St Andrews Events and Reading Groups
We're delighted to bring our all-year-round Literary Festival to our bookshop in St Andrews. We have a packed calendar which ranges from readings in the bookshop to evenings with literary stars.
Sophia Smith Galer on How to Kill a Language
Monday 17th August, 7.30pm
Sophia Smith Galer on How to Kill a LanguageIt's estimated that every month a language goes extinct. Journalist Sophia Smith Galer explores the full measure of …
View event details
Simon Sebag Montefiore
Thursday 20th August, 7.30pm
Simon Sebag Montefiore on The CauldronThis internationally bestselling author and historian is coming to St Andrews to talk about how the Middle East of 1900 became …
View event details
Book Salad
Tuesday 25th August, 6.30pm
Book Salad meets at the end of the month at 6:30pm, usually on a Tuesday, and you're very welcome to join us. To make a salad …
View event details
Andrey Kurkov
Thursday 27th August, 7.30pm
Andrey Kurkov on Lost SoldiersDescribed as "Ukraine's greatest living writer", we look forward to welcome back Andrey Kurkov for his third book book in his Kyiv …
View event details
Cathy Rentzenbrink on The Agatha Christie Cure
Monday 31st August, 7.30pm
Cathy Rentzenbrink on The Agatha Christie CureCathy is coming to St Andrews to talk about her first literary love: Agatha Christie. This is a literary detective …
View event details
Robert Harris for Agrippa
Tuesday 1st September, 7.30pm
Robert Harris on AgrippaA visit from Robert Harris is always a highlight of our Literary Festival. He returns to St Andrews with a new compelling new …
View event details
Sabrina Ghayour on Persiana One
Wednesday 2nd September, 7.30pm
Sabrina Ghayour on Persiana OneThe master of Persian cooking returns with another set of flavourful dishes.From the Queen of Middle Eastern cookery, every recipe in Persiana …
View event details
Garry Mackenzie on Firth
Thursday 3rd September, 7.30pm
Garry Mackenzie on FirthJoin Fife-based poet Garry Mackenzie for another poetic exploration of Scotland's landscape, culture, and literary heritage. He returns with Firth, a layered poetic …
View event details
A Book and a Bite
Monday 7th September, 6.30pm
The theme of this book group a simple - incontrovertibly fine books accompanied by slightly more controversial, interpretive food pairings for each selection.For our first book …
View event details
Colin Bramwell for Fetch
Tuesday 8th September, 7.30pm
Colin Bramwell on FetchJoin us for a night of poetry and Celtic folklore with the Scottish poet Colin Bramwell.In Celtic folklore a fetch is a shadowy …
View event details
Christopher de Hamel on The Migrants: A Memoir with Manuscripts
Wednesday 9th September, 7.30pm
Christopher de Hamel on The MigrantsChristopher joins us for his astounding new book, The Migrants: A Memoir in Manuscripts. This is a coming-of-age saga with extraordinary …
View event details
Ed Conway
Thursday 10th September, 7pm
Ed Conway on Trade WorldEd is joining us in St Andrews for his new book on trade told through the story of three commonplace products - …
View event details
John Elledge on 31 Inventions That Built our World
Saturday 12th September, 7.30pm
John Elledge on 31 Inventions That Built Our WorldJoin John Elledge, author of A History of the World in 47 Borders, for another fascinating look into …
View event details
Val McDermid & Jo Sharp
Monday 14th September, 7.30pm
Val McDermid & Jo Sharp on The Door of the SeasTwo bookshop favourites return for an imaginative retelling of The Darien Project in the latest installment …
View event details
Maggie O'Farrell on Land
Tuesday 15th September, 7.30pm
Maggie O'Farrell on LandAuthor of Hamnet and I Am, I Am, I Am. Winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction, and Oscar nominated.Maggie joins us in …
View event details
Gabriella Bennett on How to Build a City
Wednesday 16th September, 7.30pm
Gabriella Bennett on How to Build a CityJourney into the urban future with award winning Scottish journalist Gabriella Bennett.A moveable city in the Arctic Circle. Tower …
View event details
Ali Stoner on Scran
Thursday 17th September, 7.30pm
Ali Stoner on ScranJourney to the heart of Scottish cooking with Ali Stoner, proprietor of the Roving Haggis social media accounts."This is more than a cookbook; …
View event details
Andrew Pettegree for The Bookshop: A History of Bookselling
Friday 18th September, 7.30pm
Andrew Pettegree on The Bookshop: A History of BooksellingAn event near and dear to our hearts, as University of St Andrews' own Andrew Pettegree (FBA, Professor …
View event details
Father Ted's Ardal O'Hanlon
Saturday 19th September, 7.30pm
Ardal O'Hanlon on A Plot to Die ForThe first in a mystery series from the much-loved Irish actor, writer and comedian, for readers who enjoy the …
View event details
Colin Kidd on Twilight of the Dons
Monday 21st September, 7.30pm
Colin Kidd on Twilight of the Intellectuals: British Intellectuals from World War II to ThatcherismJoin Colin Kidd, Bishop Wardlaw Professor of History at the University of …
