Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Itchy Coo and "Braw Books for Bairns o Aw Ages"

So, I was trying to find the market price for an oldish used book, and to my surprise found that the title had been reprinted -- by Black & White Publishing, which was a publisher I didn't recognize. So, being the curious type, I googled. And found that it was Scottish. And there, on their website, I found a link for an imprint for children's books in the Scots language. Including some familiar authors in translation. For instance, Roald Dahl.

And then there's Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson, adapted into a graphic novel in Scots:

'Tak tent o whit I say, mannie – keep awa fae the Hoose o Shaws!'

Wi his mither an faither deid, an wioot a bawbee tae his name, David Balfour sets oot for Embra an the hame o his sleekit auld Uncle Ebenezer. But Ebenezer is no pleased when his young nevoy chaps his door.

Efter narrowly joukin death at the Hoose o Shaws, David is swicked intae gaun aboard the brig Covenant whaur he finds himsel KIDNAPPIT an aboot tae be sellt intae slavery. When the ship gangs doun in gurlie seas, David, alang wi gallus Jacobite rebel Alan Breck, begins the lang an dangerous stravaig back tae Embra through the Hielans o Scotland tae claim his richtfu inheritance.

Published in collaboration with Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature's One Book – One Edinburgh reading campaign, KIDNAPPIT is the first ever graphic novel in Scots. Alan Grant and Cam Kennedy, renowned for their work writing and illustrating such weel-kent graphic fiction as Batman, Strontium Dog, Judge Dredd and Star Wars, have reworked Stevenson's classic tale of adventure in 18th-century Scotland to produce this brilliant new version. Itchy Coo are proud to be publishing this exciting Scots edition, our 25th title.

Oh, wait. I've heard about the Alan Grant/Cam Kennedy version of Kidnapped - it's also available in modern English, in the UK at least.

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