Books made the slow way.
Marginalia is an independent publisher and bookshop in Edinburgh. We set our own type, print on our own press and read every manuscript twice.
Fiction
Novels and stories, many in translation.
Essays
Long-form nonfiction with a point of view.
Poetry
Small books you can finish in an evening.
Shortlisted and stocked
Books that have been prized, and where to find them.
Fiction · Essays · Poetry · Translation
The list
Six kinds of book, one small press.
We keep the list small so every title gets an editor, a designer and a letterpress cover.
Fiction in translation
Novels and stories from nineteen languages, always with the translator named on the cover.
Essays
Long essays with an argument, a footnote or two and a good index.
Poetry
Slim collections that you can finish in one evening and open at random for years.
Art and photography
Small books about looking, printed on uncoated paper.
Picture books
A short list of books for the very young and the very old.
The Quarterly
Four books a year, posted before publication with a letter from the press.
The list · No. 16
Spring, folded into eleven books.
Three novels, two essay collections, a book of small hours and a bundle of broadsides. Start with the first title on the pile, or ask us which one to read next.
The press, measured
Small by design.
Book of the month
The kind of review we frame.
Verified purchase
A quiet novel that stays with you
I read it in a single evening and then turned back to page one. It is about a journey and about the people who wait for the traveller to return.
Hannah R.Verified purchase · 3 weeks ago
Pros
- A translation that reads like English
- Beautifully printed
- The right length
Cons
- I wanted it to be longer
- The cover marks easily
The Quarterly letter
One thoughtful letter, every quarter.
A short letter from the editors with the next four books, what we are reading and one thing worth your time. Join 4,200 readers.
Recent issues
- Why we number our print runs
- The book that nearly was not
- A small history of the footnote
Join us
Four books a year, posted to you.
A subscription to The Quarterly brings four new books before publication, with a letter from the press.
What you get
- Four new books a year, posted early
- A letter from the editors with each
- Free postage worldwide
- Cancel any time