James Robertson Books In Order

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

The Fanatic (2001)
Joseph Knight (2003)
The Testament of Gideon Mack (2006)
And the Land Lay Still (2010)
The Professor of Truth (2013)
To Be Continued… (2016)
News of the Dead (2021)

Itchy Coo Books In Publication Order

A Wee Moose in the Hoose (2006)
Katie’s Ferm (2007)
A Wee Book o Fairy Tales in Scots (2007)
Katie’s Coo (2008)
Katie’s Moose (2008)
Mini Katie’s Coo (2008)
Katie’s Year (2009)
Katie’s Pairty (2013)

Picture Books In Publication Order

Robert The Bruce (2014)
The Book of the Howlat (2016)

Collections In Publication Order

Close and Other Stories (1991)
The Ragged Man’s Complaint (1993)
Sound-shadow (1995)
Scottish Ghost Stories (1996)
I Dream of Alfred Hitchcock (1999)
Stirling Sonnets (2001)
Voyage of Intent (2005)
Republics of the Mind (2012)
365 (2014)

Anthologies In Publication Order

A Tongue in Yer Heid (1994)
Who Built Scotland (2017)

Standalone Novels Book Covers

Itchy Coo Book Covers

Picture Book Covers

Collections Book Covers

Anthologies Book Covers

James Robertson Books Overview

The Fanatic

Spring, 1997. Hugh Hardie needs a ghost for his Tours of Old Edinburgh, and Andrew Carlin is the perfect candidate. So with cape, stick, and plastic rat, Carlin is paid to scare the tourists, pretending to be the spirit of Colonel Weir, a religious extremist burned at the stake in 1670. But who was Weir? Carlin’s research draws him into the past and, in particular, to James Mitchel, imprisoned in 1674 for the attempted assassination of the Archbishop of St Andrews. Through the story of Carlin and Mitchel, The Fanatic reveals an extraordinary history of Scotland: a tale of betrayals, witch hunts, Puritan exiles, smuggled journeys, and disguised identities. A gripping, richly imagined novel.

Joseph Knight

‘A book of such quality as to persuade you that historical novels are the true business of the writer.’ Daily Telegraph A gripping, shocking story of history, enlightement and slavery from the bestselling author of THE FANATIC. JOSPEH KNIGHT confirms James Robertson as one of our foremost novelists. Exiled to Jamaica after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Sir John Wedderburn made a fortune, alongside his three brothers, as a faux surgeon and sugar planter. In the 1770s, he returned to Scotland to marry and re establish the family name. He brought with him Joseph Knight, a black slave and a token of his years in the Caribbean. Now, in 1802, Sir John Wedderburn is settling his estate, and has hired a solicitor’s agent, Archibald Jamieson, to search for his former slave. The past has haunted Wedderburn ever since Culloden, and ever since he last saw Knight, in court twenty four years ago, in a case that went to the heart of Scottish society, pitting master against slave, white against black, and rich against poor. As long as Knight is missing, Wedderburn will never be able to escape the past. Yet what will he do if Jamieson’s search is successful? And what effect will this re opening of old wounds have on those around him? Meanwhile, as Jamieson tries to unravel the true story of Joseph Knight he begins to question his own motivation. How can he possibly find a man who does not want to be found? James Robertson’s second novel is a tour de force, the gripping story of a search for a life that stretches over sixty years and moves from battlefields to the plantations of Jamaica, from Enlightenment Edinburgh to the back streets of Dundee. It is a moving narrative of history, identity and ideas, that dramatically retells a fascinating but forgotten episode of Scottish history.

The Testament of Gideon Mack

A Scottish minister who doesn t believe in God meets the devil in this beguiling American debut A good man and a good minister despite his atheism Gideon Mack leads a respectable life that is shattered when he falls down a ravine and into the raging river below. Presumed dead, he emerges three days later, alive and claiming he had been rescued by the devil. After being suspended from the Church, mocked by the tabloids, and shunned as a madman, Gideon disappears. The case is considered closed until a publisher receives what appears to be Gideon’s posthumous memoir of his experience and the unusual life that preceded it. The son of a minister, Gideon grew up in a joyless house under his father s repressive thumb until a fateful clash over an episode of Batman sets him free or so he thinks. Decades later, Gideon s life is upended when he discovers an enormous stone in the local woods whose mysterious and possibly supernatural appearance begins to unravel his understanding of truth, faith, and how much we can trust our own perceptions. The Testament of Gideon Mack is a riveting and brilliantly imagined novel that heralds the arrival of a true original to American shores.

A Wee Moose in the Hoose

A Wee Moose in the Hoose is a Scots book of numbers that will give endless amuseme*nt to bairns and adults alike. Matthew Fitt and James Robertson’s rhyming couplets not only take you from 1 to 20, but also introduce you to native creatures by their traditional Scots names. Everybody knows what a coo is, but what about a hurtcheon or a hair oobit? The rhymes are complemented by award winning artists Karen Sutherland’s warm and funny illustrations and this new edition is perfect for both the tourist gift market and the trade.

Katie’s Ferm

In Katie’s Ferm, Katie vists her grandparents’ farm and goes in search of the mischevious cat Tam, who keeps one step ahead of her all the way. Katie asks all the animals, including the coo, pig, cuddie, bees and goose, not forgetting Mollie Hen and Mike the Collie, if they have seen Tam. In each picture Tam’s tail is just disappearing as Katie arrives. Finally, coming in to the farmhouse kitchen, Katie meets Tam at least. She also finds that all the food she has seen during the day has been spread out on the table for her tea. This is a greak seek and find story, written in simple, lively Scots whymes. And, with Karen Sutherland’s bright and cheery illustrations, it’s sure to be just as popular as its predecessors.

Katie’s Coo

Katie Bairdie had a coo, Black and white aboot the mou. Wasna that a dainty coo? Dance, Katie Bairdie. Itchy Coo’s first publication specifically for babies and very young children, Katie’s Coo is a delightful board book. Illustrated in full colour throughout, the book contains some much loved traditional Scots rhymes, along with a few that are less well known. Parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, big brothers and sisters, they’ll all enjoy singing or chanting the words in Katie’s Coo to babies and toddlers. And the bairns will love the combination of Scots words and sounds with the bright and simple illustrations by award winning artist Karen Sutherland Animal ABC, A Moose in the Hoose, Eck the Bee. Rhymes featured include favourites like ‘The Three Craws’, ‘Katie Bairdie’, ‘Wee Willie Winkie’ and ‘Ally Bally Bee’. Developed in consultation with Craigmillar Books for Babies and the Scottish Book Trust, Katie’s Coo is a fun introduction for young children to easy Scots rhymes.

Katie’s Year

‘Katie’s Year‘ is the fifth in the best selling ‘Katie’ series of board books. In this new book, Katie makes her way through the months of the year, experiencing the changing seasons and some of the key events of the calendar from wind and snow to rain and sunshine, from spring days with new lambs and bright flowers to summer days on the beach and in the garden. Winter celebrations include Halloween, Bonfire Night and of course Christmas. Simple Scots words in rhyming couplets guide the reader through the months of the year, and Katie is as cheery and inquisitive as ever. Her Granda and some of her animal pals from previous books also make an appearance, and there are some new friends too. With lots of things to look at and point to in Karen Sutherland’s bright and cheery illustrations, ‘Katie’s Year‘ should prove just as popular as its predecessors.

Scottish Ghost Stories

This is a collection of ghost stories based on a mixture of local history and folklore. The stories are from past and present. Some, such as The Hauntings of Glamis Castle and The Tale of Major Weir are well known, while others are less familiar, such as The Deil of Littledean.