Scotland Books

After LOVING the Hamlet Literature Guide I bought a while ago, I decided to try Macbeth. Again, I was extremely pleased with the quality of the materials, but also with the fact that Secondary Solutions and author Kristen Bowers actually accomplish what they claim--I really CAN teach the content standards through literature! These guides are perfect for the high school english teacher, but would also be good for a parent who is homeschooling and has a fear of, or never really understood Shakespeare. PERFECT!

I recommend this literature guide to anyone who has any fear of teaching Shakespeare. I was one of those teachers, and like wild dogs, the kids could smell it!! I used this literature guide for the first time a month ago, and my teaching and confidence has turned a 180. This workbook had everything I needed- I didn't have to make up my own worksheets or lessons. Just copy and go--and the kids are learning the content standards and understanding Shakespeare, too. AMAZING!

I purchased the Literature Guide for The Great Gatsby and was thrilled, but now am even more impressed with Macbeth. I would really recommend these lit guides to teachers who don't have a lot of extra time or don't want to take the extra time to write their own materials. Although I understand Shakespeare, teaching his plays are another story. This guide really gives me the confidence to be an expert on Macbeth, since it covers the play so well. Again, I would really recommend these lit guides for any teacher--I am looking forward to more titles!

An amazing and informative tale. My Grandmother was a McDonald and she used to tell me stories of our clan and I never understood why the McDonald clan was so amazing. Growing up in the US, I thought it was a place for happy meals and milk shakes. Not so. Mr. Williams does a complete job of explaining the past history and heritage of Somerled and his sons. Then each chapter after that is dedicated to the life of each Lord of the Isles until there fall due to greed and strife with the Stewart Kings. A must have for all Clansmen of the Clan Donald and a lesson in why the MacDonalds will continue to due great things. Get this book.

The full title of this book is THE LORDS OF THE ISLES: THE CLAN DONALD AND THE EARLY KINGDOM OF THE SCOTS. At first glance, it is far more than its title indicates. It covers a thousand years of history in the Hebrides and the adjoining parts of Western Scotland, first under the Celtic Kingdom of Dalriada beginning around 500 AD; secondly under Viking and mixed-blood Viking/Celtic kingships from around 800-1250 AD; finally under the Lordship of the Isles centered at Loch Finlaggan in Islay until the forfeiture of the Lordship around 1500 AD.

For one who, like me, is enthralled by Scottish history, this is a page-turner of the first order. I first became interested in the Lords of the Isles from reading Nigel Tranter's historical novels; then, I visited the Isles myself in 1999. Now, after having read this book, I feel energized enough to return to Scotland and become even more informed thanks to this excellent history on a subject about which little is known.

One particularly excellent aspect of Williams's book is its detailed coverage of parallel events in Ireland, Norway, and England which affected the Isles. We see such heroic figures as St Columba of Iona, Aedan the Fair-Haired of Dalriada, Brian Boru, Somerled MacGillibride, Angus Og (friend and chief support of Robert the Bruce), and warlord Donald Balloch.

This reprint edition is published by House of Lochar located on the Isle of Colonsay in the Hebrides. It's worth taking some pains to lay hands on this book.

Ronald William's magnum opus is a refreshing example of attention given to a long denied and ignored subject.

The grip of total Anglocentric versions of history is weaking, and this was an early stride into understanding this particular story in a more objective way. I congradulate Ronald Williams on such an outstanding and informative book.

This is a great teaching tool for those of us who like to teach out of the box. It has everthing from think-share-pair to essay topics to projects. To quote directly from the book "This is Shakespeare's language, filled with imaginative possibilites. You will find on every left-hand page: a summary of the action, an explanation of unfamilar words, a choice of activites on Shakespeare's language, characters and stories." On the right-hand page is the play. I do not use everything because I do not have time :( But I would not be able to get the kids as actively engaged as I do without it.

wonderful, short dramatic exercises that illuminate the play and make it accessible and fun for students.

This is one of Shakespeare's plays I have liked best so far (I still have several ones left to read), along with Hamlet, King Lear and Julius Caesar. It is the tragedy of ambition and delusion, and the fatal results of those two vices combined. It is also one of Shakespeare's plays in which the supernatural has a greater participation. Just as Hamlet is driven to revenge by a ghost -his father's- Macbeth is driven to desperate ambition for power by three witches who tell him he is destined to occupy the throne of Scotland (way back in the Middle Ages). Though Macbeth is not a very resolute man and so has many doubts, his inescrupulous wife jumps in on the prophecy and pushes him all along. She must be one of the dreariest women to have appeared in fiction ever. You can imagine her truly as the mother in law from hell. Together, the Macbeths perpetrate a series of treasons and horrible murders, and even start up a war, all for the throne they will, of course, never enjoy. As always with Ol' Billy, the dialogues are incredibly strong and magnificent, full of passion and energy. The scene where the ghost of Banquo appears in the middle of a dinner is more than spooky, horrifying. This play is pure evil, violence, disaster and remorse, and the final transformation of Macbeth is necessarily too late, but worth contemplating.

