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Birlinn Limited was established in 1992 by Managing Director Hugh Andrew, and is comprised of a number of imprints. Birlinn publishes Scottish and general UK interest books, from biography to history, military history, sport and Scottish Gaelic. Children’s books are also included in this list. The name comes from the old Norse word ‘birlinn’, meaning a long boat or small galley used especially in the Hebrides and West Highlands of Scotland in the Middle Ages. Polygon publishes literary fiction and poetry, both classic and modern, from Scottish writers such as Robin Jenkins, George Mackay Brown and the author of the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Alexander McCall Smith, as well as selected music and film titles. International writers including JanPhilipp Sendker, Rita Monaldi and Francesco Sorti are also published under this imprint. Polygon was originally set up by students of Edinburgh University in the late 1960s. Arena Sport is Birlinn’s sport imprint and is designed for the general trade. The sport books range from football and rugby, to golf and cycling. These books have an international as well as national appeal. Arena’s first titles were published in June 2013. John Donald publishes academic books.
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CONTENTS Alistair Moffat Hawick Alistair Moffat Bannockburn Aileen Orr Wojtek the Bear Martin Coventry Hebridean Island Hopping David Stevenson Highland Warrior Judith MacLay Glasgow’s Lost Theatre Owen Dudley Edwards Burke and Hare Satish Modi In Love With Death Ray Ward With the Argylls Ian Fraser Shredded Gavin McCrone Scottish Independence Paul Smith Heist Claire Macdonald The Scottish Food Bible Claire Macdonald Lifting the Lid Sue Lawrence Scottish Baking Carla Lamont The Ninth Wave Cookery Book Charles MacLean MacLean’s Whiskypedia Charles MacLean Famous For A Reason Nikki Welch Convivium Wine Book Alyssa Popiel A Capital View: The Art of Edinburgh Margaret Fay Shaw Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist Laurie Campbell and Anna Levin Otters Ken Cox Scotland for Gardeners Mike Cawthorne Wild Voices Patrick Baker The Cairngorms Saki Tobermory and Other Stories Fionna Carothers A Grass Bank Beyond James Robertson and Jill Calder Robert the Bruce Jenny Robertson War Hero Bear Ewan McVicar ABC, My Grannie Caught a Flea Allan Burnett World War I Debi Gliori Tobermory 123 Allan Burnett The Story of Scotland David Hawson The Puffer Calendar 2015 The Great Tapestry of Scotland Calendar 2015 Hebridean Calendar 2015 Hebridean Desk Diary 2015
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CONTENTS 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 23 23 24 24 24 25 25 25 26 26 26 27-28
Hebridean Pocket Diary 2015 The Invisible Spirit Kenneth Roy The Maggie James Dillon White Pentland Hero Roy Pedersen Cruachan! Marian Pallister The Swinging Sporran Roddy Martine and Andrew Campbell Edinburgh: Mapping a City Christopher Fleet and Daniel MacCannell Walking the Border Ian Crofton On the Other Side of Sorrow James Hunter Picts, Gaels and Scots Sally M. Foster St Kilda Roger Hutchinson Padre Mac Murdo Ewen MacDonald ‘Isn’t This All Bloody?’ Trevor Royle A Drop in the Ocean Polly Pullar A Higher World Michael Fry The Scottish Railway Atlas David Spaven Glasgow Interiors Helen Kendrick A Chasm in Time Patricia Andrew As Hibs Go Marching On John Campbell Shocking Brazil Fernando Duarte Fighting Spirit Fernano Ricksen with Vincent de Vries The Secret Agent Anonymous How to be a Cyclist John Deering and Phil Ashley The Flying Scotsman Graeme Obree Behind the Rose Stephen Jones and Nick Cain Jewel in the Glen Ed Hodge The Real Patriots of Early Scottish Independence Alan Young & George Cumming Malcolm – Soldier, Diplomat, Ideologue of British India John Malcolm Scottish Pewter 1600-1850 Peter Spencer Davies James VII Alistair J. Mann The Glendale Bards Edited by Meg Bateman and Anne Loughran Bludie Harlaw Ian A. Olson The Cumbrian Wars Tim Clarkson The Vikings in Islay Alan Macniven Saving the Army Morrice McCrae Reprints
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HAWICK A History from Earliest Times Alistair Moffat
BANNOCKBURN The Battle for a Nation Alistair Moffat
WOJTEK THE BEAR Polish War Hero Aileen Orr Epilogue by Neal Ascherson
ISBN 9781780272290 March 2014 Price £14.99 Pbk Also available TPS 234x156mm as an eBook Extent 208pp Illustrations 8pp mono/8pp colour plates Category Local History
ISBN 9781780272184 June 2014 Price £12.99 Hbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 160pp Illustrations 8pp colour plates, maps Category History
ISBN 9781843410652 June 2014 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 224pp Category History Illustrations 8pp b/w
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As Hawick celebrates the 500th anniversary of the fight at Hornshole, the first stirrings of the defining traditions of the common riding, Alistair Moffat takes the narrative much further back into the mists of prehistory, to the time of the Romans, the coming of the Angles and the Normans. He recounts how Hawick got its name, where the old village stood, who the early barons of Hawick were and then charts the amazing rise of the textile trade, bringing the story right up to the present day. Beneath the familiar streets and closes lies an immense story – the remarkable and unique story of Hawick. If this book shows anything, it shows that Hawick has changed radically over the many centuries since people began to live between the Slitrig and the Teviot. All that experience in one place has created and invented much and the future will turn for the better for a simple reason: Hawick’s greatest invention is her people. Praise for Alistair Moffat: ‘Moffat has always been a magpie historian, picking up unsuspected jewels of information, at the same time never afraid to speculate, often in an agreeably provocative manner’ – Alan Massie, Scotsman
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Bestselling author Alistair Moffat offers fresh insights into one of the most famous battles in history. As 8,000 Scottish soldiers, most of them spearmen, faced 18,000 English infantrymen, archers and mounted knights on the morning of Sunday 23 June 1314, many would have thought the result a foregone conclusion. But after two days’ fighting, the English were routed. Edward II fled to Dunbar and took ship for home, and only one English unit escaped from Scotland intact. The emphatic defeat of a much larger English force was the moment that enabled Scotland to remain independent and pursue a different destiny. This book follows in detail the events of those two days that changed history. In addition to setting the battle within its historical and political context, Alistair Moffat captures all the fear, heroism, confusion and desperation of the fighting itself as he describes the tactics and manoeuvres that led to Scottish victory. The result is a very human picture of Bannockburn that recreates the experience not only of the leaders – Edward II and Robert the Bruce – but the ordinary men who fought to the death on both sides. Praise for Alistair Moffat’s earlier books: ‘Highly readable…a lively, clear style’ — Northern History
