Dundee to launch new publishing house

Sunday Herald, The, Oct 17, 2004 by Senay Boztas

DAYS after Edinburgh announ-ced the success of its bid to become the first World City of Literature, Dundee will launch a new publishing house.

A partnership between the University of Dundee and Birlinn, the Edinburgh-based publisher, the Dundee University Press (DUP) will be kick-started with the publication of its first book tomorrow.

John Tuckwell, founder of Tuckwell Press - which was recently taken over by Birlinn - will be the organisation's commissioning editor, aiming at an intelligent but broad audience.

The DUP's first book will be an analysis of the buildings used by Scottish governments and their relevance, putting the frenzied debate over the new Scottish parliament into a long-term context.

The Architecture Of Scottish Government: From Kingship To Parliamentary Democracy, is authored mainly by Miles Glendinning, principal inspector of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland.

Professor Chris Whatley, dean of the faculty of arts and social sciences and head of the editorial board, said: "DUP will bring some of the best thinking, the boldest research and the most stimulating ideas from authors and academics to the wider public. We welcome ambitious writing projects as well as niche titles and important books that require to be translated and made available to a wider audience."

Hugh Andrew, managing director of Birlinn Ltd, which has provided 30% of the finance, said: "I believe that the marriage of a commercial publisher and a university can create a new dynamic in the world of academic books."