14:00 Saul David Soldiering On ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] Saul David's All the King's Men tells the story of 'the British soldier' from the time of Charles II in 1660 to the downfall of Napoleon in 1815, featuring the wars that enabled this country to lay claim as the chief maritime and industrial power at that time. Among the book's cast are the soldier-king William III, generals Marlborough and Wellington and the ordinary British redcoats.14:00 Tom Bullough & Jane Sullivan 19th Century Tales of Wonderment RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] Set in 1867 in Central Russia, Tom Bullough's Konstantin follows a carefree 10 year old who is left deaf after an illness. Only his fascination with space and the stars gives him the drive to continue. In Little People, Jane Sullivan transports us to 1870s Australia where a governess rescues a child from drowning. Except the 'child' turns out to be the star of a celebrated troupe of midgets. Supported by the Australia Council for the Arts.RUSSIA THEN AND NOW14:30 Angus Roxburgh A Show of Russian Strength Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] When the Kremlin decided it needed a more user-friendly image, it hired Angus Roxburgh and his New York-based PR firm. Now that he has left the employment of Vladimir Putin, Roxburgh's insider perspective has given him a wealth of fascinating material on the man. In his insightful and balanced book, The Strongman, Roxburgh describes the Putin administration and its PR disasters, and explores what the future holds for the recently re-elected President. INFORMATION Is POWER15:00 Gavin Esler Top Man RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] Gavin Esler is one of Britain's leading journalists and interviewers and in Lessons from the Top, he reveals that through the stories they tell, the most successful leaders educate, persuade and bring about change. Esler explains how creating a leadership story can promote success whether you're running for the United States presidency or applying for a place at university. Chaired by Jamie Jauncey.15:00 Anthony Cartwright & Richard Milward Acceptable in the 80s Writers' Retreat, £7 [£5] The 1980s are under the spotlight again in two wild novels from rising British authors. In Anthony Cartwright's slightly controversial How I Killed Margaret Thatcher, a Midlands lad sees his hopes being torn asunder under the new Tory government and decides to take drastic action. Meanwhile, Richard Milward consolidates the reputation he first carved out with Apples, writing about one girl's redemption (or damnation) in Kimberly's Capital Punishment.15:30 Harriet Walter Ageing with Pride ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] Dame Harriet Walter has enjoyed a glittering career as an actor on both stage and screen with film credits including Atonement and Sense and Sensibility. Now, she has embarked on an ambitious photography project to celebrate the beauty of older women. She discusses the images she has chosen for her self-published book, and reflects on women's experiences of ageing in a world that only seems to celebrate youth.15:30 Bashabi Fraser Where Scotland and India Meet RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] Trained as an Indian dancer and choreographer, Bashabi Fraser is now a highly-respected poet and author in Scotland. She joins us with two new books: Ragas and Reels is a book of poems on the New Scots, with photographs from Herman Roderigues, while Scots Beneath the Banyan Tree recounts stories from Bengal. Includes music and poetry recited 'in the voices of the Tay and the Ganga'.16:00 John Man Exploring the Original Men in Black Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] Who exactly were the Ninjas? Could the medieval equivalent of the SAS actually fly and make themselves invisible? In Ninja, John Man takes us on a journey from their birth during a civil war in 15th century Japan, right up to the modern day, where at a month-long festival in the ancient Iga Province we meet the self-declared 'last Ninja.'ODYSSEYS17:00 Robert Macfarlane The Landscape and Some Friendly Ghosts ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] In The Old Ways, Robert Macfarlane sets off from his Cambridge home to follow the ancient tracks, roads and sea paths that form part of a vast network of routes criss-crossing our landscape. The result is an enthralling exploration of the ghosts and voices that haunt those areas told through natural history, cartography, geology, archaeology and literature.THE ART OF TRANSLATION17.00 Gained in Translation How the Best Translators Do It RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] Join Sarah Ardizzone and Daniel Hahn to hear about what makes a good translator, why being a good linguist isn't enough and how the best are creative writers themselves. Ardizzone is an award-winning translator of works for adults and children; Hahn is a writer, editor and translator of fiction and non-fiction working on texts as diverse as those by José Saramago and Brazilian footballer Pelé.17:30 Lone Frank Letting the Genome Out of the Bottle Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] The internationally acclaimed science writer Lone Frank goes on a fantastic voyage with My Beautiful Genome to provide an intimate and, at times, personal account into the new science of consumer-led genomics. The Dane ponders the consequences of biological fortune-telling, and explores the psychologists who hope to uncover just how much our environment will matter in a new genetic driven era.18:30 James Meek Affairs of the Heart RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] Bec is a malaria researcher trying to deflect the attentions of a powerful newspaper editor, while her brother's indiscretions are finally catching up on him. James Meek's The Heart Broke In is a seductive drama full of scandal, dilemmas, love and sacrifice and is certain to cement a reputation already rising after The People's Act of Love and We are Now Beginning Our Descent. He launches his new book today.19:00 Peter Robinson New DCI Banks Novel