Mairi Kidd's The Specimens goes to Black & White Publishing

Black & White Publishing, an imprint of Bonnier Books UK, will publish The Specimens by Mairi Kidd. 

World rights were acquired directly from the author by Ali McBride, publishing director at Black & White. It will publish on 26th September 2024. 

The Specimens is billed as a “feminist re-imagining" on the infamous true story of Scotland’s most prolific serial killers, Burke and Hare. The publisher said: “The story is set at a time when inside the grand walls of Edinburgh’s 19th-Century scientific institutions, anatomists began to map the secrets of the human body in order to discover new medical innovations. 

“But to the horror of the local population, a shortage of bodies leads to the gruesome act of graveyard snatching, a heartless crime that would soon spread like a disease throughout the city. And as the authorities crack down on the practice, stealing cadavers quickly turns to murder.” 

Kidd said: “The story of the Burke and Hare murders is in some ways incredibly well known, having inspired storytellers from Stevenson to Andy Serkis and Simon Pegg. On the other hand, the 16 victims seem to have become almost incidental—in some cases, we don’t even know their names. I set out to imagine a life for them on the page, and as I worked, I discovered more and more incredible facets to the story of the anatomy murderers, their clients the doctors, and the women in their lives. I hope I have succeeded in bringing some of these women—wives and victims alike, innocent and guilty and all shades in between—out of the margins and onto the page.” 

McBride added: “Mairi has a talent for bringing a feminist narrative to historical events and The Specimens is her greatest yet. This gripping, historical tale will stay with you long after reading and make you want to know every harrowing fact of the time. It’s equal parts dark, depraved and fascinating; this is one you won’t want to miss.” 

Kidd is the author of We are All Witches, Warriors and Witches and Damn Rebel Bitches and Feisty and Fiery and Fierce (all published by Black & White) as well as a number of books for children, and drama for TV, radio and stage. She has been head of literature at Creative Scotland, and c.e.o. of Seven Stories the National Centre for Children’s Books and of Moat Brae, the birthplace of Peter Pan.