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This Door of the Seas

Darkland Tales
By Val McDermid and Jo Sharp
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Brief Description
This Door of the Seas. Darien. The singular event at the end of the 17th century that fundamentally altered Scotland's future. It took place on the other side of the world. And most of us know next to nothing about it. Now it's time to remedy... Read More
Format: Hardback
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Releases 1st September 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "This Door of the Seas" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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Written as a series of letters home from colonist James Wallace, both to the first Geographer Royal, and to his wife, this epistolary novel reveals 17th century Scotland's global ambitions, and tells a devastating story of the forces that destroyed the nation's dreams.

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This Door of the Seas. Darien. The singular event at the end of the 17th century that fundamentally altered Scotland's future. It took place on the other side of the world. And most of us know next to nothing about it.

Now it's time to remedy that. Award-winning novelist Val McDermid and Geographer Royal for Scotland Jo Sharp unite in this revelatory novella that traces the story of Scotland's only colony from high hopes that united the whole country to disastrous failure that bankrupted an already impoverished nation, and propelled it towards union with England.

Written as a series of letters home from colonist James Wallace, both to the first Geographer Royal, and to his wife, this epistolary novel reveals 17th century Scotland's global ambitions and tells a devastating story of the forces that destroyed the nation's dreams.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781846977466

Publisher: Birlinn General

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 06 August 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polygon An Imprint of Birlinn Limited

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 19.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 264g

Pages: 160

Collections

Crime & Thriller European History Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction History & Archaeology History & Military Jo Sharp Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date Val McDermid

About the Author

Val McDermid is a number one bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than forty languages, and have sold over nineteen million copies. She has won many awards, including the CWA Gold Dagger the LA Times Book of the Year Award and the Cartier Diamond Dagger Award for outstanding achievement. She writes full-time and divides her time between Edinburgh and East Neuk of Fife.

Jo Sharp is a Scottish geographer. She researches and writes on geopolitics and feminist geography. In April 2022 she became Geographer Royal for Scotland, the first woman to hold the title.

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