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Edinburgh, with its literary history and its mystical, mysterious atmosphere, makes for an ideal setting for novels of all kinds. So it is no surprise that there are many memorable books set in Edinburgh and its surrounding areas. This UNESCO city of literature has inspired and birthed books of all genres throughout the ages.
Whether you’re dreaming of a trip to Scotland, or are an Edinburgh local searching for a great read about our lovely city, this list of books should fit the bill when you desire a Scottish-inspired read.
Below, you’ll find a compilation of some of the best Edinburgh books, Scottish books, and more. We’re also particularly highlighting Scottish authors who have written books about Edinburgh or books set in the city.
Think you know the Scottish language? Read our lingo guide!
Novels Set in Edinburgh – Edinburgh Fiction
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
You can’t have a list of great Scottish novels without including this well-known piece.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a novel set in Edinburgh and written by Edinburgh-born author Muriel Spark.
This book is Spark’s most famous work, was published as a novel in 1961, and has been included on TIME Magazine’s list of the top 100 English language novels published since 1923.
The story centres around a young, progressive school teacher, Miss Brodie, who is teaching in 1930s Edinburgh. She selects a small group of 6 female students who become her elite group known as “the Brodie set.”
With a controversial teaching style and perhaps an overbearing interest in her students’ lives, Miss Brodie becomes increasingly manipulative.
What results is a tale of one of the most complex characters in English literature.
Buy the book: UK / US
Did you know that Harry Potter’s Minerva McGonagall is based on the movie portrayal of Miss Jean Brodie and that Maggie Smith (McGonagall) played the role of Miss Brodie on screen?
Are you a Potterhead?
Check out our guide on Edinburgh virtual tours
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Trainspotting may be best known as a 1990’s cult classic film, but it originated as a novel, written by author Irvine Welsh.
This gritty, raw read is often considered one of the best Scottish novels in print.
Formatted as a collection of short stories, Trainspotting is centred around the lives of a group of young men in Leith, all of whom are either heroin users or are suffering from other types of addiction.
The plot is not linear in this novel but takes readers into random moments and snippets of life: the various highs and lows that occur in the life of Mark Renton, the story’s primary character, and his unreliable friends.
The overarching story follows 22-year old Mark through the chaos and turmoil that follow his attempts to “get clean.”
Buy the book: UK / US.
If you like Trainspotting you will want to read Skagboys which is the prequel and Skagboy, the sequal.
The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith
This is the 4th instalment of McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series, but many readers consider it one of the best.
The story is narrated through the eyes of six-year-old Bertie as he deals with his own small, often comic, challenges.
But there are many other eccentric, delightful characters passing through the doors of 44 Scotland Street, and the book offers readers a glimpse of these as well.
If you’re looking for a cosy novel set in Edinburgh, this book, and the entire series, are lauded as heart-warming pieces full of love and nostalgia for Edinburgh and for Scotland.
Buy the books: UK / US.
Check out the loveliest photo spots in Edinburgh
One Day by David Nicholls
This book has a simple premise: it follows the lives of two people over the course of 20 years.
In July 1988, Dexter and Emma, following their graduation from the University of Edinburgh, spend the night together and agree to remain friends and keep in touch.
Throughout the rest of the book, we get to see into both Dexter and Emma’s lives, always on that same day: July 15th, Saint Swithin’s Day.
While the entirety of the book does not take place in Edinburgh, many significant scenes do, and some well-known sites are highlighted, including iconic scenes on Arthur’s Seat.
Input from Gemma, Everything Edinburgh – during the summer that this book was realised, there wasn’t a girl on the Glasgow Underground without the novel in their hands.
This book was turned into a feature film in 2011, starring Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway.
Buy the book: UK / US.
Fans of The Davinci Code will want to travel to Rosslyn Chapel. Here’s how.
The Heart of Midlothian by Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott is a famous name around Edinburgh.
We even have a monument to the man!
The Heart of Midlothian, originally published in 1818, is the seventh of Sir Walter Scott’s ‘Waverley’ novels.
