Sandra Hall

As a librarian in the late 1970s, I was aware of the Lymond series on the shelves where I worked, but I did not actually read Dorothy Dunnett’s books until someone gave me a copy of Queens’ Play and said she thought I would like it. After trying to get hold of a copy of The Game of Kings for several weeks, I eventually succumbed and read Queens’ Play first. The next weekend I visited a local bookshop and purchased the rest of the series. I was hooked and have been so for almost fifty years. I was lucky in that I did not have to wait to see what happened to Lymond, read King Hereafter when it was published and only The House of Niccolò series had me waiting for the next book to be published.

I dragged my husband and children to Edinburgh on every occasion I could, sat in tents with babies on my knee to hear Dorothy speak at the Edinburgh Book Festival, attended events that centred around Dorothy Dunnett and planned the family holidays around Dunnett locations, both at home and abroad.

I became a member of the Society in 1991, subscribing when Whispering Gallery was first published, when I found it easier to subscribe than to the earlier Marzipan and Kisses. Inspired by the enthusiasm of readers and the frequent local discussion days that were being run, I co-organised two mini-gatherings with Jen Black and Ann McMillan: Hexham (April 1997) and Carlisle (May 2001). I served as editor of Whispering Gallery for three years, handing over to Suzanne McNeill in mid-2010, and am one of the proofreaders.

Recently retired, looking for something to occupy my time, becoming a member of the Board presents an exciting prospect to get more closely involved in the work of the DDS, help to promote Dorothy Dunnett and her books, and deepen our knowledge of the historical periods she wrote about.