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This is the inspiring and charming true story of one of the Second World War’s most unusual combatants – a 500-pound cigarette-smoking, beer-drinking brown bear. Originally adopted as a mascot by the Polish Army in Iran, Wojtek soon took on a more practical role, carrying heavy mortar rounds for the troops and going on to play his part as a fully enlisted ‘soldier’ with his own rank and number during the Italian campaign. After the war, Wojtek, along with some of his Polish compatriots from II Corps, came to Berwickshire, where he became a significant member of the local community before moving to Edinburgh Zoo. Wojtek’s retirement was far from quiet: a potent symbol of freedom and solidarity for Poles around the world, he attracted a huge amount of media interest that shows no sign of abating almost 50 years after his death. Praise for earlier editions: ‘It is both moving and amusing’ – Lord David Steel
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HEBRIDEAN ISLAND HOPPING A Guide for the Independent Traveller Martin Coventry
HIGHLAND WARRIOR Alasdair MacColla and the Civil Wars David Stevenson
GLASGOW’S LOST THEATRE The Story of the Britannia Music Hall Judith MacLay Foreword by Sir Michael Grade
ISBN 9781780271170 June 2014 Price £10.99 Pbk TPS 216x138mm Extent 320pp Illustrations b/w throughout Category Travel Writing
ISBN 9781780271941 June 2014 Price £14.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 544pp Category History
ISBN 9781780272122 August 2014 Price £12.99 Pbk Also available TPS 248x178mm as an eBook Extent 128pp Illustrations b/w throughout; 8pp colour plate section Category Local history
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The concept of island hopping conjures up visions of freedom and adventure, whether it be in the sunny Aegean or the exotic Caribbean. The Hebrides offer Scotland’s unique take – large skies, crashing seas and magnificent scenery, as well as wildlife, history, archaeology, sports and countless other attractions. Each island has a unique and individual character, landscape and history which have attracted and intrigued travellers and visitors for hundreds of years. Hebridean Island Hopping covers everything needed to get the most from a visit to any of the islands off the west coast of Scotland, all packed into one handy volume. ‘This book covers everything needed to get the most from a visit to any of the islands off the west coast, in one handy volume’ – Scottish Review of Books
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In 1644 James Grahame, Marquis of Montrose, stormed his way into legend with a series of astonishing victories over the Covenanters. At his side stalked a shadowy but terrible ally – Alasdair MacColla, who had a far more ancient agenda of his own. MacColla’s aim was nothing less than the effective destruction of the power of Clan Campbell and its replacement by the older overlordship of the Macdonalds. MacColla was the first – and perhaps the last – great Celtic general of modern times, who lived at a dynamic time which saw the increasingly forgotten and marginalised Gaelic speaking peoples of Scotland and Ireland nearly succeed in regaining control of their lands and destiny. The author argues that it was in fact MacColla and not Montrose who was the true architect of the ‘Year of Victories’, and that without his Highland ally, Montrose’s blunders would have doomed him to disaster, thus presenting a compelling and radical reappraisal of Scottish history during the crucial years of the 1640s. As MacColla’s actions were unwittingly to lead his people and culture to ruin, so his own career ended in chaos when, despite leading his own troops in a victorious charge, an incompetent general led him to defeat and death at Knocknanuss in Ireland.
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Music-hall stars such as Jack Buchanan, Charles Coburn, Harry Lauder, Dan Leno and Vesta Tilley all trod the boards at what started life as the Britannia Music Hall, as did a certain Stan Laurel, who made his debut there in 1906. Under the management of A.E. Pickard, the Panopticon, as it became known, widened its range of attractions to include freak shows, waxworks, a carnival and a zoo, continuing to draw the crowds until 1938. During the next sixty years, however, its very existence faded into memory as the building was converted and its auditorium sealed off. It was only in 1997 that Judith MacLay discovered the theatre, since when she has made it her mission to bring the Britannia back to life. In this book Judith MacLay, founder of the Britannia Panopticon Music Hall Trust, traces the history of this magical place and the people who performed there, and tells the fascinating story of how the Britannia is being restored to its former glory.
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BURKE & HARE Owen Dudley Edwards
IN LOVE WITH DEATH Satish Modi
WITH THE ARGYLLS A Soldier’s Memoir Ray Ward Edited by Robin Ward Introduction by Trevor Royle
ISBN 9781780272177 August 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x120mm Extent 352pp Illustrations 8pp b/w plates Category History/True Crime
ISBN 9781780272146 May 2014 Price £9.99 Hbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 176pp Category Mind, Body & Spirit
ISBN 9781843410669 June 2014 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 144pp Illustrations 16pp b/w Category Military History
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In a boarding house in West Port, an old army pensioner dies of natural causes. He owes the landlord rent. Instead of burying the body, the landlord, William Hare, and his friend, William Burke, fill the coffin with bark and sell the corpse to Dr Robert Knox, an ambitious Edinburgh anatomist. They make a profit of £3 and 10 shillings. After this encouraging outcome, Burke and Hare decide to suffocate another sickly tenant. So begins the criminal career of the most notorious double act in serial killing. Here is the unvarnished, human story behind the infamous Burke and Hare murders. We delve into their past, their personalities and the circumstances that made them resort to murder as a money-making scheme.It’s a tale of desperation and greed, of outsiders, ambition, corruption and betrayal. And it’s all true!
