A matriculation card and thesis proposal belonging to Ian Rankin will go on display as part of an exhibition to celebrate 250 years of literature at his old university.
City of Words: Writers, Readers and Critics in Edinburgh looks at the origins and development of literature study at the University of Edinburgh.
The institution is home to one of the oldest English literature programmes in the world having been set up in 1762.
Rankin studied at the university between 1978 and 1985 and wrote his first novel when he was a postgraduate student.
A thesis proposal handwritten by the crime author will be on display along with a first edition of his first novel, The Flood.
Other exhibits include unseen letters by Robert Burns, Robert Graves, DH Lawrence and Arnold Bennett. Also on display is the first edition of the Edinburgh Review from 1802 and a charter from Queen Victoria confirming an appointment in 1865.
The exhibition runs in the University's Main Library from August 3 to October 27.
