Dorothy Dunnett Readers' Association
Encyclopedia
The Dorothy Dunnett Society is a charity set up by Dorothy Dunnett
in 2001. It was originally called the Dorothy Dunnett Readers' Association. It is a Charity regulated under Scottish law and has the following aims:
by the entrance to the Scottish Writer's Museum at Lady Stair's Close
on Edinburgh's
Royal Mile
. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Dorothy Dunnett's son, Mungo Dunnett and his family, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Makar (Valerie Gillies), and the Ross Herald
(Charles Burnett
) as well as members of the Society and others. The stone contains Lady Dunnett's coat of arms, and a short quote from one of her books "Where are the links in the chain ... joining us to the past".
, Scotland
, Wales
, Ireland
, France
, Germany
, Spain
, Canada
, the USA, Australia
, New Zealand
and other countries around the world.
in the Spring for its annual conference, incorporating its Annual General Meeting.
Dorothy Dunnett
Dorothy Dunnett OBE was a Scottish historical novelist. She is best known for her six-part series about Francis Crawford of Lymond, The Lymond Chronicles, which she followed with the eight-part prequel The House of Niccolò...
in 2001. It was originally called the Dorothy Dunnett Readers' Association. It is a Charity regulated under Scottish law and has the following aims:
- To seek to advance the education of the public concerning the history, politics, culture and religion of the 11th, 15th and 16th centuries by promoting the study of and research into such subjects generally and into such subjects particularly as they relate to the works of Dorothy Dunnett and to disseminate to the public the results of such research.
- To seek to foster the appreciation and recognition of the literary works of Dorothy Dunnett.
- To seek to ensure that the manuscripts, letters, reference materials and research papers of Dorothy Dunnett are preserved and are accessible.
Activities
In furtherance of these aims, the society:- Publishes a magazineMagazineMagazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Whispering Gallery for circulation to members and other interested parties; - Holds seminarSeminarSeminar is, generally, a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some particular subject, in which everyone present is...
s and conferences for members and other interested parties to share knowledge and opinions of the works of Dorothy Dunnett and related subjects, and encourages others to hold them; - Arranges visits for members and other interested parties to places of interest connected with the period and her works;
- Gives literary prizes and bursaries to encourage study and research into the periods about which Dorothy Dunnett wrote;
- Organises the International Dorothy Dunnett Day to facilitate members and other Dunnett Readers meeting up in various locations. The first of these will he held on October 15th 2011 to celebrate 50 years of publication of Dorothy Dunnett's first novel 'The Game of Kings';
- Arranges for occasional Literary Lunches (the first in 2009, the next due in 2012);
- Makes small grants to other organisations (e.g. to preserve books in Timbuktu, to the National Library of ScotlandNational Library of ScotlandThe National Library of Scotland is the legal deposit library of Scotland and is one of the country's National Collections. It is based in a collection of buildings in Edinburgh city centre. The headquarters is on George IV Bridge, between the Old Town and the university quarter...
and to Traquair HouseTraquair HouseTraquair House, approximately 5 miles southeast of Peebles, is claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. It is built in the style of a fortified mansion, and not strictly a castle...
); - Promotes interest and research into the Historical Periods about which Dorothy Dunnett wrong by running an Essay Prize in Conjunction with James Gillespie's High SchoolJames Gillespie's High SchoolJames Gillespie's High School is a state secondary school in Marchmont, Edinburgh. The school is a comprehensive High School, educating pupils aged 11 to 18 years of age. It has recently celebrated its 200th anniversary, and its campus consists of primarily 1960s buildings alongside the 16th...
which Dorothy Dunnett attended, and a scholastic prize to encourage university level interest in history.
Dorothy Dunnett Memorial Stone
In 2006, the Dorothy Dunnett Society arranged for a memorial stone to be laid in the memory of Dorothy Dunnett in the Makars' CourtMakars' Court
The Makars' Court is the paved area next to the Scottish Writers' Museum in Lady Stair's Close in Edinburgh, Scotland. The stone slabs of the court are inscribed with the names of Makars...
by the entrance to the Scottish Writer's Museum at Lady Stair's Close
Lady Stair's Close
Lady Stair's Close is a close in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, just off the Royal Mile, close to the entrance to Gladstone's Land. Most notably it contains the Scottish Writers' Museum. The close contains the Makars' Court - inscribed stones to the great names of Scottish literature.-See...
on Edinburgh's
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
Royal Mile
Royal Mile
The Royal Mile is a succession of streets which form the main thoroughfare of the Old Town of the city of Edinburgh in Scotland.As the name suggests, the Royal Mile is approximately one Scots mile long, and runs between two foci of history in Scotland, from Edinburgh Castle at the top of the Castle...
. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Dorothy Dunnett's son, Mungo Dunnett and his family, the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Makar (Valerie Gillies), and the Ross Herald
Ross Herald
Ross Herald of Arms Extraordinary is a current Scottish herald of arms Extraordinary of the Court of the Lord Lyon. The office is however held in Extraordinary after the retirement of the last holder in Ordinary....
(Charles Burnett
Charles Burnett (officer of arms)
Charles John Burnett is a Scottish antiquarian and former officer of arms.Burnett was born in 1940 and educated at Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, and the University of Edinburgh...
) as well as members of the Society and others. The stone contains Lady Dunnett's coat of arms, and a short quote from one of her books "Where are the links in the chain ... joining us to the past".
Membership
The Society has members in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the USA, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and other countries around the world.
The Dorothy Dunnett Edinburgh Weekend
Each year the organisation meets annually in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in the Spring for its annual conference, incorporating its Annual General Meeting.