Editor in line for top award

SCOTLAND on Sunday's literary editor, Stuart Kelly, is in the running for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction for his new work on Sir Walter Scott.

Kelly's book, Scott-Land: The Man Who Invented A Nation is among the longlist which includes biographies of Bismarck, Tolstoy and Roald Dahl, studies of Caravaggio, Mao's famine and Obama's presidency.

Ben McIntyre, chair of the judges, said: "After some intense and robust debate, and only small amounts of bloodshed, we have come up with a long list that reflects the extraordinary quality and range of the books published in this stellar year for non-fiction."

The winner of the 20,000 prize will be announced on 6 July.