Literary Edinburgh.

In honor of Ian Rankin's 50th birthday (which occurred on April 28th), the Guardian offers a photo gallery of Literary Edinburgh, including residents such as Alexander McCall Smith.

About the image: Robert Louis Stevenson, one of the authors included in the Guardian's Literary Edinburgh gallery. Photo, NYPL.

An online journey through the dark world of Burke and Hare.

Lisa Rosner, author of The Anatomy Murders (due out in October), has developed an online slideshow dealing with the nineteenth-century Edinburgh murderers William Burke and William Hare. Rosner discusses the Web site and her book here.

(Hat tip to the AHA blog).

About the image: Rendering of William Burke, ca. 1829. History of Medicine Division, NIH's National Library of Medicine