A NOTEBOOK owned by a famous Paisley artist and playwright will take centre stage at a festival in the town.
Author Brian Hannan, who runs Abbey Books, has been given rare access to the fascinating book for the shop's first ever summer festival.
"It was kept by John Byrne during the Broadway run of The Slab Boys," explains Brian.
"The play had an astonishing cast of Kevin Bacon, Val Kilmer and Sean Penn.
"The notebook also makes clear reference to an early draft of his television series Tutti Frutti, and another play he was writing, as well as showing examples of set design."
The notebook "just turned up", says Braian.
"I've no idea where it came from, because we are often so full up that boxes of donated books can sit around for weeks unopened.
"I was going to throw it out, since it was obviously not a book, but I keep a box full of the kind of oddites that turn up - postcards, letters, a bookmark from 1954 that the Odeon did to promote the Bridges of Toko Ri, even a £1 note.
"At first I thought it was just an odd scrapbook, but some of the drawings looked familiar. Then I saw reference to the cast of The Slab Boys on Broadway and I went through it more slowly and worked it out.
"It's a tremendous find, and auspicious that it turned up in a Paisley bookshop given he is one of the town's most famous sons."
Abbey Books, which is celebrating its 40th birthday next year, is running a four-day Summer Book Festival from June 8 to 11.
The event, aimed at promoting local talent, includes book launches and signings, talks and creative writing workshops.
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Brian, whose books include The Glen Cinema Disaster and the Paisley at the Pictures series, will kick off the festival with a talk on John Byrne.
“Until I started running Abbey Books, I had not realised what a rich seam of writing talent had emerged from Paisley," he said. "Our inaugural festival brings together a world-renowned playwright, critically acclaimed poets and bestselling novelists.”
Other highlights include Graham Fulton signing copies of his new book The Renfrewshire Victoria Crosses; poet Chiara Kelly presenting her debut collection In My Words; and Helen Nathaniel-Fulton with Outside of Eden.
Jeff Holmes will be discussing his book, 16 Incle Street, about the infamous 1924 Paisley murder and its unusual aftermath which brought national focus to the town; and Hawkhead resident Steven Veerapen will be signing copies of the latest book, Of Judgement Fallen, about a murder in the court of King Henry VIII.
Steven and Brian will also be hosting writing workshops, along with celebrated best-selling Paisley crime author Caro Ramsay.
Simon Hood, son of bestselling Paisley novelist Evelyn Hood, will be discussing his mother’s literary legacy as well as sharing exciting news about the discovery of new unpublished manuscripts.
Launches and signings are free, talks and writing workshops cost £10 (plus booking fee) from Eventbrite.
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