The Dorothy Dunnett Society

“She is the model for their dragons.” The Ringed Castle
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    • “She is the model for their dragons.” The Ringed Castle

    Dorothy Dunnett’s Books

    Dorothy Dunnett’s remarkable combination of intelligence, wit, meticulous research, vivid characterisation and sheer storytelling has inspired generations of readers, writers and historians. Here you can explore her books, together with some of the other writing associated with her work. Her publisher, Penguin Random House has also provided reading guides for The Lymond Chronicles and The House of Niccolò.

    The Lymond Chronicles

    The Lymond Chronicles are six novels set in and around 16th-century Europe.  In a series filled with action, suspense and romance, they follow the life and career of a Scottish nobleman, Francis Crawford of Lymond. Meticulously researched, the story starts in Scotland but moves to a wide variety of locations, including France, the Ottoman Empire, Malta, England and Russia. The novels feature a cast of compelling original characters and historical figures. 

    Reading Guides for Book Groups

    The House of Niccolò

    The House of Niccolò is a series of eight novels set in the 15th-century, following the remarkable rise of Nicholas de Fleury (Niccolò, Nicholas van der Poele, or Claes) from an apparently unremarkable apprentice in Bruges to merchant, banker and player in international politics. Against a background of trade, war, exploration and power, Nicholas and those around him travel through a world of opportunity, ambition and dangerous rivalries. The novels range across Europe and far beyond, from Scotland and Flanders to the Mediterranean, Iceland, Russia, Persia and the trading routes of Africa.

    Reading Guides for Book Groups

    King Hereafter

    King Hereafter (1982), a long novel set in Orkney and Scotland in the years just before the invasion of England by William the Conqueror, was, in Dorothy’s eyes, her masterpiece. It is based on the premise that the central historical character Thorfinn, Earl of Orkney, and Macbeth were one and the same person. King Hereafter was exhaustively researched and plunges the reader into 11th-century battles, wild landscapes, political intrigue, cruelty, comedy, bloodshed, love and tragedy – and, above all, the formidable young king’s relationship with the sea.

    List of Characters in King Hereafter

    The Johnson Johnson series

    •  Rum Affair (1968) Originally named Dolly and the Singing Bird (aka The Photogenic Soprano)
    •  Ibiza Surprise (1970) Originally named Dolly and the Cookie Bird (aka Murder in the Round)
    •  Operation Nassau (1971) Originally named Dolly and the Doctor Bird (aka Match for a Murderer)
    • Roman Nights (1973) Originally named Dolly and the Starry Bird (aka Murder in Focus)
    •  Split Code (1976) Originally named Dolly and the Nanny Bird 
    • Tropical Issue (1983) Originally named Dolly and the Bird of Paradise
    • Moroccan Traffic (1991) (published in the US as Send a Fax to the Kasbah)

    This series of mystery novels was written over a long period, dating from when Dorothy was writing the Lymond Chronicles to just before the publication of the first in the House of Niccolò series. Some Johnson Johnson plot lines were never resolved. Dorothy left a very brief outline sketch of an eighth Johnson Johnson novel with her papers.  The Dolly of the titles refers to Johnson Johnson’s yacht.

    The Dorothy Dunnett Companions

    Dorothy helped in the compilation of the The Dorothy Dunnett Companion (1994) and The Dorothy Dunnett Companion II (2002) which were written by Elspeth Morrison. These books provide background information to historical characters and events featured in The Lymond Chronicles and The House of Niccolò; explanations of classical allusions, literary and other quotations used in the two series; notes on sources of these citations; and many maps. The second volume, written after The House of Niccolò series was completed, also contains a bibliography of many of the hundreds of primary and secondary sources Dorothy Dunnett used in her historical research. She herself contributed much more to the second volume than the first, directly authoring many of the entries.

    The Lymond Poetry

    Nearly two hundred songs and poems are alluded to in the six books about Francis Crawford of Lymond. The Lymond Poetry contains Dorothy Dunnett’s versions and translations of about a quarter of the European love poetry and ballads from the sixteenth century – and before – that appeared in The Lymond Chronicles.  The compilation was finalised after Dorothy’s death by Elspeth Morrison and edited by Richenda Todd. 

    The Proving Climb

    The Proving Climb is a contemporary short story set on the Scottish Isle of St Kilda and was published in the 1973 anthology Scottish Short Stories (Scottish Arts Council, published by Collins: ISBN 0002218518). We republished it and distributed it to our members in 2008 with issue 100 of our Magazine, Whispering Gallery, which will soon be available to buy in our online shop. The story displays the classic Dunnett elements of suspense, danger, personal challenge, expert knowledge and, of course, a double twist.

    The Scottish Highlands

    Together with her husband, Alastair, Dorothy Dunnett wrote the text for the photography book The Scottish Highlands (photographs: David Paterson), published in 1988.  Their personal memories of Scotland are combined with an anecdotal history interwoven with the legends and myths of one of the most beautiful countries on earth. The book follows a path from Argyll and Perthshire, through Speyside and Inverness-shire to the islands of Skye, Mull, Gugha and the Outer Hebrides, and, finally, on to the wildness and captivating emptiness of the northern Highlands – the Summer Isles, Wester Ross, Sutherland and Caithness. Features in 23 Books to discover Scotland with by the Scottish Book Trust.