Draft:Scotland Street Press

Scotland Street Press was founded by Jean Fraser in 2014. Born in Edinburgh, Jean founded a theatre company and wrote and produced plays which toured world-wide. She worked in London as an arts journalist. As Jean Findlay she is published by Vintage{{Cite book |last=Findlay |first=Jean |url=https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/392999/chasing-lost-time-by-jean-findlay/9780099507086 |title=Chasing Lost Time |date=2015-08-27 |language=en}} in the UK and Picador in the US{{Cite web |title=Picador Books - - page 1 of 36 |url=https://www.panmacmillan.com/picador/books |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=www.panmacmillan.com |language=en}}.

Scotland Street in the Edinburgh New Town, where the company was founded, has long been a hub of literary activity and a rich literary history. The street was the home of Compton Mackenzie{{Cite web |title=Our Records: Sir Compton Mackenzie (1893-1972) {{!}} Scotland's People |url=https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/article/our-records-compton-mackenzie#:~:text=By%20this%20time%20Mackenzie%20was,Compton%20Mackenzie's%20death%20certificate,%201972. |access-date=2024-11-20 |website=www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk}}, was the setting for Alexander McCall Smith's novels (44 Scotland Street), and today houses an abundance of living writers.

Scotland Street Press has garnered recognition for publishing works that celebrate diverse voices and explore significant historical, cultural, and artistic themes. Several of its publications have been reviewed in leading international newspapers:

• "Don Roberto: The Adventure of Being Cunninghame Graham" by James Jauncey (2023) received praise in The Scotsman for its engaging portrayal of the life of Scottish polymath and adventurer Robert Cunninghame Graham, highlighting the publisher's commitment to reviving interest in historical figures often overlooked in mainstream narratives.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-22 |title=Book review: Don Roberto: The Adventure of Being Cunninghame Graham, by James Jauncey |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/book-review-don-roberto-the-adventure-of-being-cunninghame-graham-by-james-jauncey-4193517 |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=The Scotsman |language=en}}
• "Undefeatable: Odesa in Love and War" by Julian Evans (2024) was described in The Guardian as a compelling exploration of resilience and humanity amidst conflict, further cementing Scotland Street Press’s role in bringing poignant contemporary stories to readers worldwide{{Cite news |last=Harding |first=Luke |date=2024-12-03 |title=Undefeatable: Odesa in Love & War by Julian Evans review – a 'sleeping beauty' now besieged |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/dec/03/undefeatable-odesa-in-love-and-war-review-julian-evans |access-date=2024-12-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}.
• Scotland Street Press has also played a role in championing international voices, as demonstrated by its publication of Alhierd Bacharevič's Alindarka's Children, a Belarusian novel translated into English. The New York Times commended the work in 2022 for its inventive storytelling and exploration of linguistic identity{{Cite web |last=Pinkham |first=Sophie |date=June 21, 2022 |title=nytimes.com |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/21/books/review/alhierd-bacharevic-alindarkas-children.html |website=The New York Times}}.
• Scotland Street Press has also supported projects in the arts, including "James McBey: Aberdeen Artist", a tribute to the life and work of the celebrated Scottish painter. The Guardian noted the publication's contribution to raising awareness of Scotland’s rich artistic heritage{{Cite news |last=Wroe |first=Nicholas |date=2023-03-09 |title=The Rembrandt of Aberdeenshire: the extraordinary life of artist James McBey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/mar/09/james-mcbey-aberdeen-artist |access-date=2024-12-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
• "The Queen's Lender" by Jean Findlay has received praise for its vivid depiction of 17th-century life and its exploration of complex historical themes. The Edinburgh Reporter highlighted the novel's focus on themes of power, religious strife, and endurance, alongside its intricate portrayal of the challenges faced by Queen Anna of Denmark and George Heriot. The review commended the storytelling for connecting readers to historical events such as witch hunts and royal court dynamics.{{Cite web |last=Kaye |first=Rosemary |date=2022-02-05 |title=Book review - The Queen's Lender by Jean Findlay |url=https://theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2022/02/book-review-the-queens-lender-by-jean-findlay/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=The Edinburgh Reporter |language=en-GB}} The novel has also been recognised for its authenticity and poetic prose, and the Old Edinburgh Club lauded its witty dialogue and evocative portrayal of cultural shifts during the period.{{Cite web |last=Alison |date=2024-02-20 |title='The Queen's Lender' review |url=https://oldedinburghclub.org.uk/the-queens-lender-review/ |access-date=2024-12-03 |website=The Old Edinburgh Club |language=en-GB}}

• Alhierd Bacharevič (Alindarka’s Children)
• Kay Carmichael (It Takes a Lifetime to Become Yourself)
• Stewart Conn (Aspects of Edinburgh)
• Jenni Daiches (neé Jenni Calder), (Somewhere Else)
• Julian Evans (Undefeatable: Odesa in Love and War)
• [https://www.jeanfindlay.co.uk/ Jean Findlay] (The Queen’s Lender)
• Dr Bashabi Fraser, CBE (Patient Dignity)
• [https://janmcgiffin.com/ Janet McGiffin] (Empress Irini series, Books 1-3)
• C. K. Scott Moncrieff (ANT: Collected Short Stories, War Serials, and Selected Poems of C. K. Scott-Moncrieff)
• Ann Scott-Moncrieff (‍Auntie Robbo, Aboard the Bulger, Firkin and the Grey Gangsters)
• Maxim Znak (The Zekameron)
• Alan Spence (Edinburgh Come All Ye)
• Gerda Stevenson (Inside and Out, the art of Christian Small)
• Murray Lachlan Young (Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps)
• Ann Scott Moncrieff (Auntie Robbo)
• James Jauncey (Don Roberto: The Adventures of Being Cunninghame Graham)