The Edinburgh book crawl

Scotland loves writers, and nowhere in Scotland are they more celebrated than in Edinburgh. The world's largest

international book festival is held here each August, and in 2004 UNESCO declared it the first "City of Literature." You can easily spend a few days visiting literary historic sites and haunts, especially those of Scotland's immortal three: Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, and Robert Louis Stevenson. Even if the classics aren't your thing, this book crawl of the city is sure to inspire, with views of past and contemporary writers.

Inside St. Giles Cathedral (the High Kirk of Edinburgh), on the Royal Mile High Street, at the west end of the south aisle, is a 1904 bronze low-relief wall memorial of Stevenson. He was a sickly man and is portrayed here writing on a chaise, with knees up and covered with a rug. In the nave is a magnificent stained glass memorial window of Robert Burns, installed in 1985. (You can stop at the busy Cathedral Restaurant in the Undercroft for fresh-made soup and desserts.)

J.K. Rowling was here

Just south from St. Giles on George IV Bridge is the National Library of Scotland. You need to apply for a reader's ticket to view the rare books and MSS or do research, but the exhibit on books is open to the public. Further along, at number 21 George IV Bridge Street is Elephant House, where J.K. Rowling drank coffee while writing parts of Harry Potter. The well-known restaurant is popular with university students.

George IV Bridge becomes Bank Street at Lawnmarket and at number 35 is the 18th-century Deacon Brodie's Tavern. Deacon Brodie was the original Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of Stevenson's classic book. Brodie was an influential citizen by day and robber by night until he was found out and hanged (the city gallows were just right of the tavern). Across the street on Lawnmarket inside the 17th-century three-story Lady Stair House is the Writer's Museum. One floor each is devoted to Burns, Scott, or Stevenson, with displays of MSS, photographs, and memorabilia.

At 6A Nicholson Street, across from the Festival Theatre, is Buffet King. Until recently it was Nicholson's Restaurant and another place where J.K. Rowling worked on Harry Potter, her baby daughter sleeping by her side (outside is a commemorative plaque). This is University of Edinburgh territory and also across from the theater is the Ionic-styled Royal College of Surgeons' Hall. The trust museum inside contains exhibits on Dr. Joseph Bell, under whom Sir Arthur Conan Doyle studied medicine, and on the famous body snatcher William Burke. Bell was Doyle's model for Sherlock Holmes. James Boswell, diarist and author of Biography of Samuel Johnson, and David Hume, economist and philosopher, both taught at the university, and J.M. Barrie ( Peter Pan), Sir Walter Scott, and R. L. Stephenson were also students.

Defoe: Editor and spy
At number 51 High Street is Moubray House, the oldest house on the Royal Mile where Daniel Defoe ( Robinson Crusoe, Moll Flanders) edited the Edinburgh Courant in 1710 while acting as a government spy for England. The Economist-writer Adam Smith ( The Wealth of Nations) is buried at nearby Canongate Kirk graveyard, and just off Canongate, at 5 Crichton's Close, is the Scottish Poetry Library where readings are regularly held.

For liquid refreshment try one of the pubs on traffic-free Rose Street: At number 3 is Abbotsford, named after Sir Walter Scott's home in Melrose, and at 152-54 is Kenilworth, where the theater crowd and actors hang out. And at nearby 15 Market Street is the Doric Tavern, where journalists and artists go.

And this is just a start. Classics are often staged at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, and more recent book connections to the Scottish capital include the tough crime world of Inspector Rebus, Ian Rankin's famous fiction sleuth, and Alexander McCall Smith's latest books. As mentioned earlier, the biggest literary event of the year, however, is the 17-day International Book Festival every August. This year it runs from August 11-27.

National Library of Scotland George IV Bridge . Open: Mon - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sun. 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Website:www.nls.uk.

Writer's Museum, Lady Stair House, Lawnmarket, Old Town; tel. +44(0)131-529-4901. Free entry. Open Mon. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Surgeons' Hall, The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Nicolson Street; tel: +44(0)131-527-1649/678; website: www.rcsed.ac.uk . Summer opening hours (until Sept. 8): 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., rest of the year Mon. - Fri: noon - 4 p.m. Currently showing is an exhibition on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Dr. Joseph Bell: "The Real Sherlock Holmes." Entry £5 adults.

Scottish Poetry Library,5 Crichton's Close, Canongate. Free entry. Open: Mon. - Fri. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m; Sat.1 p.m. - 5 p.m; website: www.spl.org.uk.

Royal Lyceum Theatre, 30B Grindlay Street; website: www.lyceum.org.uk.

International Book Festival events can be reserved on www.edbookfest.co.uk.