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Satish Modi examines these, and many other, questions in a powerful, thought-provoking work based on his own reflections as well as the experiences of people from all walks of life. The result is a fascinating book that teaches us that whoever we are and whatever our aspirations in this life, it is important for every one of us to accept our own passing. In doing so we can free ourselves to live as well and fully as possible, guided by the principles of goodness, love and compassion.
His memoirs give vivid accounts of Ray Ward’s time in Eritrea, Abyssinia, Egypt, the Western Desert, Sicily and mainland Italy, and bring to life individual episodes of bravery, adventure and danger that characterised the North African and Italian campaigns.
Death is the inevitable fate of every single person on earth. How do we accept the inevitability of our own death? How do we live our lives with meaning? Will money lead us to happiness?
Praise for earlier editions: ‘Gruesome and often funny. And sometimes both together’ – Observer
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When Ray Ward died in 1999, his sons discovered an old and dusty manuscript in an Afrika Korps ammunition box in the cellar of the family home in Glasgow. These papers contained a collection of their father’s memoirs, which detailed his experiences as an infantry officer during the Second World War, when he served in the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.
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SHREDDED RBS, the Bank That Broke Britain Ian Fraser
SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE Weighing Up the Economics Gavin McCrone
HEIST The Inside Story of Scotland’s Most Notorious Raids Paul Smith
ISBN 9781780271385 June 2014 Price £25.00 Hbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 480pp Illustrations 8pp colour plates Category Current affairs
ISBN 9781780272344 March 2014 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 240pp Category Scottish/Politics
ISBN 9781780271989 August 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 272pp Category True Crime
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The Royal Bank of Scotland was once one of the most successful and profitable financial institutions in the world; revered, admired and trusted by millions of savers and investors. A trusted employer for tens of thousands of people, with branches on nearly every high street in the land. Now, the very mention of the bank’s name causes fury and resentment, and the former CEO, Fred Goodwin, is regarded by many as the one of the principal culprits of the worst financial crash since 1929. Now, for the first time, award-winning financial journalist Ian Fraser reveals how the ‘light touch, limited touch’ approach to financial regulation of New Labour and the aggressive, confrontational, autocratic and reckless style of Fred Goodwin led to disaster, not just for the Royal Bank of Scotland, but for everyone in the UK. And as more toxic secrets are revealed about Libor rate fixing and excessive bonuses, he looks at the future for the bank and examines its chances of ever regaining the public’s trust.
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In autumn 2014 people living in Scotland will face the most important political decision of a lifetime. Whether Scotland becomes an independent state once again, as it was before 1707, or remains within the United Kingdom will have profound consequences for everyone in Britain. A key part of the debate centres round the question of whether Scotland would prosper more or less after independence. How well off are we? Would we have a faster or slowing growing economy? What currency would we use? What should our energy policy be? Would we continue to be in the EU? What implications would there be for mortgages and pensions? Could we continue to fund the welfare state and health care at current levels? Is North Sea Oil the key to financial security? And what of the other options – Devo-Max and Devo-Plus? In this updated edition of his impartial and thought-provoking book, Gavin McCrone, who has written and spoken about Scottish economic matters over many years, addresses these and many other questions which are of vital importance in the run up to the referendum.
Daring, audacious and mind-blowing – or terrifying, brutal and horrific. Scotland has been home to some of Britain’s most high-profile robberies and Heist lifts the lid on some of those notorious raids, reopening the files on both solved and unsolved cases. By retracing the steps of the robbers and through interviews with experts and those who had their lives hit by the incidents, the book puts a new slant on some jawdropping crimes. From one of the highest profile art thefts of the modern era to an SAS style aerial assault on a bank, Heist tracks raids on everything from stately homes to industrial units as a scourge of modern society is highlighted. Heist reveals the lasting repercussions of one of the country’s most high-profile thefts, when one of Britain’s richest aristocrats suffered the theft of a £5million Leonardo da Vinci painting from his family’s Scottish castle. It also details the Stone of Destiny’s theft by Scottish Nationalists from Westminster Abbey, and sheds light on the fantastic fifties, the swinging sixties and psychedelic seventies which proved a headache for police, as criminals cottoned on to the rich pickings to be had at Scotland’s banks.
