Edinburgh's going to get kidnapped

IT is one of the best-loved stories to come out of Scotland. Kidnapped has captivated generations with its gripping tale of high drama in the Highlands and the Capital.

Now, Robert Louis Stevenson's classic is taking centre stage in Edinburgh's first ever city reading campaign, which will see more than 15,000 copies of the book given away in the new year.

Writer Alan Grant and artist Cam Kennedy, the comic book creators best known for their work on Judge Dredd and Batman, have joined forces to transform the 19th-century blockbuster into a stunning graphic novel.

Another new version of the book, specially geared for young children, has also been produced for the One Book - One Edinburgh initiative.

The idea is to get as many people as possible in the Capital reading the same book at the same time next February.

Stevenson's classic original novel will also be re-released in time for the launch of the month-long scheme.

Copies of these three versions will be sent to every private and state school in the city, as well as being distributed to community centres, libraries and arts centres.

Free copies will also be left in bookshops and coffee shops in the hope people will "book-cross", or pick them up and read them, before passing them on.

The project is being masterminded by the Edinburgh Unesco City of Literature trust and is being backed by the city council, the Scottish Arts Council and Edinburgh University.

Trust manager Ali Bowden said: "The campaign has ignited the imaginations of publishers in Scotland, bringing them together in a way that has never occurred before. We are truly a city of literature."

Gavin Wallace, head of literature at the Scottish Arts Council, said: "This project is unique in that it is the first of its kind in Scotland and it is totally collaborative.

"The City of Literature Trust really has worked long and hard to include as many community groups and arts organisations as possible in order to bring this citywide reading campaign to as many different Edinburgh residents as possible."

As well as the 15,000 free copies - which will be a mix of the classic reissue, the graphic novel and the children's version - two other versions have been issued, a modern text version and a Scots language version of the graphic novel.

The citywide reading campaign is the biggest initiative co-ordinated since Edinburgh was designated a World City of Literature more than two years ago.

The National Library of Scotland has bought a collection of artwork created by Cam Kennedy for the graphic novel for its archives. The George IV Bridge library will host special events to coincide with the campaign, including debates on Stevenson's career featuring crime writers Ian Rankin and Louise Welsh, who has produced the foreword for the reissue of the classic edition. Library chiefs have also unveiled plans to put a version of the original 1886 novel on their website.

As part of the reading campaign, a host of special events and activities are to be held across the city, including schools hosting special Stevenson-themed days, guided tours, lectures and workshops.

Grant and Kennedy will be making a number of special appearances, including an exclusive event, hosted by the Scottish Book Trust, off the High Street, at which they will give an insight into the process of writing and creating a graphic novel.

The Writers' Museum, off the Royal Mile, will host an exhibition of illustrations inspired by Stevenson's novel, dating back to the sketches created by William Boucher for the first edition of the book. The Scottish Storytelling Centre, on the Royal Mile, will host a light-hearted 45-minute "reduced" version of Kidnapped, specially adapted for the stage.

Storytelling sessions and workshops for schoolchildren are among the other special events hosted by the High Street venue.

Programme and events manager Esther Kent said: "From our point of view this is an absolutely fantastic campaign as it draws together all manner of different art forms. We think the various versions of the book will prove extremely popular."

Councillor Donald Anderson, the city's tourism and culture leader, said: "The Kidnapped campaign is a fabulous idea. I'm looking forward to it being a very popular and well-supported event, and I will be reading my copy along with everyone else."

All five versions of Kidnapped will be available to buy in bookshops across the city from February 1. Details of how to get free copies will be revealed early next month.