Fascinating works of history, research, poetry, science, biographies and cultural gems of Scotland will be brought to bookstores through the re-launch of the publishing arm of the University of Aberdeen.
The move furthers the University's commitment to excellence not only in the work of its academic community, but also in communicating this work to a wide audience.
Announcing the news, Professor Sir Ian Diamond, Principal and Vice-Chancellor said: “This is an important further step in our engagement not only with academic colleagues worldwide but with the many people in all walks of life who will, I know, welcome the diverse programme we will be publishing over coming months.
“Our publications will cover a broad spectrum, be very accessible, and offer something for all audiences. We have a well-established reputation in publishing works on Scottish culture and history, and to this we will add publications covering all areas of study and achievement, including significant literary works in Gaelic.”
The new Aberdeen University Press was formally launched by Professor Diamond during a visit to the University by Professor Rick Rylance, Chief Executive of the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Chair of the Research Councils UK Executive Group.
The first title under the new imprint will be Vita Mea, the autobiography of Scottish literary scholar and Aberdeen alumnus, Sir Herbert Grierson (1866–1960). Also included will be the complete Diaries of Patrick Gordon, in 6 volumes. Aberdeenshire-born Gordon was Peter the Great's top military adviser and founder of the Russian navy. This will be the first time these treasures, currently held in the national archives in Moscow, are published in English in their complete form.
At the helm of the new venture is Professor Cairns Craig, Glucksman Professor of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University and Director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies. Professor Craig has had a long involvement with Scottish publishing ventures, including Cencrastus, Edinburgh Review and Radical Scotland, as well as having been on the editorial board of Canongate Classics.
He said: “Aberdeen University Press published many important works in its long history. Some of them, like Nan Shepherd’s Living Mountain (first published 1977), have gone on to be classics of their kind. Others, like Michael Fry’s Patronage and Principle: A Political History of Modern Scotland (1987), remain standard works in the field. Our aim is to make AUP once again a leading publisher in Scotland of academic research and of all forms of creative and documentary writing.”