Praise for earlier editions: ‘Required reading for anyone weighing up the issues in the Scottish independence debate’ – Robert Black (former Auditor General for Scotland)
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THE SCOTTISH FOOD BIBLE Claire Macdonald Illustrated by Bob Dewar
LIFTING THE LID A Life at Kinloch Lodge, Skye Claire Macdonald
SCOTTISH BAKING Sue Lawrence
THE NINTH WAVE COOKERY BOOK Carla Lamont
ISBN 9781780272283 July 2014 Price £4.99 Pbk TPS 156x111mm Extent 112pp Illustrations b&w line drawings throughout Category Food & Drink
ISBN 9781780272139 July 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 288pp Illustrations 16pp mono Category Autobiography
ISBN 9781780272009 July 2014 Price £20.00 Hbk TPS 234x190mm Extent 160pp Category Cookery
ISBN 9781780272443 September 2014 Price £20 Hbk TPS 234x190mm Extent 192pp Category Cookery
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Scottish produce is celebrated the world over. The demand for game, for example, far exceeds what can be supplied, and Scottish cheeses surpass many from mainland Europe. In this book Claire Macdonald celebrates the very best of home-grown ingredients – including oatmeal, dairy produce, meat and fish, fruit and vegetables and even whisky – in 60 imaginative recipes for starters, main courses and puddings, as well as for sauces, dressings, baking and other treats. Recipes include the following: • Grilled goat’s cheese on stir-fried beetroot with orange and Balsamic vinegar • Chocolate oatmeal biscuits • Iced honey and whisky creams • Herb crepes with smoked salmon, crème fraiche and diced cucumber • Steam-baked cod with lentils, coriander and lime • Venison fillet with green peppercorn, ginger and port sauce
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Claire Macdonald is one of the best known figures in the culinary world today. A hugely successful and critically acclaimed cookery writer for over thirty years, she has garnered numerous awards and has appeared regularly on TV and at cookery demonstrations and courses all over the globe. In addition to all this, for forty years she ran the award-winning and internationally renowned Kinloch House Lodge on Skye. Cited as one of the world’s top 25 small hotels in Conde Nast Traveller magazine, Kinloch’s restaurant is one of only 15 restaurants in Scotland to have been awarded a coveted Michelin star.
Britain can’t get enough of programmes like The Great British Bake-Off and The Fabulous Baker Boys, but Scotland has always had a wonderful tradition of baking in both sweet and savoury recipes. Leading cookery writer Sue Lawrence has now combined her two passions, for baking and Scottish cooking, into one definitive book. A compendium of 70 easy-to-follow recipes, it brings together the traditional breads, scones and cakes that have shaped Scotland’s great baking heritage and new contemporary bakes like Sticky Toffee Apple Cake and Coconut Cherry Chocolate Traybake. Cooks everywhere will want to try these delicious recipes from Scotland. This is a book that will reach out to anyone who loves to dabble with flour, sugar and butter!
In this book Claire looks back over four eventful decades to tell the story of how she, her husband – clan chief Godfrey Macdonald of Macdonald – and their family built up Kinloch from insignificant beginnings in a remote but spectacularly beautiful corner of Skye to the great culinary institution it is today. Full of anecdote and humour, it also reveals how hard it was to achieve their dream. An intermittent water supply, shortage of telephones, a lack of fresh vegetables and problems with fire regulations were just some of the problems they had to face, not to mention the staff member who preferred mingling with the diners to helping in the kitchen, the guest who disappeared and the gardener with very un-green fingers.
Praise for Sue Lawrence: ‘The queen of home baking’ – Time Out
‘For those who like to gossip while they cook, Claire Macdonald’s Lifting The Lid takes the biscuit’ – The Herald
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Owners of the Ninth Wave Restaurant on the Isle of Mull, Carla and John Lamont, have brought fine dining to one of the most beautiful islands in the Hebrides. Their cooking is based on seasonality – using the wonderful natural larder of fruit, vegetables, game and seafood at the times of year when they are available and at their best. Lobster, crab, hand-dived scallops and fish are often caught only hours before appearing on the dinner plate. John, a fisherman himself, will not only catch crab and lobster on his own fishing boat, but will act as waiter and wine steward in the restaurant in the evening. Carla tells the story of how she came to set up the restaurant in a remote corner of Scotland and captures the zest and creativity of its menu in detailed and easy-to-follow recipes. This is a book to treasure and to turn to again and again.
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MACLEAN’S WHISKYPEDIA A Gazetteer of Scotch Whisky Charles MacLean
FAMOUS FOR A REASON The Story of the Famous Grouse Charles MacLean
CONVIVIUM WINE BOOK Nikki Welch
ISBN 9781780272535 September 2014 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 384pp Illustrations Colour throughout Category Food & Drink
ISBN 9781780272528 October 2014 Price £25 Hbk TPS 280x220mm Extent 304pp Illustrations Colour throughout Category Food & Drink
ISBN 9781780271446 October 2014 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 178x110mm Extent 128pp Category Food & Drink
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Why does Scotch whisky taste as it does? Where do the flavours come from? How might they have changed over the years? The flavour of Scotch whisky is as much influenced by history, craft and tradition as it is by science. Whiskypedia explores these influences. Introductory sections provide an historical overview, and an explanation of the contribution made by each stage of the production process. Each entry provides a brief account of the distillery’s history and curiosities, lists the bottlings which are currently available, details how the whisky is made, and explores the flavour and character of each make. Charles MacLean has spent thirty years researching, writing and lecturing about Scotch whisky. Whiskypedia is the result of deep immersion in its subject. It will guide, entertain and inform novices and experts alike.
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From humble beginnings in Perth in the early nineteenth century Matthew Gloag established a thriving whisky business that found favour with the royal household and the Scottish public alike. The family business he established struck gold in 1896 when they created the The Famous Grouse – a blended whisky that became a national favourite. And through innovative and entertaining marketing campaigns it has developed into a much loved and bestselling. product Celebrated whisky writer Charles MacLean has been granted unique access to the company archives and granted interviews with surviving family descendants and compiled a fascinating story rich in anecdote and social historical commentary.
‘Whisky’s finest guru’ – The Sunday Times
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Learning about wine can be a daunting task. With terms like assemblage, batonnage and cuvee; ullage, terroir and vielles vignes, it’s not surprising that many people are put off and simply reach for the nearest bottle of red or white in the supermarket aisle. This is the perfect, concise guide for anyone who loves wine but wants to find out more. Arranged in an easy-to-use format in which different types of wine are shown schematically on a map like the London Underground, the reader can see at a glance the salient features of hundreds of different wines and how they relate to each other in terms of taste. A unique and original tool to navigate the complex world of wine, The Convivium Wine Book enables wine lovers to find out more about the wines they already like and to make informed choices as they explore further.