View event details
Arthur der Weduwen on The Last Invasion of England
Tuesday 22nd September, 7.30pm
Arthur Der Weduwen on The Last Invasion of EnglandWhat a thrill to welcome back University of St Andrews Lecturer in Modern History Arthur Der Weduwen for …
View event details
Paul Johnson
Wednesday 23rd September, 7.30pm
Paul Johnson on Challenging InequalitiesThe need to address inequality has never been more urgent. Challenging Inequalities offers a road map for how we have arrived at …
View event details
Robert Barrington on Corrupted Kingdom
Thursday 24th September, 7.30pm
Robert Barrington on Corrupted Kingdom: Britain's Disappearing Integrity and How We Can Get it BackGet an inside look on the corruption sweeping Great Britain and efforts …
View event details
Edward Shawcross onThe People's Emperor
Friday 25th September, 7.30pm
Edward Shawcross on The People's Emperor: The Unlikely Rise and Spectacular Fall of Napoleon IIIEdward Shawcross, author of The Last Emperor of Mexico, returns with Napoleon …
View event details
Robert Crawford on Haiku
Monday 28th September, 7.30pm
Robert Crawford on Haiku: How the modern world came to fall in love with small poems from JapanIf you were here for Robert Crawford's last event …
View event details
Sharon Blackie
Tuesday 29th September, 7pm
Sharon Blackien on Ripening: Why Women Need Fairy Tales Now 'Ripening show us how we can move through life with vision and sensitivity. A fascinating, thought-provoking …
View event details
The Maclean Brothers on Three Brothers in a Boat
Wednesday 30th September, 7.30pm
The Maclean Brothers on Three Brothers in a BoatThey captivated the world in 2025 with their epic voyage across the Pacific, and now they come to …
View event details
Emile Chabal on The Age of Hobsbawn
Thursday 1st October, 7.30pm
Emile Chabal on The Age of HobsbawmJoin Emile Chabal, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Edinburgh for an exploration of the life and times …
View event details
Jay Rayner for Nights Out in the Kitchen
Tuesday 13th October, 7.30pm
Jay Rayner on Nights Out in the Kitchen'It's time to share a little more of my love for home cooking and the merry dance of appetite …
View event details
Terry Deary on A History of the World in Ten Wars
Wednesday 14th October, 7.30pm
Terry Deary on A History of the World in Ten WarsWe welcome to St Andrews the author of the acclaimed Horrible Histories series and for his …
View event details
British Museum Lectures: The Tudor Heart
Wednesday 28th October, 7.30pm
Rachel King on The Tudor HeartA new title in the British Museum's Object in Focus series that tells the remarkable story of an enamelled gold necklace …
View event details
Dan Jones
Thursday 29th October, 7.30pm
Dan Jones on CastlesWe are happy to welcome bestselling historian, TV presenter and award-winning journalist Dan Jones back to St Andrews. In Castles, Dan tells a …
View event details
A Tasting with Mastery of Wine Julia Harding
Friday 30th October, 7.30pm
Julia Harding on The World Atlas of WineWe are pleased to welcome Julia Harding for the latest edition of The World Atlas of Wine. Join us …
View event details
Tim Hayward
Wednesday 4th November, 7.30pm
Tim Hayward on The Cocktail HourIt's 7:30pm: clear your mind of the cares of the day. Relax and fix yourself a drink. It's The Cocktail Hour.The …
View event details
Rick Stein
Thursday 5th November, 7.30pm
Rick Stein on Rick Stein's Cookery CourseRick Stein has been cooking for the last 60 years. Now, for the first time, he shares his complete cookery …
View event details
Nick Harkaway on The Taper Man
Wednesday 11th November, 7.30pm
'Le Carre's legacy is in good hands - Smiley is back with a vengeance!'IAN RANKIN'Note-perfect'MICK HERRONNick Harkaway is the acclaimed author of Gnomon, The Gone-Away World, …
View event details
John Boyne on The Weight of Angels
Wednesday 18th November, 7.30pm
John Boyne on The Weight of AngelsInternational bestselling author John Boyne is coming to St Andrews to explore a the life Oscar Wilde never had.Rather than …
View event details
Ashley Douglas on With My Own Hand
Monday 23rd November, 7.30pm
Ashley Douglas on With My Own HandWe welcome historian and translator Ashley Douglas to St Andrews to talk about the life of Marie Maitland, a story …
View event details
Ian Rankin on The Heights
Friday 27th November, 7.30pm
Ian Rankin on The HeightsSir Ian Rankin returns to St Andrews for his first standalone thriller in two decades!The Heights: a gleaming, high-end high-rise looming over …
View event details
British Museum Lectures: The Bayeux Tapestry
Thursday 14th January, 7.30pm
This January we're joined by Sue Brunning from the British Museum to discuss the history of The Bayeux Tapestry.The British Museum have produced a number of …
View event detailsMore St Andrews events launching soon!
Sign up to be the first to hear when new events are confirmed.
Join the St Andrews newsletter
Newsletter subscribers are the first to hear about our events and early bird offers, as well as exclusive complimentary invitations