111 Places in Edinburgh That You Shouldn't Miss

by Gillian Tait

• The ultimate insider's guide to Edinburgh • Features interesting and unusual places not found in traditional travel guides • Part of the international 111 Places/111 Shops series • Appeals to both the local market (500,000 people call Edinburgh home) and the tourist market (more than 3.5 million people visit Edinburgh every year!) • Fully illustrated with 111 full-page color photographs • New and updated edition Edinburgh is rightly celebrated for its famous historical and cultural attractions. But for the discerning visitor it has much more to offer away from the well-worn tourist trail. This book takes you to hidden corners and secret sights in this city of contrasts, exploring fascinating locations unknown even to most residents, and revealing unexpected aspects of some familiar local landmarks. Marvel at a unique underground temple hewn out of the living rock; learn how a world-famous illusionist came to be buried here - with his dog; find out why the city council once commissioned an enormous electric blanket; look out for the ordinary Edinburgh post box with an explosive history. Discover the human stories behind a wide range of places, both exceptional and commonplace, bringing to life the greatly varied cityscape where people have been leaving their mark for at least 5,000 years.

240 pages, Paperback

Published December 14, 2022

About the author

Gillian Tait was born in Edinburgh in 1953, and grew up in other parts of Scotland before returning to the city of her birth to study fine art at Edinburgh University. She subsequently qualified as a painting conservator at London's Courtauld Institute, and worked for many years in the museum sector in the UK and the USA. More recently she has occupied her time as a writer, researcher, editor and photographer, while indulging her passions for foreign travel, the Italian language and music. Her first travel guide, '111 Places in Edinburgh that you Shouldn't Miss', was published by Emons in 2016 and is now in its fourth revised edition; she then contributed as both editor and photographer to '111 Places in Glasgow that you Shouldn't Miss' (2018), and her new book in the series, '111 Places in Fife that you Shouldn't Miss', was published in October 2020. Gillian is a keen singer, and for many years has enjoyed performing in a wide repertoire of opera, operetta (particularly Gilbert & Sullivan), choral and musical theatre productions. She has lived in the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town for 34 years.