‘Charles MacLean writes like no other expert on the subject. His prose is informed and highly entertaining’ – Independent
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A CAPITAL VIEW: THE ART OF EDINBURGH A Hundred Artworks from the City Collection Alyssa Popiel
FOLKSONGS AND FOLKLORE OF SOUTH UIST Margaret Fay Shaw
OTTERS Return to the River Laurie Campbell & Anna Levin Foreword by Sir John Lister-Kaye
ISBN 9781780271965 May 2014 Price £25.00 Hbk TPS 280x238mm Extent 224pp Illustration 100 col throughout Category Art
ISBN 9781780272559 July 2014 Price £20.00 Pbk TPS 246x189mm Extent 320pp Category Folksongs & Folklore
ISBN 9781780272061 July 2014 Price £14.99 Hbk TPS 275x218mm Extent 128pp Illustrations col throughout Category Natural History/Photography
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Edinburgh boasts one of the largest and most diverse collections of art of any city in Britain. In this book, Alyssa Poppiel features a hundred artworks from the city collection, from the Enlightenment to the present day, which feature Edinburgh and its surroundings. All are accompanied by extended captions which set the context and provide a huge amount of lively historical and anecdotal material. Artists include John Slezer, Paul Sandby, Henry Raeburn, Alexander Nasmyth, Walter Geikie, David Roberts, Sam Bough, John Bell, James Paterson, Francis Cadell, William Crozier, Stanley Cursiter, Jessie M. King, Anne Redpath and John Bellany.
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The fruits of a life’s work, this marvellous compendium of photographs, stories, folklore and songs has been an established classic since its first publication in 1955. It is a wonderful evocation of the vibrant life and history of South Uist and the Gaelic world in which it played so important a part. Enriched by Margaret Fay Shaw’s photography, Folksongs and Folklore of South Uist, is both an introduction to the life of the Gael and a fitting memorial to a world now largely disappeared. The material in the book was mostly collected between 1929 and 1935 during the author’s stay in South Lochboisdale.
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This book is a celebration of the return of the otter to our rivers and freshwater wetlands after a drastic decline in the last century. For more than two decades, award-winning photographer Laurie Campbell has documented these lithe, elusive predators on the River Tweed and its tributaries near his Berwickshire home. The resulting photographs create an intimate portrait of their lives through the changing seasons, including their riverside habitat and the other wildlife that shares it. Writer Anna Levin sets this work in the context of Laurie’s own life’s story as she accompanies him to the riverbank. Her notebooks offer a vivid glimpse of the photographer at work and of the otters that enchant them both.
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SCOTLAND FOR GARDENERS The Guide to Scottish Gardens, Nurseries and Garden Centres Kenneth Cox
WILD VOICES Journeys through Time in the Scottish Highlands Mike Cawthorne
THE CAIRNGORMS A Secret History Patrick Baker
ISBN 9781780271897 June 2014 Price £25.00 Pbk TPS 230x148mm Extent 560pp Illustrations colour throughout Category Gardening
ISBN 9781780271927 May 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 220pp Illustrations 16pp b/w illustrations Category Walking/History/Travel Writing
ISBN 9781780271880 May 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 176pp Illustrations 8pp plate section Category Walking/History/Travelogue
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This book is a compact colour guide of the largest survey of Scottish gardens ever mounted and the first such guidebook to all that Scotland can offer garden and plant lovers. Including descriptions of virtually all Scotland’s gardens which are open to the public, it recommends when to visit and what to look out for. Gardens are described in a pithy and lively style. Also covered are specialist nurseries, garden centres, wildflower walks, shows, public parks and more. The book includes useful maps showing routes for day trips and short-break tours and is illustrated throughout with full-colour images by Ray Cox. This is the ideal book for the Scot or the tourist who wishes to explore the world of gardens and plants in Scotland.
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The journeys in this book are tales of adventure on foot and by canoe through some of the last wild places in Scotland. Each journey is haunted by the ghost of another writer – Neil Gunn, Iain Thomson, Rowena Farre – who has left behind the trace of his or her own experience of these isolated hills, glens, streams or lochs. Travelling in time as well as space, Mike Cawthorne gains a new perspective on burning contemporary issues such as land ownership, renewable energy, conservation and depopulation. On one level these are exciting and lyrical evocations of wild walks and nature in the raw, like the description of winter treks in one of Mike’s earlier books, Hell of a Journey. On another level they explore the meaning of Scotland’s surviving wilderness to wanderers in the past and its vital importance to us in the present day.
Praise for earlier editions: ‘A pleasure to read and use’ – Roy Lancaster, BBC Gardens Illustrated
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The Cairngorms: A Secret History is a series of journeys exploring barely known human and natural stories of the Cairngorm Mountains. It looks at a unique British landscape, its last great wilderness, with new eyes. History combines with travelogue in a vivid account of this elemental scenery. There have been rare human incursions into the Cairngorm plateau, and Patrick Baker tracks them down. He traces elusive wildlife and relives ghostly sightings on the summit of Ben Macdui. From the search for a long-forgotten climbing shelter and the locating of ancient gem mines, to the discovery of skeletal aircraft remains and the hunt for a mysterious nineteenth-century aristocratic settlement, he seeks out the unlikeliest and most interesting of features in places far off the beaten track. The cultural and human impact of this stunning landscape and reflections on the history of mountaineering are the threads which bind this compelling narrative together.
