The Boswell Book Festival has a reputation for garnering the best authors for a long weekend of insight and entertainment, and this year isn’t any different. Now in its eighth year, the festival boasts a star-studded line up boasting poets, seasoned journalists, war veterans and professional TV watchers, with conversations set against the picturesque grounds at the Dumfries House Estate. Below, we list some festival highlights that mustn’t be missed.

Anthony Horowitz

Global bestseller Anthony Horowitz, OBE, is famed for his teen spy series Alex Rider and a slew of Sherlock Holmes continuation novels. In addition to delving into the world of James Bond with the upcoming Forever and A Day, Horowitz has penned many successful TV dramas. Join the author in conversation with crime writer Denise Mina, and discover the life and writing process of the influential author.

Michael Hall

From Hockney to Michelangelo to Faberge eggs – the Royal collection boasts over a million artworks and objects that reveal the tastes of the British monarchies over the past 500 years. In Art, Passion and Power: The Story of The Royal Collection, author Michael Hall provides unprecedented access into a world of incredible treasures and obsessions.

Andrew O’Hagan

The three-time- nominee of the Man Booker Prize, Andrew O’Hagan explores the intersection between technology, surveillance and identity in this gripping exploration of some of the Internet’s game changing outlaws. In conversation with The Times novelist Alex Massie, expect to hear his insights on the founder of WikiLeaks and the inventor of Bitcoin.

Christopher Lloyd

Historian and former science correspondent Christopher Lloyd uncovers man’s relationship nature in his impressive biography, The Story of the World in 100 Species. An evaluation of the earth and the diverse organisms that make it, he identifies one hundred influential species across plants, animals and other life forms – uncovering their immeasurable impact on the earth.

David Clark

Professor David Clark, also know as Professor Death, has dedicated his life’s work to the study of the end of life, and his new book – Dame Cicely Saunders, A Life and Legacy, delves deep into her legacy as the founder of the modern hospice movement. Hear about Clark’s findings about the women who changed how we care for the dying.

To book tickets online, visit boswellbookfestival.co.uk

Tickets can be purchased at:

Palace Theatre Kilmarnock – Tel: 01563554900

Festival Weekend Box Office – Tel: 07530380021

Festival Weekend Children’s Festival Box Office – Tel: 07596841272

Tickets are also on sale at Waterstones, High Street, Ayr and Cumnock Town Hall.