CATALIST
Based on the TV series. the book features Pearl and Finn. a pair of hard-nosed ‘modern‘ detectives. who battle on stoically despite being knee-deep in social issues and an appalling lack ofglamour. ‘Right-on' holiday reading - truly addictive.
I 29 Inman Road Ena Chamberlain (Virago £5.99) Autobiographical trip down memory lane. as the author returns to her childhood of London in the 1920s. Charming reminiscences. retold with warmth and humour.
I A Brother’s Tale Stan Barstow (Black Swan £4.99) Sibling rivalry. football. kinky writing classes. beer and archaic sexism. rooted firmly in the 7()s‘ kitchen sink whence it came. Pull the plug. Stan!
I The PuppeteerTimothy Williams (Gollancz £3.50) Commissario Trotti has his breakfast rudely interrupted when hoodlums open fire. A man at the next table is shot dead — Trotti investigates. Very dry humotir with Italian ambience.
I First Light Peter Ackroyd (Abacus £3.99) Archaeology and star-gazing come together in this detective story with a difference. His obsessional preoccupation with ‘time' crops up yet again. Compulsive reading.
I On My Way to the Club Ludovic Kennedy (Fontana £4.99) Heaps of breathless nostalgia from our Edinburgh-bron media man. Ludovic Kennedy may be a little self-congratulatory. but he spins a good yarn.
I The Death of Mr Baltisberger Bohumil Brabal (Abacus £3.99) Fourteen short stories — published in Britain for the first time — by the Czech writer. Strikingly original. these surrealistic tales from Prague around with earthy humour.
I Pleasure and Danger: Exploring Female Sexuality Ed. Carole s. Gancc (Pandora £8.99) Pandora jump on the anti-anti-pornography bandwagon (feminists or collaborators?) in this collection of essays and poetry. oddly published eight years on from the US conference which inspired it. The dense. impenetrable text with only a glimmer ofhumour does nothing for lt.
I Storia 4: Green (Pandora £5.99) Sixteen women writers conjure up images ofGrcenness in this selection ofshort stories. Despite the lack of an introduction. the stories maintain a coherence through their quality. Real gems — especially from lesser-known authors.
painting is defined as Bellany.
BOOKS
I Art in the Eighties Edward Lucie-Smith (Phaidon £19.95). In the sequel to his Art oft/1c St’l't’lllft’s. fast Eddie takes us on a rip through the most prominent artists and movements of the last decade. Mildly patronising. the book. with it confident naming and categorismg. runs the risk of all such surveys of appearing definitive; New Scottish
Campbell. Ilowson and Currie. Asa roundup of all who had work shown on the international circuit it’s a good reference point which doesn‘t alienate the lav-person. (HR)
EVENTS GLASGOW
I WATERSTONE'S 132 Union Street. 221 0890.
Fri 11 7pm. Crime writer Robert B. Parker will be reading and signing Poodle Springs. an unfinished Raymond Chandler novel which he completed.
Fri 17 7.30pm. William McIlvanney will be reading from A Gift Franz Nessus. one of his early novels. which is now available again having been out ofprint for some time.
I SCOTIA BAR 110 Stockwell St. 552 8681.
Tue 8 8.30pm. Glasgow Writers‘ Retreat present the ltinerant Poets. Tue 15 8.30pm. A presentation of talent from Chapman literary magazine.
EDINBURGH
I WATERSTONE’S 1 14 (ieorge Street. 225 3436.
Wed 9 7.30pm. Christoph Ransmayr will be reading and signing copies of his best-seller The Last World. in his only literary event outside London. Thurs 17 7.30pm. Ian McEwan will be reading and signing copies of his book. The Innocent.
I CENTRAL LIBRARY (ieorge IV Bridge. 225 557-1.
Until Fri 1 June World of Books and New spapers Library Centenary Display taking place in the lending library. 1 Thurs 10 May—Thurs 21 June Scottish Book Printing 1507—1988: Scottish Printing Archive Trust taking place in the Edinburgh Room (iallery.
I CHURCH OF ST ANDREW AND ST GEORGE George Street.
Sat 12 10am—me and Man 14—Fri 18
It).3()am—3pm. Christian Aid Week : Annual Sale. An appeal is being made for books. magazines. albums. maps. postcards. cigarette cards. sheet music. records. stamps etc. Donations may be deposited with the Church or. ifcollection is required. phone the Church office. 225 38-17. Mon—Fri mam—3pm; Mary Davidson. 556 2168; Peggy Wood 336 3648 for Things Past and Present only. Prayers for a Hungry World will be said at 1pm each day. Last year the sale raised £31 .000.
Summertime reading . . .
C
THE MAGIC FLUTE
A novel by Alan Spence “2.95 libk xlz'ui/(Ihh' .\l(1_\' [990
VIOLET JACOB Diaries and Letters from India 1895—1900 Edited by Carol Anderson £16.95 hbk
Canongate Classics: THE CORN KING
AND THE SPRING QUEEN
(Introduction by the author) By Naomi Mitchison £6.95 phk
DANCE OF THE APPRENTICES (Introduction by lattics (Ianipbcll) By Edward Gaitens £4.95 phk
LINMILL STORIES (Introduction by Armand)
By Robert McLellan £53.95 pbk
THE LIFE OF ROBERT BURNS
(Introduction by Tom Crawford) By Catherine Carswell £5.91") pbk
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Canongate
CANONGATE
PUBLISHING
l7‘leffrcy Street Edinburgh [CHI IDR
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The List 4 -- l7 May 1990 91