‘A horticultural compendium second to none’ – Scottish Field
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TOBERMORY AND OTHER STORIES Saki (H.H. Munro) Introduction by Vicky Dawson
A GRASS BANK BEYOND Memories of Mull Fionna Carothers Inspired by Nicholas the Cat
ROBERT THE BRUCE King of Scots James Robertson Illustrated by Jill Calder
ISBN 9781780272153 June 2014 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 96pp Category Fiction
SBN 9781780272320 July 2014 Price £8.99 Pbk TPS 310x220mm Extent 208pp Illustrations 8pp b/w plates Category Local History/Memoirs
ISBN 9781780271835 May 2014 Price £12.99 Hbk TPS 220x310mm Extent 160pp Illustrations colour throughout Category History/Illustrated Books
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At a country house party Cornelius Appin announces that he has discovered a method by which animals can be taught to speak. His latest pupil is none other than Tobermory, the ginger cat belonging to his hosts, Sir Wilfred and Lady Blemley. As the guests express astonishment and incredulity, Sir Wilfred goes off to find Tobermory, who is lounging in the smoking room waiting for his tea. What Appin claims is true, and Tobermory demonstrates his remarkable talents with a number of embarrassing and revelatory comments which prove more than a little uncomfortable for the assembled guests.
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In Four Ducks on a Pond, Nicholas the Cat, assisted by novelist Annabel Carothers, observed his family of humans and animals during one year on the Ross of Mull in the early 1950s. More than fifty years later, Annabel’s daughter Fionna discovered the manuscript in a desk drawer and, while preparing it for publication, was inspired to expand on the theme. A Grass Bank Beyond covers an extended period before mains services and frequent ferries brought about change to the Ross. Fionna remembers the freedom she enjoyed roaming the island on foot, bicycle, pony, or boat. On family outings she absorbed stories and legends about the island, attended agricultural shows and local concerts, and saw the Queen arrive for an official visit to Mull at the height of a great storm. With warmth and gentle humour she describes the solutions which overcame problems living in this beautiful but remote place.
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In this exciting and visually stunning book, the most talented Scottish novelist of his generation teams up with Jill Calder, whose bold and colourful illustrations are a perfect complement to one of the most dramatic tales in Scottish history. In addition to the big set pieces from the Bruce story – not least the Battle of Bannockburn – and the other famous elements, such as the murder of the Red Comyn and Bruce and the spider. This book is full of accurate historical detail and imaginative touches which offer a fresh and vital perspective on one of the great heroes of Scottish history.
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Toberymory Cat Layout (No.3).indd 30
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WAR HERO BEAR Jenny Robertson Illustrated by Tim Archbold
ABC, MY GRANNIE CAUGHT A FLEA Scots Children’s Songs and Rhymes Ewan McVicar
WORLD WAR I Scottish Tales of Adventure Allan Burnett
TOBERMORY CAT 123 Debi Gliori
ISBN 9781780272276 May 2014 Price £6.99 Pbk Also available TPS 198x129mm as an eBook Extent 128pp Illustrations line drawings throughout Category Children’s
ISBN 9781780271958 March 2014 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x128mm Extent 224pp Category Children’s/Anthologies
ISBN 9781841589329 March 2014 Price £4.99 Pbk Also available TPS 198x129mm as an eBook Extent 112pp Illustrations b/w throughout Category Children’s Military History
ISBN 9781780271996 October 2014 Price £6.99 Pbk TPS 224x259mm Extent 32pp Illustrations Colour throughout Category Children’s
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When a tiny orphaned bear cub is adopted by Polish soldiers during World War II, little does anyone know that little Wojtek will become one of the bravest fighters of them all. As the soldiers train to take part in some of the fiercest fighting of the war, Wojtek grows up, providing headaches and laughter in equal measure as he learns to drink beer, chase horses and wrestle with his human friends. But at Monte Cassino, as the Allies try and dislodge German troops from their mountaintop eyrie, Wojtek, now a fully signed-up solider with his own rank and number, comes into his own, dodging the bullets to carry ammunition to his comrades as they inch their way to victory. After the war, the Polish soldiers move to Scotland. Wojtek comes too and soon becomes the centre of attention in a new country. But with hostilities ended, how long can he keep his freedom?
World War I: Scottish Tales of Adventure is a gripping collection of eight true-life stories from the battlefields of the First World War (1914–18). It recounts the terrible struggle for survival in muddy trenches where young soldiers dodged bullets, poison gas and high-explosive shells while waiting for the order to go over the top and face the enemy. It brings to life the thrills and spills of the Royal Flying Corps, where airmen flew daring reconnaissance missions under heavy fire. It tells of brave doctors and nurses who treated the wounded in makeshift wards in tents amid the bombs and gunfire. These stories of excitement, heartache, heroism and victory, all based on personal diaries, letters and memoirs, bring to life a variety of Scottish war stories from the Western Front, Gallipoli and Africa in a way that will leave young readers informed, moved and inspired.
