Dominic Hinde - Drifting North

Finding a Sustainable Future in Scotland's Past

WithDominic Hinde
In conversation withDan Richards

At: The Portobello Bookshop

On:4th November 2025, 7:00pm - 8:00pm

Attendance options:

Dominic Hinde - Drifting North at The Portobello Bookshop

We're really pleased to be welcoming Dominic Hinde to the bookshop for an event to celebrate the Edinburgh launch of his latest book, Drifting North: Finding a Sustainable Future in Scotland's Past. Past and future collide in this engaging journey through climate change, fossil capitalism and the struggle for a sustainable world.

This event will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience, as well as a livestream for attendees watching from home. There will be a signing after the event.

In-person vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a single copy of Drifting North – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book. Livestream vouchers are valid until the day after the event and can be redeemed on our website against a single copy of Drifting North.

About Drifting North:

Past and future collide in this engaging journey through climate change, fossil capitalism and the struggle for a sustainable world.

Scotland's history and future are entangled with climate change and the story of the modern world. This small country on the fringes of northern Europe pioneered fossil capitalism and played a key role in its spread across the planet. It is a living museum of the crisis of the west, of deindustrialisation, stagnation and the struggle to build a better future from the ashes.

Journalist and sociologist Dominic Hinde travels from the treeless Highlands to the lowland cities, struggling to balance memories with aspiration. Through this journey he finds that his own sensory turmoil, shaped by recovery from a near fatal accident, mirrors the disarray of the fossil fuel transition - an uncertain passage between what was and what must be.

Part memoir, part environmental history, part travelogue, this is a compelling narrative of connections - to place, energy and the possibility of renewal. Through the lens of one country, it asks a vital question: can the lessons of the past help us build a more sustainable future?

Please note: Tickets for our events are non-refundable. Professional photography and videography may take place during this event. Thank you for your understanding.

Participants:

Dominic Hinde Author

Dominic Hinde is a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow where he researches climate change and media. He is the author of A Utopia Like Any Other: Inside the Swedish Model (2016) and has written for the Times, the Guardian, Prospect Magazine and USA Today. He appears regularly on TV and radio as a commentator on European and environmental issues and has produced radio for the BBC.

Dan Richards Chair

Dan Richards is the co-author of Holloway (with Robert Macfarlane and Stanley Donwood), and the author of The Beechwood Airship Interviews, Climbing Days, Outpost and Overnight. Only After Dark, a BBC Radio 4 series about the nocturnal world, was broadcast to acclaim in 2022. Dan has written for the Guardian, Economist, Esquire and Monocle. He is based in Edinburgh.

The venue

The Portobello Bookshop

46 Portobello High Street
Edinburgh
EH15 1DA

Telephone: 0131 629 6756

Website: www.theportobellobookshop.com


Wheelchair Access

We have a ramp at the front of the shop which has a ratio of 1:10 and loading capacity of 300kg, and so should be able to be used by most wheelchair users or those with mobility vehicles. The front doors are fully automated. Our shop interior is designed to allow access throughout for wheelchair users and prams, though please note there is only 700mm wide clearance to access the staff toilet.

Sound

We use a PA system to enhance the audio at our live events. We also have a hearing loop system installed, if you’d like to use our loop system during an event please let us know and we’ll make sure we have it set up and connected to the live audio feed during the event. If you wish to attend an event and require BSL interpretation, please give us a few weeks notice and we’ll do our best to arrange an interpreter.