Launched ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] Yorkshire-born Peter Robinson is fast gaining a reputation as one of the finest crime writers in the country. Following the success of a four-part ITV series, his DCI Banks is joining Rebus as a premier league crime character. We are delighted to welcome Robinson to unveil his brand new Banks book, Watching the Dark, in which a murder in the Yorkshire Dales is linked to Estonia.WE ARE THE WAR19:00 Tony Banks & Ian Gardiner Two Accounts of a 1982 War Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] With the 30th anniversary of the Falklands conflict firmly on people's minds, this event marries two different aspects. Ian Gardiner's The Yompers is the first account to be written by a company commander who fought in the war. Tony Banks suffered years of debilitating stress after playing a part in close-quarters combat, finding relief only when he met his former enemies.John Banville recommends Tom Bullough: '[Konstantin is] a convincing account, lyrical yet exact, of the making of a scientist. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky may not be a household name, but the author has set him squarely before us as a living, thinking, ingenious human being.' Latecomers 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.57

19:00 Jon McGregor Unsettling Stories Under Huge Open Skies RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] Jon McGregor's last novel, Even the Dogs, confirmed him as one of Britain's most talented fiction writers. In this special performance he presents his new book of short stories, This Isn't the Sort of Thing That Happens to Someone Like You. There's a strong sense of impending apocalypse in his stories, but many are playful and surprisingly funny. In what has been dubbed 'the year of the short story', this is one of 2012's literary highlights.19:00- Debate: Rethinking the 20:15 Union (part 3) The Union or Independence: The Emotional Arguments The Guardian Spiegeltent, £10 [£8] Much of the debate around Scottish independence has focused on oil revenues, the Barnett Formula and on the question of whether we'd be better or worse off if Scotland goes it alone. This debate looks beyond the question of economics, to ask whether this country should remain united or separate from Britain, regardless of the bottom line. Even if an independent Scotland were poorer, would there be good reasons for cutting the ties with Westminster? And conversely, can the Unionists articulate a clear argument - from the heart - for keeping the status quo? Join the debate with Stephen Tierney, author of Constitutional Referendums and former MSP and SNP frontbencher Andrew Wilson.20:00 THE FREDERICK HOOD MEMORIAL LECTURE John McCarthy Captivity, Fame and Surviving Freedom RBS Main Theatre, £10 [£8] Three years ago, Frederick Hood, a young Edinburgh-based investment manager, was killed in an avalanche in Austria. He was an inspiration to everyone who knew him across academia, the arts and in the many other areas of his multifaceted life. Today, we launch this new annual lecture and discussion in Fred's memory. Every year it will be delivered by an inspiring, adventurous figure who will share ideas and experiences that have shaped an extraordinary life. For the inaugural event we welcome John McCarthy, the BBC journalist who was held hostage in Lebanon for more than 5 years. Tonight he explains how he fought to make sense of his life when he was released. Supported by Walter Scott & Partners Limited. SCOTLAND'S RICH HISTORY20:30 Robyn Young The Story of Robert the Bruce ScottishPower Studio Theatre, £10 [£8] One of Britain's fastest-rising historical novelists has embarked on an epic trilogy that tells the story of Robert the Bruce. Robyn Young's meticulously researched books are set against the backdrop of the violent Anglo-Scottish wars and marry historical detail with some imaginative characterisation and a fizzing plot. In this event she launches the second book in the series.SCIENCE MEETS FICTION20:30 Ken MacLeod & G Willow Wilson Scary Futuristic Fictions Peppers Theatre, £10 [£8] In G Willow Wilson's Alif The Unseen, we journey to an unnamed Middle Eastern security state where a young hacker has just discovered an ancient book which may unleash a new level of information technology, and he's extremely keen to get hold of it. Ken MacLeod's Intrusion is another of his disturbing dystopia novels in which a future state commits atrocities with the best of intentions.20:30 Pawel Huelle Stories Inside Stories RBS Corner Theatre, £7 [£5] Three times shortlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, Pawel Huelle is widely regarded as one of Poland's most talented living authors. He joins us today, with his award-winning translator Antonia Lloyd-Jones, to discuss a stunningly inventive book of newly translated short stories. Cold Sea Stories tells tales from the Baltic Coast, but all share a common thread: each one is built around a different book, from the bible to a toy shop catalogue.21:00- Unbound 23:00 Stories, Music and Literary High Jinks The Guardian Spiegeltent, Free & Drop-In A literary experience like no other. Anything goes: storytelling, music, performance, poetry, stand-up - it's a raw, surprising, sometimes emotional ride. Come with an open mind! The line-up will be announced in July in The Skinny magazine and on our website at www.edbookfest.co.uk. Five great events about. THe environmentBill McGuire & Fred Pearce (15 Aug, p20)What will the impact of climate change and 'land grabbing' be for future generations? Melanie Challenger & T C Smout (19 Aug, p33)Do humans have an intrinsic exploitative attitude toward nature, or have we just lost our way? John Harrison & Gabrielle Walker (20 Aug, p36)Captivating accounts of Antarctica from two experts on the mysterious continent.Donovan Hohn & Kate Rawles (21 Aug, p40)From bath-toys on beaches to a 4553 mile cycle ride - these are adventures into uncharted territories.Michael Meacher (24 Aug, p47)Is there a purpose behind the universe? Here are some environmental encounters of the third kind.58Richard Milward, 15:00