Adults may lament that today’s children do not sing in the playground, but the kids know better. Hilarious, energetic, surreal, shocking and nonsensical rhymes and songs are as much in evidence today as they always were. In this book, one of Scotland’s best-known storytellers introduces hundreds of such rhymes from all over the country. Some date back hundreds of years; many others have been collected on the author’s personal visits to schools. The result is an entertaining anthology which also offers a fascinating insight into the minds of Scottish children over the years. Praise for earlier editions: ‘a pleasure to dip into’ – Facts & Fiction ‘surreal, energetic, hilarious . . . .a fascinating read’ – Scottish Field
Praise for earlier editions:
A counting book for very young children from award-winning children’s author Debi Gliori . Debi Gliori’s delightful The Tobermory Cat was one of the most popular children’s books of 2012. Based on a real cat known to local inhabitants as well as thousands of visitors to Mull, the island’s ginger tom and his extraordinary antics have now become world famous. Young children will love this counting book in which the Tobermory Cat wakes up hungry and explores the town in search of something to eat. Praise for The Tobermory Cat: ‘Will delight those who love the Isle of Mull, and cats’ – The Times ‘A charming tale’ – Scottish Field
‘Allan Burnett’s books aim to introduce children to Scottish history in all its glory’ – Scottish Sunday Express
Bestselling children’s author Jenny Robertson explores the themes of friendship and trust in this moving and inspirational story. ‘It’s hard not to love that big bear Wojtek. He speaks to the heart’ – The Thoughtful Blogger
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THE STORY OF SCOTLAND Inspired by the Great Tapestry of Scotland Allan Burnett
THE PUFFER CALENDAR 2015 David Hawson
THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND CALENDAR 2015
ISBN 9781780272412 July 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 230x180mm Extent 128pp Illustrations col throughout Category Children’s History
ISBN 9781780272511 August 2014 Price £9.99 Hbk TPS 300x300mm Extent 14pp Category Stationery
ISBN 9781780272429 June 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 300x300mm Extent 24pp Illustrations col throughout Category Stationery
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In this book, specifically designed for younger readers, bestselling children’s author Allan Burnett tells the story of Scotland through the Great Tapestry of Scotland itself – a thing of wonder, full of magic and adventures and mysteries. In addition to opening windows into key moments in history and introducing some of the most significant people who have shaped the nation, the book also celebrates the lives of ordinary Scotsmen and women over the ages. From saints, soldiers and Vikings to kings and queens, Arctic whalers and footballers, this is an amazing journey through the story of Scotland. ‘If you are unable to see the Tapestry in all its glory, this wonderful book will take you through the country’s history from the Ice Age to the present day as told in the stitches of 160 panels’ – New Stitches
This beautiful calendar celebrates Vic 32, the last surviving Clyde Puffer, which was found derelict in Whitby harbour and lovingly restored by Nick and Rachel Walker. It is now a familiar sight along the west coast of Scotland as it steams up the Clyde estuary and round the islands of the Hebrides. The wonderful photographs in this calendar show it under its plume of smoke as it sails through some of the loveliest scenery on earth, and David Hawson’s vibrant paintings and line drawings adorn each month. Sales of the calendar support the Puffer Preservation Trust, the registered charity set up to maintain the Puffer and save this iconic vessel for future generations to enjoy.
‘[T]his beautiful book follows the journey taken during the creation of this fascinating project’ – The Lady
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This stunning calendar features 12 entire panels from the completed tapestry which show to optimum effect the magnificent colouring and detail of the original. ‘[T]he most ambitious attempt to capture the past in needle and thread since the Bayeux Tapestry . . . The result is not just visually stunning but intensely moving and occasionally very funny’ – The Times ‘The splendour of it takes your breath away’ – Liz Lochhead
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HEBRIDEAN CALENDAR 2015 Mairi Hedderwick
HEBRIDEAN DESK DIARY 2015 Mairi Hedderwick
HEBRIDEAN POCKET DIARY 2015 Mairi Hedderwick
ISBN 9781780272214 June 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 300x300mm Extent 24pp Illustrations throughout Category Stationery
ISBN 9781780272221 June 2014 Price £12.99 Hbk TPS 230x170mm Extent 128pp Illustrations full colour throughout Category Stationery
ISBN 9781780272238 June 2014 Price £7.99 Hbk TPS 156x110mm Extent 128pp Category Stationery
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This beautiful calendar features distinctive full-colour paintings by one of Scotland’s best-loved authors and artists, it is a wonderful celebration of the extraordinary natural beauty of the Hebrides throughout the seasons. Mairi Hedderwick’s drawings, produced over a period of forty years, expertly capture the unique character of each island and the diversity of land and seascapes, from windswept machair and dramatic cliffs to rolling hills and secluded woods.
This hardback desk diary is illustrated throughout with Mairi Hedderwick’s beautiful sketches of the Hebrides through the seasons. Featuring distinctive full-colour paintings by one of Scotland’s best-loved authors and artists, this exquisite diary is a wonderful celebration of the extraordinary natural beauty of the Hebrides. The paintings have been collected over the past forty years and show the changing faces of the landscapes. Mairi’s sketches range across many of the isles from Arran to Tiree, expertly capturing the essence of these beautiful and diverse islands. Following the huge success of the previous diaries, this new 2015 version is set to enjoy continued success.
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This hardback pocket diary is illustrated throughout with Mairi Hedderwick’s beautiful sketches of the Hebrides through the seasons. Featuring distinctive full-colour paintings by one of Scotland’s best-loved authors and artists, this exquisite diary is a wonderful celebration of the extraordinary natural beauty of the Hebrides. The paintings have been collected over the past forty years and show the changing faces of the landscapes. Mairi’s sketches range across many of the isles from Arran to Tiree, expertly capturing the essence of these beautiful and diverse islands. Following the huge success of the previous diaries, this new 2015 version is set to enjoy continued success.
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THE INVISIBLE SPIRIT A Life of Post-War Scotland, 1945–75 Kenneth Roy
THE MAGGIE James Dillon White
PENTLAND HERO Roy Pedersen
ISBN 9781780272467 October 2014 Price £14.99 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 544pp Category Scottish History
ISBN 9781780272498 August 2014 Price £9.99 Hbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 160pp Category Scottish fiction
ISBN 9781780272504 August 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 176pp Category 8pp b/w plates
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Kenneth Roy’s panorama of post-war Scottish life begins with the VE night celebrations in the spring of 1945 and ends with the coming onstream of North Sea oil in the autumn of 1975. It was the formative period in the making of modern Scotland, but it is a period little explored in depth and not fully understood until now. Using a wealth of contemporary accounts, the book tells a complex and often disturbing story of a country riven by poverty, struggling for a sense of its own identity, and ill-served by its masters. The Invisible Spirit is unsparing in its examination of the failings of the Scottish establishment. It delivers a stinging indictment of political complacency and judicial incompetence and shows that, too often, the interests of Scotland and its people were betrayed. It exposes how, time and again, the truth was covered up in order to protect the powerful and how the press acquiescently accepted a far from reliable official version of events. The book is also the story of ordinary lives, the aspirations, hardships and achievements of the Scots themselves. Richly varied in mood from the controversial to the amusing, The Invisible Spirit is both entertaining and compelling.
