Alistair Moffat

N.B. This event is now taking place at Greenside Church (1b Royal Terrace, EH7 5AB), which is just a couple minutes walk from the bookshop.

A former director of both the Edinburgh Fringe and STV, and founder of the Borders Book Festival, Alistair Moffat is an author of high acclaim. Through his histories of Scotland and its regions, as well as investigations into Scot's genetic inheritance, Alistair has proven himself a great chronicler of the past.

This time round, Alistair comes to the bookshop to delight us with tales and lore from Scotland's distant and not-so-distant history. A charming, lively and often amusing tour of 36 forgotten episodes and overlooked people and places of Scottish history, Scotland's Forgotten Past excels in giving us a sense of newfound knowledge and appreciation for this unique country, its history and people.

Alistair Moffat guides us from the geological formation of the land that makes up Scotland to the first evidence of human habitation right up to modern times. In the process, we learn about the cave of headless children, the origins of the Scottish kings and the real heroes of Scottish independence, the invention of tartan and the romance of the Highlands, Scotland's answer to Shakespeare, and the many U.S. Presidents with Scottish heritage, among many other fascinating tales brought to life by Joe McLaren's attractive woodcut-style illustrations.

Alistair Moffat was born in Kelso, Scotland. He is an award-winning writer and historian, and was Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is former Rector of the University of St Andrews. He is founder of Borders Book Festival and Co-Chairman of The Great Tapestry of Scotland. His many books include The Highland Clans (also published by Thames & Hudson), To the Island of Tides: A Journey to Lindisfarne and The Hidden Ways: A History of Scotland's Forgotten Roads.