Scotland Books

You will be really surprised as to the area and extreme knowledge

in this book. Not for people who are not serious readers!

My great granny wrote the book. I love her paintings

I bought this for my nephew that is researching his Paternal family which were Scottish

'The Scottish and Welsh Wars 1250-1400' is an examination of the weapons, tactics, and history of the armies of England, Scotland, and Wales during the High Middle Ages. Basically speaking, the book covers the Scottish campaigns of Edwards I and II from the death of King Alexander III of Scotland to the victory of Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn, and the Welsh Wars from the ascension of Edward I in 1272 to the disappearance of Owain Glyndwr in 1412.

The book is both written and illustrated by Christopher Rothero, who is an expert on the medieval warfare of Western Europe. Among his previous titles are 'The Venetian Empire 1200-1670', 'The Armies of Agincourt', and 'The Armies of Crecy and Poitiers'.

The book is opened the book with a summary of the early Welsh wars up to the tragic death of Llewellyn ap Gruffyd, king of Gwynedd. It was this conflict that first saw the introduction of Welsh mercenaries and their famous shortbows into the English army. Nextly, the First Scottish War of Independence is studied, in which the famous William de Wallace raised the banner of revolt in the name of the desposed puppet-king John Balliol, and allegedly also to avenge his murdered wife/mistress. The tactics used at Stirling Bridge and Falkirk are examined, along with the strengths and weaknesses of Wallace's Army (notably his lack of skilled archers and his equal lacking in knowledge of their proper battlefield usage). After the brutal execution of Wallace, the ascension of the Bruce as Robert I of Scotland, and the subsequent famous victory at Bannockburn (1314) are examined. Rothero closes the historical summary of his book with an outline of the post-Bannockburn Scottish campaigns, and the revolt of the Welsh Lord 'Owen Griffith of Glendower', who was known to his own people as Owain Gruffyd of Glyndwr. Owain's revolt was the last major attempt by the Welsh to overthrow their English overlords with military force.

The other sections of the book deal with the tactics and weapons of all three armies, though naturally they are dealt with briefly. The principle of knights beating archers, archers beating spearmen, and spearmen beating knights, well illustrated in the Scottish Wars, is discussed in the tactics section. These sections are followed by the plate commentary and index.

The color plates are not extremely detailed, but they suit their purpose well enough to smash any notions that the Scots of this era wore kilts. As with Rothero's other books, he seems to focus too much attention of the appearances of the kings, lords, and knights, and not enough on the common fighting men. Only two common Scottish warriors, an archer and a spearman are illustrated. Rothero's recreation of a 13th Century Welsh chieftain seems a little too 'barbaric'.

Overall this book is a good source on England's Wars against the last Celtic peoples of Britain in the late Middle Ages, a series of wars that saw the fall of the Welsh princedoms and the beginning of a several-century era of freedom for Scotland. As with all Osprey titles this one would be good for the history teacher, wargamer, or anyone interested in the real wars and warriors that inspired Braveheart.

The author gives wonderful descriptions of the B&Bs and makes you feel like you know several of the owners before you even get there. The book is divided by area, which is going to be great for us when we go on our trip to Scotland...we leave today! We don't have a set itinerary and will be using this book to help us find good lodging wherever we end up.

The Scottish Civil War, the Bruces & the Balliols & the War for Control of Scotland by Michael Penman is a great unbiased book. Mr. Penman takes the high road and shows that even the formidable hero King wasn't innocent during the turmoil that followed the death of Alexander III. Bruce, like the Balliols and Comyns were fighting for there families not their country. All sides went back and forth with the English. The only difference is that the Bruce won and as we all know, history is written by the victors. Once the Bruce is gone and a child king David Bruce is set on the throne, the families are again at war and competing over Scottish lands and titles. The disinherited Anglo-Scottish Lords return from England and the Bruce supporters try to keep the Douglases and Stewarts at bay. In the end the Comyns, Balliols, and even the Bruce dynasty are casualties as the future Stewart and Douglas families take firm possession of an independent Scotland and the seeds of a future internal rivalry are planted. I greatly enjoyed the book and Mr. Penman's attempt to tell this tale without sides being taken. People are people and families come first. Our Scottish ancestors were no exception. I highly recommend this book for any fan of Scottish history. Mr. Penman's book reads smoothly and doesn't bog down yet is packed with great information. It may be a little hard to follow to those who are not familiar with this time.

This is a very useful and informative book on Scottish clans and their appropriate tartans (a 19th century invention, mind you). Wonderful not only for those ignorant in the subject but also for the enthusiasts.

This is a beautiful and inspiring book. It is of interest to those who are interested in the Scottish culture and history...and of great enjoyment to anyone interested in art, particularly the art of the early to mid 1900's.

This is a wonderful cookbook, supplemented with nostalgic scenes of Scottish home life in the olden days.
Each recipe is delicious. What a treasure!

For people looking into lore, especially the roots of many holiday originating from the Celts and the Picts, this is handy reference. She covers all the seasonal holiday, the Fire Festivals, the parades, the pageantry, games and gatherings.
This is a wonderful quick reference for writers, seekers of lore understanding.