They ended up deleting my order, didn't tell me, then I had to track down why they deleted it. I also had the pleasure of dealing with their customer support staff based in India -- that was quite an experience. Ended up having to order twice. I now purchase my books online from Barnes and Noble now. I ended up buying one book from Target -- it was supposed to be a present for someone. Amazon won't stay in business!

If you are in a hurry to complete your report, it will help you so. But don't forget to read the entire book as soon as you can.

At last. Shakespeare study notes that are really authoritative, accurate and enthusiastic. This new edition of Cliff's notes on Macbeth is outstanding. There are all the usual things that would be expected in notes of this type, but added to this is a real sensitivity in the appreciation of the language, and also an awareness of Macbeth as a play to be performed. it is perhaps this sensitivity that sets these notes apart. The author communicates a passion for the play by opening it up to everyone in the excellent scene-by-scene analysis. shakespare has never seemed so accessible, relevant and exciting. The suggested tasks are particulalrly inventive- a useful tool for teachers and students.

The format of text and audio CD is a remarkable and excellent opportunity to enjoy Shakespeare in many ways. I recently saw Patrick Stewart in Macbeth and hearing other interpretations of the play added a new dimension and enrichment to the live performance.
This Sourcebook is an outstanding tool for classroom use, stimulating interest among students in the high schools and Universities. What a great concept!

I found this in a used book pile (brand new). I teach a 300 level Theatre History class and I can't wait to play some choice bits of the CD. Usually I'm a bit ashamed of the "hip" books about W.S. but this is actually a well thought out edition. Just to hear the generational attempts at the same prose is quite a joy.

I started reading this before seeing the play in London, which starred Patrick Stewart. The book was the perfect enhancement to an excellent production.

I read this book for the first time when I was in high school and fell in love with it. I read it again in college, and recently again in my mid-20's. Every time I read it it inspires me. The character of Annie is so unlike your typical protagonist; she is shy, self-deprecating, loyal, insecure, pure, and simply the most precious character you're likely to come across. The love between her and Alec grows so sweetly and unexpectedly that it's a revelation. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially if you are seeking something different from what is mainstream today. It is sweet, and pure, and incredibly beautiful and you will never forget the time you spent in its world. It illustrates what real love is in a way you will carry with you forever.

Michael Phillips did an excellent job of reproducing George MacDonald's Alec Forbes of Howglen. This book has all the touching qualities of a George MacDonald book with all the thought provoking one-liners that we all know George sat and crafted carefully.

This book is one of the best i have ever read.
I feel as if I have known Annie and Alec all my life.
I feel as if I've been in Scotland and seen the streets, bridges, stores and houses in howgland.
If you could read only 1 book this year...make it this one!!!!

The Mark of The Lion continues the Scottish Crown Series(no.3). You can read any of the books alone, but I think it helps to read them in the right order, if possible, because there are characters that spill over from one story into the next. I enjoyed this book because it has romance (love, love, love), drama (attempted kidnappings,sword fights), intrigue (why is he so scarred and bitter?), spiritual insights (God is faithful and good even when our world doesn't make sense), and historical facts(Scotland 1300's, lassies, weaving, lamb shearing). All elements that make a good story go (and keeps me turning the pages). The main reason I liked it, however, was because she tells a logical story. There are reasons that each character acts the way they do, and it makes sense. Have you ever read a book and wondered, "why is the character saying this or doing that?" Well, with this book, you won't be. If you want a well crafted book, read this. :)

Another great historical from Carol Umberger. Robert the Bruce is determined to drive Prince Edward of England's troops out of Scotland. The English are confident and well equipped. Countess Orelia Radbourne accompanied her husband, the Earl of Radbourne, expecting they would be victorious. Instead her husband is dead, Edwards troops were defeated, and Orelia is a captive of Robert the Bruce and the hated Scots. Cealloch, Robert the Bruce's foster brother is charged with guarding her. Cealloch has lost everything. He is not safe anywhere, but he has put himself at risk to serve his brother. In spite of themselves, Orelia and Cealloch begin to trust each other and form a bond neither wanted.
Carol Umberger knows her history and she weaves the story into a rich tapestry full of color and pagentry. I highly recommend this one.

The Mark of Salvation is an amazing read, taking an indepth look at the character and life of the former Templar Knight Ceallach. Umberger lives up to her amazing and riveting standard in fiction, having the novel joined in style and content to the series yet keeping the plot from becoming much like either of the first two books (which in my opinion have a very similiar plot). I loved the book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed her earlier works, or enjoys historical fiction.

This book is dealing with the past but talks about eternal human things. The style and historical accuracy is unparalleled ! Read it!

I read this book as a teenager and its still one of my all time favourite books!Its written very passionately and that Zweig passion leaps from page to page - I swear my cheeks were burning while reading this book and its my highest recomendation!

