Sunset Song regularly appears in lists of favourite Scottish books, and is perhaps the iconic Scottish novel of the first half of the 20th century. Rich in character and detail, and filled with religious, historical and political themes, Sunset Song is a deep, powerful work which rewards close attention and study. Douglas Young’s Scotnote provides readers with an authoritative analysis of the novel, and an overview of the political and historical background to its creation. This is an ideal guide for school pupils and students studying Sunset Song.

Edwin Morgan (1920 - 2010) is one of the giants of modern poetry. Scotland's national poet from 2004 to his death in 2010, he produced an astonishing range of work, from the playful to the profound. James McGonigal's new Second Edition of this SCOTNOTE covers the entirety of Morgan's work throughout his long and hugely productive life, and is an ideal guide for senior school pupils and students to Morgan's overflowing creativity.

The House with the Green Shutters is a dark, provocative novel, shining a harsh and unforgiving light into the inner recesses of small-town Scotland at the turn of the last century. Written as a response to social change, and as an antidote to the sentimentality of the 'Kailyard' school, the author called it "a brutal and bloody work" - although a thread of sly humour runs through the book as well. Iain Crichton Smith's Scotnote explores this post-romantic masterpiece through a precise analysis of themes, characters, structure and language, and is ideal for senior school pupils and students.

Iain Crichton Smith was one of the foremost poets of the 20th century, writing in English and Gaelic. His poetry often concerns itself with unsentimental views of life in the Western Highlands and Islands, and his dislike of, and opposition to, dogmatic authority. John Blackburn’s Scotnote analyses the religious, political and historical themes and patterns of Crichton Smith’s work, and is a suitable guide for senior school pupils and students at all levels.

Iain Banks was one of Scotland's most inventive writers, producing an extraordinary range of work, from family sagas set in present-day Scotland to science fiction spanning vast gulfs of space and time. He enjoyed breaking the arbitrary boundaries of genre, and often created narratives blending “realistic” storylines with fantastical elements. Alan MacGillivray’s Scotnote provides an overview of Iain Banks’s fiction, and focuses on three novels in particular: The Wasp Factory, a darkly comic piece of Scottish Gothic fiction; The Crow Road, a cross-generational family saga with elements of a detective story; and Whit, following the adventures of an innocent thrust into modern society. Suitable for senior school pupils and students at all levels.

Ian Rankin is perhaps the UK's foremost crime writer, best-known for his extensive series of novels set in Edinburgh and featuring Detective Inspector John Rebus. Christopher Nicol's SCOTNOTE study guide examines one of Rankin's most popular works, the award-winning Black & Blue. The complex, multilayered narrative is untangled, the characters studied and the novel's social and psychological undercurrents explored. This guide is suitable for senior school pupils and students at all levels.

Along with his contemporaries Edward Morgan and Hugh MacDiarmid, Sorley MacLean is recognised as one of the most important Scottish poets of the 20th century. This book offers a detailed study of MacLean's poems, providing insight into the context of his work.

Ena Lamont Stewart (1912 - 2006) had a keen sense of the appalling poverty and deprivation suffered by the residents of Glasgow's slum tenements in the first half of the twentieth century. A member of the radical group of young writers and artists gathered around Glasgow's Unity Theatre in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, she is today most noted for her play, Men Should Weep, set in the East End of Glasgow in the 1930s. John Hodgart's Scotnote explores how the play deals with issues of poverty and sexual and social inequality. This study guide examines the roles of the individual characters and outlines the major themes in an approachable and accessible way, and also explores issues of set, dramatic technique and staging. This guide is suitable for senior school pupils and students at all levels.