has had a rich and passionate connection with music. From local heroes to famous figures from beyond the city limits Dundee has has a vibrant music scene for decades and this book tells of that journey.

There’s Only One Sauzée

From the author that brought you There Is a Bonny Fitba Team and co-author of Pat Stanton's Hibernian Dream Team and The Life and Times of Last Minute Reilly comes the biography of legendary French Hibernian footballer Franck Sauzée. Ted documents the highs and lows of the Sauzée era and having spoken to directors, managers, players, journalists and supporters this book paints the full story of Le God’s time at Easter Road. The result is a must read book for Hibs supporters of all ages, especially those who still treasure the memory of Franck Sauzée, Hibernian Super Star.

Aye Ready

A generation of Ibrox stars fought for their country on foreign shores and while some emerged to once again pull on their football boots, others were less fortunate and paid the ultimate price for their loyalty to the cause. Aye Ready profiles the stories of a selection of the club's war veterans – their life and times in football and in war.

Paradise and Beyond: The Autobiography

Chris Sutton is one of the finest centre-forwards of his generation and he has played for Norwich, Blackburn, Chelsea and Celtic over the years. His career is littered with prizes and controversy, from refusing to play for England and his disastrous season at Chelsea, to making history with Celtic and Blackburn and in this candid autobiography he lifts the lid on it all.

Gangsters, Killers and Me

Gerard Gallacher served as a police officer in Glasgow for three decades at a the time when drugs seized hold of the city and a new set of ruthless criminals were threatening to take control. There was still the usual violence of the city to deal with, including domestic violence, gang warfare and robbery, but it was the huge increase in drug use that defined the times and led to many of the most notorious incidents in the city’s criminal past. And Gerard Gallacher was in the thick of the action. This is a compelling account of a police career at the sharp end of the action by a detective who wouldn’t toe the line and dealt with all the major criminals of the times.

Shearer Wonderland: The Autobiography

Duncan Shearer’s incredible rise from non-league football to the international stage was a football fairytale. Beneath this seeming fairytale, however, lies a heart-rending story of personal tragedy and a heartwarming tale of triumph in the face of adversity. Now updated and in paperback.

Gordon Smith

Gordon Smith: Prince of Wingers is a biographical story recounting the life of legendary ‘Famous Five’ Hibee footballer Gordon Smith and written by his son Tony. His mesmeric skills and grace gave joy to many football fans, not only during his time with the Leith club, but also whilst playing for Heart of Midlothian, Dundee and Scotland. A unique insight into the life of this very private man.

Carspotting

Having Irvine Welsh as one of your best mates was not without its problems. Sandy Macnair and Irvine Welsh were friends long before fame and fortune arrived by train, and their adventures and Welsh’s novels have obvious parallels. An affectionate portrayal of their adventures together and the highs and lows of the rollercoaster ride that was their twenties. A book packed with hijinks and some revelations about the real people that have inspired one of Britain's best-loved authors.

It Wisnae Me... Honest!

The ninth book from Harry the Polis is another classic collection of his comical copper tales from the self-appointed Chief Constable of funny stories.

Law, Life and Laughter

Legendary Sheriff Irvine Smith QC is one of the most formidable lawyers of his generation. Serving as counsel in some of Scotland’s biggest cases before his appointment to Sheriff. He built a reputation as a no-nonsense judge with a sharp intellect and a dry and ready wit. He led the enquiry following the Ibrox Disaster and also became a much sought-after public speaker. He is without doubt one of the most respected and admired men of his time and now gives his expert verdict on the law, life and laughter.

Ruby

The MacLean family has more than their fair share of secrets. They live in a close-knit community on Glasgow’s High Street and the men work on the railways. They’re hard-working, ordinary, respectable people but, behind the facade, they are a family in crisis.

Walter Smith – The Ibrox Gaffer

This is a tribute to the legendary Walter Smith and sees Ibrox favourites from across the decades uniting to honour one of the most decorated and successful managers in Scottish football. Heroes like Brian Laudrup, Ally McCoist, Andy Goram, Jorg Albertz, and countless others all give their own unique insight into the man they affectionately call their ‘Gaffer’. Now updated and available in paperback.

The Barlinnie Story

Barlinnie is one of the most notorious prisons in the world and for a hundred years it has held Glasgow’s toughest and most violent men, swept up from the city streets. Paul Ferris, T C Campbell and gangleaders galore have languished behind its grim walls and, a hundred years on, Barlinnie still makes headlines. This is its fascinating, turbulent story. Now available in pocket edition.

