Samuel Cowan (1835 – 18 June 1914) was a Scottish historian, antiquarian, biographer, publisher and journalist who wrote several books, including Mary Queen of Scots and Who Wrote the Casket Letters (1901), The Gowrie Conspiracy (1902), The Ancient Capital of Scotland (1904) and The Royal House of Stuart (1908). Cowan was also a justice of the peace. Between 1866 and 1907, Cowan was the printer and publisher of the Perthshire Advertiser. Source: Wikipedia (en)