A search has begun to find copies of George Mackay Brown’s first collection of poems.
The George Mackay Brown Fellowship is working alongside BBC Radio Orkney to track down copies to celebrate the centenary of the poet’s birth this October.
The Orcadian writer published 300 copies of his first book, The Storm and Other Poems, at his own expense in 1954.
Copies are rare and expensive, with one currently listed online for £385 despite a missing piece from the front of the dust jacket.
Yvonne Gray, from the fellowship, said: “In his first collection you can already find many of the themes that became so important in his work, and give it its significance for readers across the world.
“It will be fascinating to find out if many Orkney houses still have a copy, and where the book has travelled to.”
Mackay Brown’s poems and dramatist work reflect his life in Orkney. He was awarded an OBE in 1974 and nominated for a Booker Prize in 1994 for his final novel Beside the Ocean of Time.
The writer spent the majority of his life in Stromness and died there in 1996.
The George Mackay Brown Fellowship will also be celebrating the centenary of his birth by hosting a memorial lecture, creating a centenary publication and running online book group sessions.