Gentle Johnny Ramensky

Gentle Johnny Ramensky is the astonishing tale of a boy reared in the poverty of the Gorbals who became one of the world’s most extraordinary safe blowers.

Celtic & Me

Celtic & Me – Confessions from the Jungle is the funny, original story of Dominik Diamond’s very public life as a Celtic supporter. Now available in pocket edition and featuring updated content.

The Life and Times Of Last Minute Reilly

Lawrie Reilly is one of Hibernian and Scotland’s greatest ever players. As a key member of Hibs’ legendary Famous Five forward line, he played a prominent part in the most successful period in the club’s history. Now in Last Minute Reilly, Lawrie Reilly tells the fascinating story of his life for the first time. Now available in paperback and featuring a tribute to fellow Famous Five member, the late Eddie Turnbull.

A Private Sorrow

Following the success of Molly McQueen’s detective agency the year before Molly heads up a new investigation and the search for a long-lost child ends up unravelling a tale of misery and revenge, laced with family secrets and heartbreak.

Glasgow's Godfather

Walter Norval was a man marked by destiny to be a career criminal in one of Britain’s hardest cities. He honed his talent for lawbreaking and emerged in the Seventies as the first of a succession of Glasgow godfathers. Dressed in pinstriped style, he controlled his foot soldiers with fearsome fists and planned robberies with the attention to detail of a military general. His story – told by the best-selling crime historian Robert Jeffrey – provides a fascinating insight into the making of a criminal mastermind, from boy to man.

Crystal's Song

A Leith family is torn-apart by the Second World War, but peacetime reunion brings more strife as they struggle to recover from the betrayals and hardships of the past.

Lies, Damned Lies & Anglers

Lies, Damned Lies & Anglers is the latest collection of thoughts and reflections on one of the UK’s most popular pastimes, from one of our most respected fishermen.

The Kellys of Kelvingrove

Nestled down, hidden behind the Glasgow Art Galleries, is a line of seven rented houses. Though quiet and out of sight alongside the River Kelvin, they accommodate seven very different families, along with their problems, schemes and secrets. Despite their efforts to retreat within separate lives, each household will soon find themselves mixed up in the problems of the others, as malicious schemes and secrets are exposed in Margaret Thomson Davis’s new thriller, Kelly’s of Kelvingrove, soon available in paperback.

The Cheeky Wee Monkey Joke Book

Written just for young Scots by Allan Morrison, the author of numerous best-selling humour books, The Cheeky Wee Monkey Joke Book is sure to keep the wee darlings occupied for hours on end. Encouraging children to read is fundamental to learning, and what better way than with the enjoyment and laughter of the 1000 plus jokes in this laugh-a-minute book?

Frankie Vaughan Ate My Hamster

Moving into a new home in Easterhouse in 1961 was the start of some great adventures for Rikki Brown. This hilarious account will take readers on an entertaining and riotous trip down memory lane, back to the days when getting through school was a matter of survival.

Walter Smith - The Ibrox Gaffer

This is a tribute to the legendary Walter Smith and sees Ibrox favourites from across the decades uniting to honour one of the most decorated and successful managers in Scottish football. Heroes like Brian Laudrup, Ally McCoist, Andy Goram, Jorg Albertz, and countless others all give their own unique insight into the man they affectionately call their ‘Gaffer’.

Undiscovered Dundee

Undiscovered Dundee is an anthology of Dundee’s lost civic inheritance; its forgotten disasters, buried heritage, heroes and villains, and strange events. Dundee is a city that is alive with history.

Precious and the Puggies

From Itchy Coo comes the story of the girlhood adventures of Precious Ramotswe, founder of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency. Written by one of the world’s favourite authors, Alexander McCall Smith, and translated into Scots by award winning author, James Robertson, Precious and the Puggies is a fantastic new book for younger readers, out now in paperback.

Blood in the Glens

A fascinating collection of true crime stories from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland now available in pocket edition. Featuring a foreword by crime author Val McDermid.

Rivers & Lochs of Scotland

Bruce Sandison’s Rivers & Lochs of Scotland is the only book on fishing in Scotland that an angler will ever need. This new, comprehensive and completely revised edition describes more than 5,000 freshwater fishing locations complete with access details, flies and tactics and where to obtain permission to fish. Now available in paperback.

The Monster Butler

Archibald Hall was one of Scotland’s most fascinating serial killers. More widely known as Roy Fontaine, the Monster Butler, he murdered five people posing as the gentleman butler, seducing, deceiving and ultimately betraying those around him.