Books published by publisher Canongate Books

“A heroic biography of one of Scotland's legendary leaders, by a British novelist and former literary critic for the London Sunday Times” (Kirkus). Robert the Bruce had himself crowned King of Scots at Scone on a frozen March morning in 1306. After years of struggle, Scotland had been reduced to a vassal state by Edward I of England. Its people lived in abject poverty. But on the day he seized the crown, Bruce renewed the fight for Scotland’s freedom, and let forth a battle cry that would echo through the centuries. Using contemporary accounts, Ronald McNair Scott tells the story of Scotland’s legendary 14th century leader, and one of Europe’s most remarkable medieval kings. From Bruce’s historic victory against England in the Battle of Bannockburn to the day in 1324 when the Pope recognized him as king of an independent Scotland, this is a story of a man whose life shaped a nation.“A thundering good narrative … splendidly told.”—Sunday Telegraph, UK

When her baby brother is kidnapped by crows, Prue McKeel begins an adventure that will take her and her friend Curtis way beyond her hometown and deep into the Impassable Wilderness.There they uncover a secret world in the midst of violent upheaval, a world full of warring creatures, peace-loving mystics and powerful figures with the darkest intentions.What begins as a rescue mission becomes something much bigger as the two friends find themselves entwined in a struggle for the very freedom of this wilderness. A wilderness the locals call Wildwood.

WHO IS TO BLAME WHEN NO ONE IS INNOCENT?The papers want blood.The force wants results.The law must be served, whatever the cost.August 1973. The Glasgow drugs trade is booming and Bobby March, the city's own rock-star hero, has just OD'ed in a central hotel. Alice Winters is twelve years old, lonely. And missing. Meanwhile the niece of McCoy's boss has fallen in with a bad crowd and when she goes AWOL, McCoy is asked - off the books - to find her.McCoy has a hunch. But does he have enough time?

In the near future, world wars have transformed the earth into a battleground. Fleeing the unending violence and the planet's now-radioactive surface, humans have regrouped to a mysterious platform known as CIEL, hovering over their erstwhile home. The changed world has turned evolution on its head: the surviving humans have become sexless, hairless, pale-white creatures floating in isolation, inscribing stories upon their skin. Out of the ranks of the endless wars rises Jean de Men, a charismatic and bloodthirsty cult leader who turns CIEL into a quasi-corporate police state. A group of rebels unite to dismantle his iron rule - galvanised by the heroic song of Joan, a child-warrior who possesses a mysterious force that lives within her. A riveting tale of destruction and love found in the direst of places, Lidia Yuknavitch's The Book of Joan raises questions about what it means to be human, the fluidity of sex and gender, and the role of art as a means for survival. It's a genre-defying masterpiece that may very well rewire your brain.

'Probably the greatest novel of the century' Observer'Remarkable . . . A work of loving and vivid imagination, yielding copious riches' WILLIAM BOYD Lanark, a modern vision of hell, is set in the disintegrating cities of Unthank and Glasgow, and tells the interwoven stories of Lanark and Duncan Thaw. A work of extraordinary imagination and wide range, its playful narrative techniques convey a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind's inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying. First published in 1981, Lanark immediately established Gray as one of Britain's leading writers.

'Growing up in the jungles of India there was no need for drawing or painting, I would sometimes arrange ants into primitive still lives or scratch out portraits onto the trunks of trees. Things changed when I was 11. A lame tiger who owned a stationery shop gave me the keys to his stockroom. I would roll around in acrylic and oil pastels in a reverie, licking canvases and tucking coloured pencils into my wild hair. It was here I learned how to draw and paint well enough to be accepted into Croyden Art College. There, Dexter Dalwood (Turner Prize nominee) taught me and after two years under his supreme tutelage and much hard graft he advised me to become a comedian.'

Based on the true account of Matt Bondurant's grandfather and two granduncles, Lawless is a gripping, white-knuckle fable of bootlegging, brotherhood and revenge. White mule, white lightning, firewater, popskull, wild cat, stump whiskey, rotgut - whatever you called it, 1920s Virginia was awash with moonshine. The Bondurant Boys were notorious gangsters who ran liquor though Franklin County during Prohibition and in the years that followed. Lawless is their story.

In this dazzling collection, Annie Dillard explores the world over, from the Arctic to the Ecuadorian jungle, from the Galapagos to her beloved Tinker Creek. With her entrancing gaze she captures the wonders of natural facts and human meanings: watching a sublime lunar eclipse, locking eyes with a wild weasel, or beholding mirages appearing over Puget Sound through summer.Annie Dillard is one of the most respected and influential figures in contemporary non-fiction and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Teaching a Stone to Talk illuminates the world around us and showcases Dillard in all her enigmatic genius.

The Sunday Times and New York Times bestsellerA Guardian literary highlight for 2015A Huffington Post 'One to Watch' in 2015'Astounding' LENA DUNHAM, creator of Girls and author of Not That Kind of Girl'The First Bad Man brings together all of July's talents - it's a book that must be read, a book that must be purchased - in duplicate - one for you, one for a friend. Don't think you can loan this book - you'll never get it back' A. M. HOMES, author of This Book Will Save Your Life and May We Be ForgivenThe first novel by the filmmaker, artist and bestselling author Miranda July confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic, and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling and unforgettable.

The hottest summer of the twentieth century. A tiny community of five houses enclosed by wheat fields. While the adults shelter indoors, six children venture out on their bikes across the scorched, deserted countryside. Whilst exploring a dilapidated and uninhabited farmhouse, nine-year-old Michele Amitrano discovers a secret so momentous, so terrible, that he dare not tell anyone about it. To come to terms with what he has found, Michele has to draw strength from his own sense of humanity. It is Ammaniti's ability to inhabit the mind and perspective of his young hero that makes I'm Not Scared such an affecting and extraordinary novel. The book is a masterpiece of coming of age; a compelling portrait of losing one's innocence and a powerful reflection on the complexities and compromises inherent in growing up.

Faced with a choice between a harsh farming life and the world of books and learning, Chris Guthrie chooses to remain in her rural community, bound by her intense love of the land. But everything changes with the arrival of the First World War and Chris finds her land altered beyond recognition.In lyrical prose, Sunset Song evokes village life in the early twentieth century and offers a powerful portrait of a land and people in turmoil.This stunning new edition of one of the most cherished Scottish novels of the twentieth century includes a specially commissioned introduction by Nicola Sturgeon, in which she writes with heartfelt passion of her love for what she regards as 'one of the finest literary accomplishments Scotland has ever known . . . In no small way, I owe my love of literature to Sunset Song'.

A TRULY WILD ADVENTURE!Twelve-year-old Evie has a talent. She can HEAR what animals are thinking and she can TALK to them with her mind.When Evie goes on a trip to the Amazon rainforest, her powers are put to the test. She makes friends with pink river dolphins, must save an injured sloth, and discovers the secret life of a jaguar. Soon she sees that the jungle is in serious and deadly danger, and comes up with a rather risky plan to help save it . . . A brilliant new story from bestselling author Matt Haig, featuring Evie from Evie and the Animals and with illustrations by the award-winning Emily Gravett.