From one of the earliest mentions of its name in the sixth century to the Covid lockdowns of the twenty-first, this is a magnificent portrait of one of the world’s great cities in its many iterations, from ‘Edinburgh, the sink of abomination’ to the Athens of the North and everything – including the home of the Enlightenment, the Festival City, the Aids Capital of Europe and a Mecca for tourists seeking tartan tat – in between.

As the nation’s capital it has been critical to its progress and a witness to epochal events, such the tumultuous reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, the Reformation, the Forty-Five rebellion, the Disruption of the Church of Scotland and the reconvening of the Scottish Parliament. All of these and more feature. But this is not simply a book about the great and good, the famous and infamous. There is testimony aplenty from ordinary folk who may not have made their mark on history but who have contributed to Edinburgh’s ever-expanding tapestry.

There are stories body snatching and murder, drunkenness and drug-taking, sex and shopping, as well rants against inclement weather and the city council.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Prologue
• 600–1699 A Queen Returns
• 1700–1750 End of ane Old Song
• 1751–1799 Enlightening Times
• 1800–1825 School for Scandal
• 1826–1850 Dissolution and Disruption
• 1851–1899 The City in Winter
• 1900–1925 War Doctors
• 1926–1950 Prime Women
• 1951–1975 The Morningside Question
• 1976–2000 Jumping for Scotland
• 2001– Door Wars
• Bibliography
• Sources and Permissions
• Index