The Merchiston Press has been an outlet for the students of Edinburgh Napier University to showcase their practical skills and this year is no different.  Due to print in the next few weeks is an exciting new edition of John Buchan’s The Thirty-Nine Steps.

“Implicated in the murder of a secret agent, Richard Hannay flees London with the Victim’s ‘black book’ detailing an international conspiracy against the Allied Forces.

Wanted by the police and hunted by assassins, Hannay escapes to his native Scotland where he makes newfound friends and allies. It is here amongst his countrymen that Hannay not only finds the courage to pursue the clues that will seal his country’s fate, but also discovers the hidden joys of coming home.  Join Hannay and discover Scotland with a map that tracks his quest to decipher the mystery of the ‘Thirty-Nine Steps’.”

With publishing now celebrating with international talent it is quite easy to overlook the home growing talent of Scotland’s past.  However, with this being the year of the Scottish Home Coming and of Robert Burns, this is an ideal opportunity to celebrate what has made Scotland one of the best sources of literary talent: past and present.

The Merchiston Press pushes publishing students to practically input their skills into a physical product and in keeping with its heritage all the publications focus around Scottish writers.  Previous publications have included The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner.   All of these titles were funded for a non-profit gain and The Thirty-Nine Steps is no exemption with funding coming from The Edward Clarke Collection, also situated at Napier’s Craiglockhart Campus.

It costs very little to pick up a good Scottish novel,  in the case of Napier’s project it costs nothing as this book is free.  Therefore, all you need to do to support the publishing talent of Scotland is to read and appreciate the writings of one of Scotland’s best writers.

This new edition of The Thirty-Nine Steps includes Author Bio from The John Buchan Society, Map of Richard Hannay's Journey to Scotland and a Glossary of Scottish Terms. 

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