Scotland Books

Well written, well illustrated and well worth the price. Hugh Miller is a major figure in paleontology and this book is a fitting tribute to him.
This man proved that anyone can make great observations in science if they put their mind to it!

The book is based on a clear understanding of the last 1500 years of Scottish history and myth creation. Ferguson has produced an even-handed and accurate book about the development of Scottish nationalism.

The languages spoken in Scotland in the Middle Ages including Pictish, Norse, English, Welsh and Gaelic. Pictish dominated the north and Welsh in the south with large numbers of Gaels in Galloway and Argyll.

In the tenth-eleventh centuries Gaelic was the dominant language of Scotland. During this time the Kingdom of Scots acquired Lothian, which had been part of the Kingdom of Northumbria established by the Angles. The Angles introduced Scots English to Scotland. Edinburgh, in Lothian, did not become the Scottish capital until the fifteenth century.

The Scots (Gaelic speaking) in the north and the Angles in the south of Scotland presented a united front to Edward I during the Scottish Wars of Independence. The Gaelic myth of creation was used many times as a unifying element to oppose union with England, proposed by many Scots such as John Major (1470 - 1550)

This book explains the loss of power and prestige of the Gaels and the growth of Scots English, the language brought to Scotland by the Angles.The contributions of Hector Boece, George Buchanan, Robert Burns and many others are considered. The stereotypes of Goth (English speaker) versus Gael are explored as well as the influence of the Ossianic Controversy on nationalism.

Thank you to Ms. Fraser for this book. Not only is it a terrific overview of Scottish History through the ages, but it is full of entertaining details and historical photographs. Well organized and clearly presented, Fraser also includes individual articles highlighting particular people and events throughout the book. These features give a rich view of Scotland, layering in the particulars that most impacted the country and its culture.

Now I share it with my kids!

This is the tale of kids who find a passage through time and are forever changed by their experiences in the other realm. It is a story that makes you dream, "What if?" and will give you pause later.

25 years after I first enjoyed it, I sought it out to share with my girls, and I'm delighted to find it!

Peter Williamson was snatched from an Aberdeen, Scotland quayside in 1740 and transported to the burgeoning American colonies to be sold into slavery. This is a true-life adventure of abduction, war and courtroom drama and an inspiring tale of courage, fortitude and one man's determination to survive against seemingly unsurmountable odds.

Everything you could ever want to know about the creation of modern Inverary, both Castle and town, by the Dukes of Argyll during the 18th century ... and then some!

Ian Lindsay, as one of Scotland's leading conservation architects, wrote an encyclopaedic 480 page tome which deals exhaustively not only with the initial construction of and later alterations to Inverary Castle but also with the creation of the wider planned landscape, and of the new town of Inverary (the old town was cleared away so as not to spoil the setting of the new castle), arguably the most beautiful of Scotland's eighteenth century towns.

All in all, an amazing book dealing in great depth with the architectural and cultural significance of one just small corner of the Scottish Highlands.

This is a small book but they've managed to pack an amazing amount of information and opinion into it. I'm a huge fan of Trainspotting, in all of its incarnations, and the energy of the work really comes through in this book - Robert Morace is clearly a big fan as well. He provides some fascinating background on Welsh's own background (especially about Thatcherism and its effects on Scotland) and his analysis of the novel itself is readable and hard to disagree with. I've read Trainspotting 4 or 5 times, but this has made me want to go and read it again.

This is a truly fascinating work about Ireland. Told in an enjoyable way it was fun to read. If you are even slightly interested in Ireland, it's past or present then you want this book in you collection.

A small book, but loaded with gorgeous colour pictures of this beautiful Island in the Hebrides. Has a Useful Information and Places to visit Guide. Gives you a crash course of Place-Names and their pronunciation, so you won't be murdering the Gaelic. Includes of map, gives information of Medieval ruins, the Islay distilleries - which produces fine Single Malt Whisky. Gives you a real flavour of this delightful Island. The book is soft sided and lightweight so if you plan to visit, the book is easy to take along.

I bought this guide in Scotland after giving up on my Lonely Planet guide, which I hated. This book was a thousand times more useful, and is also entertainingly written. Terry Marsh clearly has a love of Skye, and it shows.