"Colin Duncan Taylor is an authoritative voice on the area's history." - France Magazine
I have been living in the south of France for 25 years, and through my books I endeavour to share my love for the history, landscapes and gastronomy of the south of France, the Pyrenees and northern Spain.
My writing is based on an insatiable curiosity about my adopted home. This might lead me inside the ruins of an abandoned château for the ambiance, or into one that is still inhabited for a glass of wine; into a farmer's field to inspect a traditional crop, or to a food festival to taste the harvest; down prehistoric caves in search of the first homo sapiens to arrive in the south of France, or over Pyrenean peaks on ridiculously long trail runs. Underpinning these true-life experiences is desk-based research, primarily drawing on historical texts, and academic and scientific papers in several languages.
I do not write fiction. Instead, I focus on geographical history, gastronomic history and long-form journalism, the sort of writing that requires perseverance, dedication, imagination, instinct, an obsession with detail and preferably a large dose of luck.
In 2025, Yale University Press bought the world rights to my forthcoming book about the history of the Pyrenees. It will be published in hardback on 25 August 2026. The paperback version will come out in 2027.
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I have given talks to numerous associations on various aspects of history and gastronomy in the south of France and the Pyrenees. If your are an organiser and are interested in discussing this further, please get in touch using my Contact Form.
‘THE PYRENEES A HUMAN HISTORY’ GOES TO PRESS / We all know the saying ‘never judge a book by its cover.’ Nevertheless, anyone who has been involved in the production of an actual book will know about the critical role of cover design. This photo, incidentally, comes from the book's colour plate section.
FOIX AND THE PYRENEES FEATURE AT THE LONDON BOOK FAIR / For the cover of its autumn catalogue, Yale University Press has chosen the image it designed for the cover of my forthcoming book, ‘The Pyrenees: A Human History’.
AN EVENTFUL PYRENEAN DAY In the morning, a beautiful view of the Pyrenees cloaked in snow. In the evening, my book, ‘The Pyrenees: A Human History’, becomes available for pre-order, even though the definitive text was only sent off for typesetting the previous day. If you are curious about how a book goes from an idea to a finished product, this post reveals all.
PROUD TO BE WRITING FOR YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS / Please be indulgent and allow me to share a wonderful piece of publishing news! It's another good reason for me to love the Pyrenees.
KEYS TO THE CHÂTEAU / Writing is rarely a route to riches, but when Colin Duncan Taylor moved to France, he found it was a key that opened the door to many a château (article first published in French Property News).