Set in Glasgow in the 1880s, St Jude's is one of Ian Maclaren's lesser-known collections of stories. Here the Kailyard author leaves behind the pastoral idyll of his earlier books and enters the urban milieu. Written during a period of crisis in the Free Kirk, the stories focus on the experiences of a young minister and on the social and spiritual lives of the members of a city parish. Written with all the author's characteristic blend of humour and sentiment, and his sharp dialogue and lively characterisation, St Jude's offers a subtle account of the values and habits of the modern city as well as providing an important reflection of religious life in Scotland at the close of the nineteenth century. -- Andrew Nash holds degrees from the universities of Dundee, Edinburgh and St Andrews and now teaches at the University of Reading. He has written widely on nineteenth and twentieth century publishing history and various aspects of Scottish literature. His books include: Kailyard and Scottish Literature and the edited volumes The Culture of Collected Editions and Literary Cultures and the Material Book.