Edinburgh is world-renowned for its bookish connections, with literary legends like Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns and Robert Louis Stevenson to modern-day bestsellers Sir Ian Rankin, JK Rowling and Irvine Welsh all having lived in the city. So it's no surprise many authors have found inspiration in the Capital's numerous bars.
Ahead of this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival, which runs from 12 to 28, we take a look at nine Edinburgh pubs with literary connections.
9. The Oxford Bar
Where Visit: 8 Young Street, EH2 4JB. About: The Oxford Bar is a favourite haunt of Ian Rankin’s fictional Detective Inspector Rebus, who has appeared in 22 novels set in Edinburgh since Knots and Crosses was published in 1987. The bar has long been a favourite watering hole of the author himself, and he can regularly be found enjoying a quiet pint in the bar with other loyal customers. Photo: Third Party
10. Deacon Brodie’s Tavern
Where: 435 Lawnmarket, EH1 2NT. About: This historic pub has been around since 1806, named after the infamous Deacon Brodie – a respectable Edinburgh businessman who moonlighted as a burglar and gambler. The true tale (and no doubt the pub itself) inspired Robert Louis Stevenson. After penning an unsuccessful play called Deacon Brodie, The Double Life, Stevenson further explored the duality of man in one of his most famous works, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Photo: Third Party