Unlikely Stories, Mostly, Canongate Classics

In this volume of stories and illustrations, the author of Poor Things “perfected the blend of visual and verbal elements [that] characterized his work” (Financial Times).

In “The Crank that Made the Revolution,” an enterprising inventor presents the world with his contribution to the Industrial Revolution: an “improved duck.” When a man splits in two, it isn’t long before his two selves come to blows in “The Spread of Ian Nicol.” And a young boy witnesses a shooting star land in his back garden in “The Star.” In these and other short stories of the strange and fascinating, Alasdair Gray reaffirms his reputation as one of Scotland’s most original and important contemporary writers.

In Unlikely Stories, Mostly, Alasdair Gray combines his surreal and darkly funny stories with original artwork to create a truly unique reading experience. This edition includes a postscript by the author and Douglas Gifford.

“The book is a wonder of ingenuity, a varied and rich collection in which Gray's abilities as a visual artist and illustrator are placed not only beside but within the products of his fertile imagination as a writer.” —The Washington Post

“Not since William Blake has a British artist wed pictorial and literary talent to such powerful effect.” —Financial Times