I actually read this book in a French translation (from the original German) that appeared in 1936, but it is a timeless story and can be read in 1999 with great pleasure. This is a finely-crafted biography of the ill-fated Mary, Queen of Scots, crowned queen at the age of one week upon her father's untimely death, shipped off to France at age 5 where she was brought up and eventually married the future king Francois II, then sent back to Scotland by her mother-in-law, Catherine di Medici, when Francois II died while still a teenager. The book concentrates on the few years in Scotland during which she set up her court, married a young English nobleman, Henry Darnley, and was led down a path of plots and assassinations until her flight to England several years later. This all took place while she was in her early '20s. It is a gripping story and Zweig tells parts of it in her own words, poems and letters.

She was an accomplished horsewoman, having learned how to hunt in France, leading armies into battle, and escaping from imprisonment in Scotland by all-night rides; cultivated, having learned poetry from Ronsard in France, and continuing to write poetry in French much of her life; passionate, falling madly in love with the unworthy Darnley, then after his death, with the dark Bothwell, his assassin; religious, defending Catholicism against the extremist protestants of Scotland and Elizabeth I of England, and finding solace in her religion at the end of her life. Surrounded by Scottish lords looking out for their own clans, she was unable to play the brutal game of survival, preferring to follow her instincts and desires. Zweig's short book combines historical facts with speculation on her motives and character; this is a book that reads like a novel, written by a master of biography. I would love to see a new movie based on this book, because I find her story so intense and relevant to today's world. I put off reading the last chapter (about her execution at the hands of perfidious Elizabeth I, who then denied her responsibility in it) until I had time to start re- reading the book from the beginning, because I didn't want it to end!.

The translation of Mary Stuart that you see when you "Look Inside" is not the same one that is being sold on this page!!!!

This is the play that was used in the 1987 (?) movie, "Anne of Avonlea." It's really neat!

A brilliant psychological drama. Schiller begins with presenting Mary as the epitome of passion and misguided sincerity, with Elizabeth as the epitome of rational calculation and statecraft. With superb plotting, he stages their confrontation to emphasize their common features and with elements of role reversal. The confrontation essentially purifies their original characters, heightening the contrast between passion and calculation. I don't read German but this translation contains a great deal of eloquent language and an appropriately Shakerspearean flavor.

Susan McDuffie's novel, A Mass For the Dead, is first rate! It has all the elements of a-curl-up-in-your-chair-and-stay-for-the-afternoon mystery--a twisted suspenseful plot, wild and mysterious setting and a quirky set of characters you can't resist. The ill-loved Prior of Oronsay Isle is found strangled, his mouth stuffed with sand, his fingers just out of reach of the safety of the stone Celtic Cross in the strand. Muirteach MacPhee, bastard son of the Prior, reluctantly agrees to investigate his estranged father's death, and we meet Gillespic, the Chief of the MacPhee clan, Sheena, the Prior's mistress, Gillecristus, the sub-prior and a host of local islanders in his search for the truth. With the help of Fearchar Beaton and his outspoken daughter, Mariota, Muirtech comes to grips with the secrets of his father's dark past and his own troubled struggles to be free of him. In a real sense the main character is the medieval world and the Island themselves, with the schemes for power, rituals and superstitions, played out against the fogs and mists and tides. For those of us who loved the Brother Cadfael series, Muirteach is a rare find: I can't wait for the next one.

Muirteach MacPhee, the bastard son of a Prior, must solve his own father's mysterious death in this 14th century Scottish puzzler. This book is interesting, amusing, and suspenseful. There are many suspects and a red herring ( a Scottish expression?) or two before the end. There's even an exciting medieval chase scene! I love mysteries, and I love reading about the middle ages. A Mass for the Dead satisfies, enlightens, and amuses. Kudos to Susan McDuffie. I hope she writes many more stories for Muirteach.

In 1373 Scotland, oyster digger Alasdair Beag finds the murdered corpse of the Oronsay Isle Priory Crispinus McPhee on the beach. Crispinus' brother Gillespic informs his nephew Muirteach that he must report the death of his father the Lord of the Isles John MacDonald. Muirteach has mixed feelings about his late father who called him "My bastard son, the cripple", but travels to the see MacDonald regardless so he can inform him. MacDonald assigns Muirteach to investigate and uncover the identity of his dad's killer; the Lord of the Isles knows he must tell his father King Robert II, but decides to wait until the homicide case is resolved before informing the Pope that one of his key churchman is dead.

Muirteach returns home accompanied by physician Fearchar Beaton and his daughter outspoken Mariota. He begin his inquiry starting with Beag and then with his father's handfast mistress and her brothers. As he continues to dig for clues, he learns a much wider truth about his father than just who killed his father and why.

Historical mystery readers will want to peruse A MASS FOR THE DEAD, an exciting tale that brings to life the political intrigue of fourteenth century Scotland where Church and State intermingle to the benefit of leaders at the cost of followers. The story line is fast-paced but driven by Muirteach, a fully developed individual with likes, hates, and resentments as he is forced to satisfy the whims of his superiors by investigating the death of his loathsome father. As he uncovers the truth with the help of Mariota, sub-genre fans will want to join them on their amateur sleuth caper.

Harriet Klausner