This tale, based loosely on true facts, is set in 1730s Scotland and tells of riots and justice of the time.
Buy the book: UK / US.
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
York-born Kate Atkinson now resides in Edinburgh, and this 2nd book in her Jackson Brodie series is set in Edinburgh as well.
The action of One Good Turn takes place during a very famous event: the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
A road rage incident, witnessed by many bystanders waiting in a queue, turns deadly, and suddenly, Jackson Brodie finds himself a suspect for murder.
Offering lots of the classic twists and turns one would expect from a crime novel, this story will keep you guessing with its simultaneous plot lines and complex characters.
Read next | The best blossom tree spots in the city
The Strings of Murder by Oscar de Muriel
Not all of the great crime novels set in Edinburgh take place in the present day.
This Victorian murder mystery is set in 1880s Edinburgh when a violinist is murdered inside his home—and inside a locked room.
Ian Rankin called this “properly creepy and gothic” and it seems like a perfect cosy tale to curl up with on a rainy Scottish night.
Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
One cannot mention books set in Edinburgh without a nod to Ian Rankin, one of the foremost authors of mystery and thrillers in Scotland.
Rankin’s bestselling Edinburgh detective novels have been translated into 22 languages and Rankin has won numerous literary awards.
While there are many Rankin novels that belong on this list, it is in Knots and Crosses that we first met Detective Rebus.
Rebus, who features in more than 20 of Ian Rankin’s books, is an Edinburgh cop investigating a string of abductions and murders of young girls in the city.
Intrigued by a series of strange anonymous notes, Rebus soon finds he may be the only one who can solve this case, as it seems to be somehow intertwined with his own story.
The Rebus walking tour features in our unusual things to do in Edinburgh.
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
You won’t hear this name forgotten on an Edinburgh literary tour: Robert Louis Stevenson is a staple of Scottish literature.
He has written many volumes, including this well-known title.
Kidnapped is a classic adventure story that was originally written for children, but has gained fame as a beloved read for children and adults alike.
Check out Cammo, the inspiration for the House of Shaws, on a walk around Edinburgh.
The plot follows recently orphaned David Balfour who is kidnapped and put aboard a slave ship bound for the Carolinas.
The ship eventually wrecks and Balfour finds himself rescued by an unlikely candidate: a Highland rebel with opposing political and religious viewpoints.
Buy the books: UK / US.
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Books About Edinburgh
Edinburgh has been the setting of many wonderful novels, but for those in search of non-fiction, Edinburgh also plays a role.
Here are some of the best books about Edinburgh, including books on Edinburgh history, books for visitors, and more.
Pockets of Pretty: An Instagrammer’s Edinburgh
by Shawna Law
Edinburgh is chock full of stunning spots. These are beautifully displayed in this book by Shawna Law.
Taking you beyond the typical monuments and tourist spots, Law carries us through the city with the eyes of a local.
You will definitely find some spots you’ll want to check out on your next visit to Scotland’s capital city.
Buy the books: UK.
Edinburgh: Picturesque Notes by Robert Louis Stevenson
One of the most timeless authors from Scotland, Robert Louis Stevenson did not just pen works of fiction. He also wrote about his beloved Edinburgh.
This slim volume offers recollections on Edinburgh past and present in stirring, atmospheric prose.
Many say that Stevenson’s views on the city are quite applicable today. While this may not be one of the definitive books on Edinburgh history, it is certainly one written by one of Scotland’s literary fathers.
Buy the books: UK / US.
Recovering Scotland’s Slavery Past: The Caribbean Connection by T.M Devine
Did you know that Scots played a very heavy handed role in the transatlantic slave trade?
Very few people are aware that many of Edinburgh’s New Town buildings are built with income from the slave trade.
Written by the historian, T.M Devine, this book discusses this erased past, using work from scholars and archives to challenge the traditional picture of Scotland.
Image below shows Henry Dundas at St Andrew Square, the Scottish Home Secretary who delayed the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
Burke & Hare by Martin Conaghan and Will Pickering
Do you know the story of Burke and Hare?
