Scottish has always punched above its weight when it comes to the arts – from film stars to poets.
And that’s certainly the case when it comes to novelists, with many of the world’s best-known authors harking from Scotland.
The earliest books written in Scotland date back as far at the sixth century and since then generations of writers have continued to put their country on the literary map.
In no particular order, here are 10 of the Scottish authors who have sold the most books worldwide. For the purposes of this list we have not included those people who have simply chosen to call Scotland home – with apologies to the likes of Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling and Under The Skin author Michel Faber.
13. Alexander McCall Smith
Born in 1948 in the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, Alexander McCall Smith's grandfather came from Nairn and Smith arrived in Scotland to study at Edinburgh University before settling there with his wife in 1984. He is an expert on medical law and bioethics and has sold more than 40 million books, including The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series of books. Photo: MIKE CLARKE