Brian Hannan from Abbey Books in Paisley reviews The Waste Land, A Biography of a Poem by Matthew Hollis Except for the late burst of popularity afforded W.H. Auden’s Stop the Clocks after inclusion in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, published in 1922, would have reigned supreme as...
Read MoreRenfrewshire has honoured local groups and volunteers for their work in the community at the 2023 Provost’s Community Awards. Renfrewshire’s Provost Lorraine Cameron was joined by comperè Gina McKie to help celebrate the achievements of devoted community members who go above and beyond to make Renfrewshire a better place to live and work. The...
Read MoreOver a 20 year timespan, Fiona Brice has become a standard-bearer in orchestral arrangements for contemporary music. Now a resident of Kilmacolm, she speaks to us about her incredible journey. There’s simply never knowing where natural talent and creativity will take you and if anyone’s career is a testament to that, it’s Fiona Brice’s....
Read MoreMill Magazine caught up with the legendary Norman Blake before his Paisley show with Bernard Butler and James Grant in 2022 Although their paths have only crossed incidentally over the years, there’s something that seems inherently natural about Teenage Fanclub’s Norman Blake, Bernard Butler and Love & Money’s James Grant...
Read MoreBrian Hannan talks us through what could be the start of a book revolution, introducing the Abbey Books Readers Club… Coming up with something quite new at a second-hand bookshop sounds like a contradiction in terms. But we may just have stumbled on something that could revolutionise the world of books. As you might imagine...
Read MoreBrian Hannan, local author and manager at Abbey Books in Paisley reviews The Devil Stone by Caro Ramsay. After 13 novels headed by the crime-busting team of Anderson and Costello, Paisley novelist Caro Ramsay has abandoned her usual Glasgow beat and headed up the west coast and surpassed herself with the debut of DCI...
Read MoreRobert Blair reviews Tom McGuire & The Brassholes recent gig at The Barrowlands before they visit Paisley in March For bands that emanate from anywhere in Scotland, playing The Barrowlands isn’t just another show. Rather, it’s a rite of passage. It’s confirmation that Glasgow has welcomed you into the cockles of its heart and...
Read MorePaisley’s all-time bestselling author, Evelyn Hood, has died. Famed for her Paisley sequence of eight novels, former journalist Evelyn’s books had a global following. A tribute by Brian Hannan from Abbey Books. In my opinion she was unfairly discounted in literary circles and for the worst reason of all – she was a woman....
Read MoreBrian Hannan from Abbey Books in Paisley takes a look at The Extraordinary Life & Momentous Times of J.M.W. Turner by Franny Moyle. One of the biggest benefits of running a second-hand bookshop is that hundreds books pass in across my desk in a week. It’s like watching a conveyor of delights. I’m something...
Read MoreBrian Hannan from Abbey Books in Paisley talks through The Slab Boys on Broadway programme, a beautiful piece of John Byrne memorabilia. You are probably unaware just how big a global success iconic Paisley author/painter John Byrne achieved with his play The Slab Boys. I was, too, until among a recent donation to Abbey...
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