Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| A Tongue in Yer Heid |
1994 |
Buy |
| ImagiNation: Stories of Scotland’s Future |
2011 |
Buy |
| A Bird is Not a Stone: An Anthology of Contemporary Palestinian Poetry |
2014 |
Buy |
Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Close and Other Stories |
1991 |
Buy |
| The Ragged Man’s Complaint |
1993 |
Buy |
| Sound-shadow |
1995 |
Buy |
| Scottish Ghost Stories |
1996 |
Buy |
| I Dream of Alfred Hitchcock |
1999 |
Buy |
| Stirling Sonnets |
2001 |
Buy |
| Voyage of Intent |
2005 |
Buy |
| Republics of the Mind |
2012 |
Buy |
| 365 |
2014 |
Buy |
Itchy Coo Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| A Wee Moose in the Hoose |
2006 |
Buy |
| Katie’s Ferm |
2007 |
Buy |
| A Wee Book o Fairy Tales in Scots |
2007 |
Buy |
| Katie’s Coo |
2008 |
Buy |
| Katie’s Moose |
2008 |
Buy |
| Mini Katie’s Coo |
2008 |
Buy |
| Katie’s Year |
2009 |
Buy |
| Katie’s Pairty |
2013 |
Buy |
Picture Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Robert The Bruce |
2014 |
Buy |
| The Book of the Howlat |
2016 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Fanatic |
2001 |
Buy |
| Joseph Knight |
2003 |
Buy |
| The Testament of Gideon Mack |
2006 |
Buy |
| And the Land Lay Still |
2010 |
Buy |
| The Professor of Truth |
2013 |
Buy |
| To Be Continued… |
2016 |
Buy |
| News of the Dead |
2021 |
Buy |
James Robertson is a Scottish author born in 1958 whose work spans literary fiction, children’s books, short stories, and poetry. He is best known in Scotland for his major novels in English – particularly Joseph Knight, The Testament of Gideon Mack, and And the Land Lay Still – which have won Scottish Book of the Year and other major awards. His fiction engages with Scottish history, politics, identity, and the supernatural.
Robertson is also a significant figure in the promotion of the Scots language. He co-founded the Itchy Coo imprint, which publishes children’s books in Scots, and has written several of the imprint’s titles himself, including the Katie series of picture books. This work reflects a commitment to Scots as a living literary language for new generations.
His short story collections and poetry, while less widely known outside Scotland, are an important part of his output. The Ragged Man’s Complaint and Republics of the Mind collect his shorter fiction, and his work in anthologies shows his engagement with the broader literary community. Robertson’s career combines serious literary ambition with a genuine popular commitment to Scottish language and culture.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has James Robertson written?
James Robertson has written 29 books across five series.
What was James Robertson's first book?
James Robertson’s first book is Close and Other Stories, published in 1991.
What is James Robertson's connection to the Scots language?
Robertson is a leading advocate for writing in Scots, Scotland’s vernacular language. He co-founded the Itchy Coo imprint specifically to publish children’s books in Scots, and his own work includes fiction and poetry in the Scots language alongside his English-language literary novels.