Best Selling Scottish Authors: Here are 10 of the Scottish writers who have sold most books around the world - from Val McDermid to Arthur Conan Doyle
Scottish has always punched above its weight when it comes to the arts – from film stars to poets.
And that’s certainly the case when it comes to novelists, with many of the world’s best-known authors harking from Scotland.
The earliest books written in Scotland date back as far at the sixth century and since then generations of writers have continued to put their country on the literary map.
In no particular order, here are 10 of the Scottish authors who have sold the most books worldwide. For the purposes of this list we have not included those people who have simply chosen to call Scotland home – with apologies to the likes of Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling and Under The Skin author Michel Faber.
1. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Born in 1859 in a house at 11 Picardy Place, Edinburgh, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was responsible for creating perhaps the world's most famous detective - Sherlock Holmes. The first story to feature Holmes and his sidekick Dr Watson was A Study in Scarlet, published in 1887. Photo: Fox Photos
2. Denise Mina
Born in East Kilbride in 1966 Denise Mina has become one of Scotland's most-read crime writers - the so-called Tartan Noir genre. She has written six novels (including the Garnethill trilogy) featuring the character of Glaswegian journalist Patricia "Paddy" Meehan, and five featuring the Glasgow police detective Alex Morrow. Photo: Ben A. Pruchnie
3. Muriel Spark
Born in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh in 1918, Muriel Spark was educated at James Gillespie's School for Girls and Heriot-Watt College. She's best known for her 1961 book The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Photo: Evening Standard
4. Christopher Brookmyre
Born in Glasgow in 1968, Christopher Brookmyre is another proponent of Tartan Noir, although often leans towards the comedic in his crime fiction. He's also dabbled in science fiction and computer games, and writes historical fiction with his wife, Dr Marisa Haetzman, under the pseudonym Ambrose Parry. His books include Black Widow, winner of the 2016 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the year. Photo: Contributed