Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, has much to celebrate. The city has
been central to Scottish life and its history for many centuries. Its
festivals attract visitors from all over the world, the quality of its
architecture has been awarded the highest accolade of World Heritage
status, and nature also gifted Edinburgh with the most stunning of
settings. Its eminent scientists, engineers, philosophers and men of
letters are internationally renowned. It is this combination of factors
that make Edinburgh the United Kingdom's second most popular tourist
destination. In Celebrating Edinburgh, local authors Jack Gillon and
Fraser Parkinson highlight some of the significant aspects of the city's
history and identity: its notable individuals, achievements, events and
culture. Chapters focus on different themes such as its literary
prominence - Edinburgh was UNESCO's first City of Literature in 2004 -
and the authors, past and present, who have lived here, from Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle and Robert Burns to Ian Rankin and JK Rowling. Here too are
the world-famous Fringe Festival, Military Tattoo and Hogmanay
celebrations. The city's exceptional architecture and its place as the
birthplace of the Scottish Enlightenment in the eighteenth century are
also highlighted, together with its natural heritage and fringe of
villages including Leith and Portobello. Illustrated throughout, this
book will appeal to residents, visitors and all those with links to this
marvellous city.
