Alan Taylor has lived and worked in Edinburgh for much of his life and knows the city and its inhabitants intimately. From heady journalistic days covering events such as Scottish devolution and Lady Di's death to his involvement in setting up the Scottish Poetry Library, the List magazine and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, this is a fascinating glimpse into the life and personality of Edinburgh from the 1950s to the present - a period which saw it shake off its presbyterian provinciality to become a cosmopolitan city with an invigorated sense of itself.

The book takes the form of a day-long walk from the top of Arthur's Seat at dawn to Rose Street and the Abbotsford bar - one of the legendary 'poets' pubs' - at dusk.