Our books
Our books tell the stories of Scotland. From landmark works of expert research to creative collaborations with internationally renowned authors.
The aim of our books is to explore ideas and start conversations about the past, present and future of our nation’s history and heritage. Our titles represent the work of Historic Environment Scotland in the best ways possible, offering something for everyone and books that people want to own, gift, read and treasure.
You might encounter stories that are set in the historic places we record and protect, or read about the people who made Scotland great through their achievements and the lives they led. You can learn about Scottish history and architecture through the expertise of our authors, or admire the amazing images in books inspired by the archives on trove.scot.
Titles like Where are the Women? and who will be remembered here reflect our commitment to diversity in Scotland's historic environment.
Whether you’re still at school, you’re a leading expert or you prefer to enjoy history through fiction, there's a HES book for you. Depending on your preference you can buy them at your favourite bookshop, major online retailers or our own online shop.
Featured book: Art Deco Scotland
Art Deco Scotland: Design and Architecture in the Jazz Age
By Bruce Peter
Art Deco is a design style infused with glamour and energy. Emerging from the smart metropolises of Paris and New York in the 1920s, its impact quickly spread beyond these cities.
A remarkable range of Art Deco objects, structures and images were created in Scotland as architects and designers incorporated features of Art Deco and moderne into their work. These forms were to be found in fashionable new villas, luxury ocean liners and the fleeting Empire Exhibition, as well as in everyday spaces such as shops, lidos, tramcars, cafes, cinemas and even pithead baths.
The 2025 publication of this illustrated hardback marked the centenary of the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris – the international exhibition considered the origin of Art Deco.
Featured book: Bloody Scotland
Bloody Scotland
By Lin Anderson, Gordon Brown, Chris Brookmyre, Ann Cleeves, Doug Johnstone, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Craig Robertson, Sara Sheridan, E S Thomson, Louise Welsh
In Bloody Scotland twelve of Scotland’s best crime writers use the sinister side of the country’s built heritage in stories that are by turns gripping, chilling and redemptive.
The stellar contributors explore the thrilling potential of Scotland’s iconic sites and structures. From murder in an Iron Age broch and a macabre tale of revenge among the furious clamour of an eighteenth century mill, to a dark psychological thriller set within the tourist throng of Edinburgh Castle and a rivalry turning fatal in the concrete galleries of an abandoned modernist ruin, this collection uncovers the intimate – and often deadly – connections between people and places.
Prepare for a dangerous journey into the dark shadows of our nation’s buildings – where passion, fury, desire and death collide.
Featured book: Wanderings With a Camera in Scotland
Wanderings With a Camera in Scotland: The Photography of Erskine Beveridge
By Lesley Ferguson
In the early 1960s, while recording a Dunfermline mill building that was scheduled for demolition, surveyors discovered an incredible collection of over 800 glass plate negatives. Taken between 1880 and 1919, the photographs are a remarkable record of a bygone era, ranging from black houses in the Western Isles and Highland crofts in the shadow of Ben Nevis, to remote castles in Argyll and busy harbour views in Fife.
The photographs are the work of Erskine Beveridge (1851–1920), a wealthy Dunfermline industrialist – and enthusiastic historian and archaeologist – who would become one of the finest amateur photographers of his generation. Fascinated by landscapes, boats, buildings and archaeological monuments, Beveridge’s images are not just fine, well composed representations of their subjects, but also convey a sense of what made Scotland’s places meaningful to him.
With a biographical introduction by Lesley Ferguson, this stunning volume highlights one of the nation’s earliest and most remarkable photographic collections.
Trade and wholesale
Order queries
For order queries please contact:
BookSource
50 Cambuslang Road
Cambuslang
Glasgow
G32 8NB
0845 370 0067
orders@booksource.net
Trade reps
In Scotland, our trade reps are:
Birlinn
West Newington House
10 Newington Road
Edinburgh
EH9 1QS
0131 668 1456
sales@birlinn.co.uk
In England & Wales our trade reps are:
Compass Independent Publishing Services Ltd
Great West House
Great West Road
Brentford
TW8 9DF
020 8326 5696
www.compass-ips.london
Trade terms
Please note that prices and specifications are correct at time of going to press but may be subject to change. All trade orders are subject to a 33% discount unless otherwise arranged.
Press and copies for reviews
For review copies of our titles, or general enquiries, please contact us via email: books@hes.scot
Our Making Sense of Scotland framework
Our books and publications are part of our aim to make Scotland’s historic environment a valued national resource for lifelong learning.