In the early 1800s, these two Irishman murdered 18 people in the city of Edinburgh in order to sell their corpses to the medical department of the university.
This chilling tale is recounted in a unique way in this graphic novel version of the story.
Forbidden Planet called this “a ghoulish, yet fascinating account of murder, history, medicine and greed.”
Buy the books: UK / US.
How the Scots Invented the Modern World by Arthur Herman
While this book is technically not Edinburgh-focused, it is a fantastic addition to the list, offering a unique glimpse into Scottish history.
Did you know how many things have been invented by Scots?
According to this book, the people of Scotland are responsible for much of the modern world.
Grab this title and join author and historian Arthur Jerman for a journey through Scotland’s history and its inventive people.
Buy the books: UK / US.
Edinburgh: A History of the City by Michael Fry
On the hunt for definitive Edinburgh history books?
This tome will likely be what you’re looking for.
Over nearly 450 pages, Fry introduces Edinburgh to us, one of perhaps the only cities that can truly rival ancient greats such as Rome.
On a comprehensive journey through history, you will read about Edinburgh’s pre-history up to the modern era.
Buy the books: UK / US.
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
We couldn’t create an Edinburgh book list without mentioning the boy wizard!
The Harry Potter series has had such a magical impact on the city and that influence attracts thousands of visitors to Edinburgh.
Read next | Everything Edinburgh’s Guide to Harry Potter Sites in Edinburgh
Fans of the books, and movies, visit to check out the many Harry Potter locations throughout the city and businesses loosely related to the story.
If you can’t travel to Edinburgh why not take a virtual Harry Potter tour from your home?
The Potter Trail team of wizards cast a spell to take you on a one-hour private video call to Greyfriars Kirk, Potterrow and The Elephant House.
Claim 5% off the tour by quoting everythingedinburgh5 at checkout.
Reserver a tour and find out more here.
Read our guide to virtual tours in Edinburgh here.
Books Set in Scotland
Want to go beyond Edinburgh in your literary travels? Here are some novels that are set in other parts of Scotland, that are absolutely worth a read.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
You can’t have a list of Scottish reads without including the well-known fantasy/romance Outlander.
Many have been introduced to this tale through its television adaptation, but it all began with the first book in Diana Gabaldon’s series.
A young woman is transported back several hundred years with the touch of a standing stone.
She falls in love with a handsome, roguish Scot named Jamie.
What’s not to love?
The image below is Gemma, Everything Edinburgh, standing in the same spot as Jamie from the TV show.
The village is called Falkland which is in Fife but was used as Inverness in the 1940s during filming.
Buy the books: UK / US.
Lanark by Alasdair Gray
Since its appearance in 1981, this has been a groundbreaking book.
In this dreamlike fantasy, a man wakes up on a train.
He has no memory and carries only seashells in his pockets.
What follows is a narrative that jumps back and forth in time, and takes place partly in Glasgow.
The theme?
According to the novel’s description, Lanark is about “Humankind’s inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying.”
Gray wrote over 30 books during his time.
Fans can see his artwork in Oran Morin Glasgow’s West End.
A well missed Scottish character.
Buy the books: UK / US.
The Cone Gatherers by Robin Jenkins
Another Scottish classic, this book is set in WWII and follows two brothers as they work on a Scottish estate gathering pinecones.
This tragedy is often required reading in Scottish secondary schools and with its heavy symbolism and dark thematic elements, it’s not hard to see why.
Buy the books: UK / US.
Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
This is the first in a trilogy by Gibbon and follows a passionate young heroine, Chris Guthrie, whose love of the land influences her to stay in her rural community, rather than pursue a life of education.
Yet her world will be dramatically altered with the arrival of WWI.
Buy the books: UK / US.
About the author: Amy Hartle is a writer from the United States who has a major love affair with Scotland. She met her husband in a hostel in Edinburgh, attended grad school at the University of Stirling, and still declares Scotland as her favourite country.
Great literary post! Lots of books for me to it on my list.
Cheers Ruth! I especially enjoyed the Trainspotting books.