16:00 Stephen Trombley A Crash Course in Western Philosophy Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] The author who wrote the highly influential Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought has now created a fascinating introduction to Western philosophy, guiding readers through 2500 years of European ideas from Classical Antiquity via the great philosophers of the Enlightenment to modern thinkers including Marx, Wittgenstein, Darwin, Einstein and Freud. Join him for a ride on an intellectual rollercoaster.LITERARY LEGENDS16:30 THE OPEN UNIVERSITY EVENT Simon Callow Thinking the World of Dickens RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] If one contemporary actor is more closely associated with Dickens than any other, it is Simon Callow. In Charles Dickens and the Great Theatre of the World, Callow captures the author's essence by exploring the central importance of the stage to his life. Dickens was the original 'celebrity' author, attracting thousands of fans to his readings in which he gave voice to his characters. Science Meets Fiction17:00 THE WELLCOME TRUST EVENT Charles Fernyhough & Ben Marcus Fact and Fiction on Course to the Future ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] From Gulliver's Travels to 1984, dystopian visions have shaped literary fiction. Why do these flights of fancy influence our reality? How does science respond to these futuristic imaginings? Ben Marcus, author of the remarkable The Flame Alphabet, discusses the interplay of science and fiction as it shapes our future with psychologist Dr Charles Fernyhough, who specialises in child development, memory and hallucinations.17:30- Amnesty International 18:15 Imprisoned Writers Series Freedom from Torture Peppers Theatre, Free: Tickets available from the box office on the day of the event All over the world people are imprisoned for writing critically about their government or country. Each day we pay tribute to writers who have been persecuted for their words, thoughts and opinions. Today we hear the work of the writers group from Freedom from Torture. Reading today: Michèle Roberts, Gerbrand Bakker and Anna Raverat.18:30 The BONHAMS EVENT Alexander McCall Smith Meet One of the World's Most Popular Authors RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] Join us for a journey into the colourful world of Alexander McCall Smith, bestselling author of The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. In a joyful, rambunctious hour, McCall Smith introduces a cast of his loveable characters including Precious Ramotswe and Edinburgh's own amateur sleuth, Isabel Dalhousie. Surprises await! 18:45 Charles Fernyhough & Claudia Hammond Memory and Time Uncovered Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] Acclaimed for The Baby in the Mirror, a biography of his then 3 year old daughter, writer and psychologist Charles Fernyhough is back with Pieces of Light concerning how we 'imagine the past and remember the future.' Claudia Hammond's Time Warped takes a swipe at our clock-watching culture and wonders if we can make time work for us rather than the other way round. Chaired by Stuart Kelly.Beatlemania in Broughty Ferry?Meet Neil Forsyth and his pal Bob. (15 Aug, p22)Like a whodunit? Love.Sara Sheridan (13 Aug, p14)John Ashton, 11:30Liza Klaussmann, 10:15Latecomers will not be admitted after the start of events and no refunds will be given.Events are 1 hour long unless otherwise stated and take place in Charlotte Square Gardens.9

ODYSSEYS19:00 David M Wilson The Lost Photographs of Captain Scott ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] 100 years ago, Captain Robert Scott's expedition to the South Pole ended in his death. But one of his companions on the voyage was Herbert George Ponting, whose photographs of the expedition were taken in the most extreme conditions. David M Wilson has assembled a beautiful book of previously unseen photographs by Ponting. Here he shares a moving visual account of Scott's doomed odyssey. Supported by the Morton Charitable Trust. THE STATE OF BRITAIN20:30 Ewan Morrison Shopping Channeled Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] He caused a stir last August with his 'end of books' chat, but what will Ewan Morrison have up his sleeve this year? Tales from the Mall is a mash-up of fact, fiction, essays and multi-format media that tells of the rise of the shopping mall, an iconic symbol of our age. These stories feature some true-life tales of those who work, shop and sometimes even make love within those walls.20:30 Gerbrand Bakker & Linden MacIntyre International Stories of Mystery RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] Linden MacIntyre's Why Men Lie offers a moving and complex conclusion to the Cape Breton trilogy featuring Effie, an independent, middle-aged woman working as a tenured professor of Celtic Studies. In Gerbrand Bakker's The Detour, a Dutch woman rents a remote farm in rural Wales. She has fled from an unbearable situation in Amsterdam, but events at the farm become increasingly curious. ANOBII FIRST BOOK AWARD NOMINEE19:00 Mark Illis & Anna Raverat Where Death Breeds Mystery RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] In Anna Raverat's Signs of Life, Rachel is slowly recovering from an affair that left her broken. Through her memories, we discover that something terrible happened to her lover, but how truthful can her account be? A death also haunts Mark Illis' The Last Word. The funeral of sculptor Max after sudden death leaves his sister Gloria and housemate Stephen riven with their own guilts. GUEST SELECTOR: JAMES NAUGHTIE20:00 Tom Watson Where Journalism Went Off the Rails RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] The Labour MP Tom Watson has been on a mission for the past two years to uncover the truth about phone hacking. Watson's grilling of the founder of the News Corp empire in a Commons Select Committee was one of last year's major political talking points. In this keynote event he discusses Dial M for Murdoch, his new book about the scandal, with the leading BBC broadcaster James Naughtie.20:30 Justine Picardie See You Later, Innovator ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] She'd written about everyone, from Daphne du Maurier to her own sister, before Justine Picardie turned her evocative attention towards Chanel. Coco Chanel: The Legend and the Life was dubbed the definitive biography of the innovator who founded the most successful fashion label in history and an icon who thrived on myth, enigma and scandal and pioneered the little black dress and trousers for women. Chaired by Jackie McGlone.She tried to relax, but kept listening carefully. The I'm coming on the postcard was disquieting.Gerbrand Bakker, The Detour, 20:30Sex, drugs and profanity. Just another day on The Locked Ward. True tales of diversity and humour with Dennis O'Donnell... (22 Aug, p41)Five great events about. the world at warCaroline Moorehead (11 Aug, p8)The harrowing tale of resistance, survival and friendship between French women in Auschwitz-Birkenau.Peter Englund (19 Aug, p33)A devastating account of the Great War from those who witnessed it.Frank Westerman with Alistair Moffat (20 Aug, p35)The atrocities and medical achievements of 20th century warfare exposed through the incredible story of the Lippizaner horse.Anna Reid with Antony Beevor (21 Aug, p39)The author of Leningrad is interviewed by the author of Stalingrad.Jonathan Steele (23 Aug, p45)Will Afghanistan ever see peace? Steele discusses the definitive history of a war which has crucified a country, its people and its politics. Ewan Morrison, 20:30Justine Picardie, 20:3010Sat 11 August (continued)