My first day in Charlotte Square Gardens this year started damp, so here’s a monochrome study to start you off.

Professor Sunil Khilnani, writer and academic.

Jackie Kay, Scotland’s ‘Makar’ (our Poet Laureate).

Jackie is a charming person who interacts with genuine friendliness with her readers.

Every year, photographer Chris Close makes portraits of visiting authors and speakers, stringing the results up around the Festival’s walkways. There’s a small sample below.

Left to right. Top: Ade Edmondson, Liu Zhenyun, Greg James & Chris Smith. Centre: Simon Armitage, Ehsan Abdollahil, Mariana Enriquez. Bottom: The Last Poets, Paul Auster, Andy Hamilton.

Magnus Mills

Festival Director Nick Barley with Misha Hoekstra and Daniel Hahn – members of the panel for ‘The Power of Translation’.

Braving the video camera.

Penny Pepper. I love the control knob on her wheelchair!

Sometimes a shot of the professional photographers is too good to miss…

… here they are, capturing American literary giant Paul Auster.

Hanif Kureishi in conversation with a reader.

Sir Charlie Stinky Socks proudly showing his author’s pass.

Laura Hughes and Pip Jones.

Leon Morocco.

The Edinburgh Gin Tent, just outside the main book-signing venue, is many people’s favourite place to relax and chat about Festival stuff.

Academics Josie Billington and Rick Rylance, who were at the festival to talk about ‘Is Literature Healthy?’ and ‘Literature and the Public Good’.

John Banville.

“Gimme Five!”

Karl Ove Knausgaard.

The profits from the bookshops here at the Festival all go back into Festival funds.

Author Robert Muchamore drew a large crowd of secondary school students to his book-signing.

I’m not the only person who goes around getting ‘atmosphere shots’ in Charlotte Square Gardens.

An animated Doug Johnstone.

“Who are we now?”

Alex Scheffler.

Professor Richard English, who spoke about the controversial issues raised by his new book ‘Does Terrorism Work?’

Late afternoon, and shadows begin to lengthen in Charlotte Square.