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Marshall learns that his valuable cargo is at risk in a vessel that’s less than seaworthy, he does all in his power to have the valuable cargo transferred to a more reliable vessel. What Marshall is not prepared for is the wily Mactaggart’s sly delaying tactics and crafty machinations.
The new ship is remarkable enough, but the story of how Andrew Banks was able to establish the long-sought short sea crossing between Orkney and the Scottish mainland in the face of a concerted and sustained campaign to undermine his enterprise, by well funded public bodies, is on the one hand a miracle and on the other an outrage. With a tiny team of trusted colleagues and without a penny of public funds, Andrew Banks built terminals and started operating a new frequent, cheap, short route between Orkney and the Scottish mainland.
What follows is a hilarious and unexpected journey that will have unforeseen consequences for everyone involved . . .
This is the story of an idea and of the man who battled against the odds to make that idea a reality.
Mactaggart is the rascally skipper of the puffer The Maggie, a flimsy rust-bucket which hauls freight up and down the west coast of Scotland. When wealthy American businessman Calvin B. Marshall, General Overseas Manager of World-International Airways, wants to transport a precious cargo to his newly bought mansion on Kiltarra in the Western Isles, Mactaggart manages to trick Marshall’s agent into hiring The Maggie for £300, a sum that might be useful for some much-needed repairs.
Praise for earlier editions: ‘So good I could all but not put it down: every home should have one’ – Candia McWilliam, Books of the Year, Scotsman ‘The most remarkable book on Scotland I have ever read’ – Ian Hamilton, QC ‘Something that needed to be written’ – David Kynaston, Books of the Year, Guardian ‘A masterpiece, and an entertaining one at that’ – Catherine Czerkawska, Books of the Year, wordarts ‘A spellbinding read. Walking through history with an expert guide’ – Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
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Just before Christmas 2008, a brand new futuristic super efficient catamaran ferry arrived in Orkney. Her like had never been seen before in Scotland. She was Pentalina, flagship of Pentland Ferries, a private company owned by a quietly spoken Orkney farmer’s son, Andrew Banks.
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CRUACHAN! The Hollow Mountain Marian Pallister
THE SWINGING SPORRAN A Lighthearted Guide to the Basic Steps of Scottish Reels and Country Dances Roddy Martine and Andrew Campbell
EDINBURGH Mapping the City Christopher Fleet and Daniel McCannell
ISBN 9781780272207 August 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 224pp Category Scottish interest
ISBN 9781780272306 May 2014 Price £5.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 128pp Illustrations b/w line throughout Category Humour
ISBN 9781780272450 September 2014 Price £25.00 Hbk TPS 250x246mm Extent 160pp Category Cartography/History
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‘Cruachan!’ was the battle cry of the Campbells. In the early 1960s, the invasion of the 3,000 men who hollowed out Argyll’s noblest and highest mountain as part of a massive hydro-electric project could have annihilated the local community. Instead, the people of Loch Awe, Dalmally and Taynuilt welcomed the invaders, embraced the project and emerged the winners. Fifty years on, an integrated community still lives under the Hollow Mountain, and the cry ‘Cruachan!’ signifies a Scottish success story. In this book, based on interviews, media reports, court reports and film archive material, Marian Pallister tells the story of the project – featuring the extraordinary experience of those who worked on the mountain as well as the effects on the local community of one of the biggest civil engineering projects ever to have been undertaken in Scotland. She also considers the long-term effects of the project, looking at how the community was changed by the experience
Song and dance are at the very centre of any nation’s culture and are said to represent the innermost character of a people. The whirling, dashing and spinning of the classic Scottish reels are no exception. Here, Roddy Martine and Andrew Campbell provide a lighthearted guide to the basic steps of Scottish reels and country dances, all broken down into bullet points and illustrated with easy-to-follow diagrams. With further, indisposable hints on the social niceties of reeling, the conventions of the dance and the timetable of the Scottish social season, The Swinging Sporran is a hilarious companion to anyone who ventures into the social world north of the border.
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Maps can tell much about the story of a place that traditional histories fail to communicate. This is particularly true of Edinburgh, one of the most visually stunning cities in Europe and a place rich in historical and cultural associations. This lavishly illustrated book features 80 maps of Edinburgh which have been selected for the particular stories they reveal about different political, commercial and social aspects. Together, they present a fascinating insight into how Edinburgh has changed and developed over the last 500 years, and will appeal to all those with an interest in Edinburgh and Scottish history, as well as other audiences – those interested in urban history, architectural history, town planning and the history of cartography.
Praise for earlier editions: ‘If you’ve always stood on the sidelines at the Hogmanay ceilidh, it’s pretty much a must’ – Scotland on Sunday
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WALKING THE BORDER A Journey Between Scotland and England Ian Crofton
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF SORROW Nature and People in the Scottish Highlands James Hunter
PICTS, GAELS AND SCOTS Early Historic Scotland Sally M. Foster
Introduction by Alastair McIntosh and Iain MacKinnon
SBN 9781780272078 September 2014 Price £16.99 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 272pp Illustrations 8pp colour plate section Category History
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In this book Ian Crofton makes a journey on foot from Gretna Green in the southwest to Berwick in the northeast, following as close as possible the Anglo-Scottish Border as it has been fixed since the union of the crowns in 1603. Much of the line of the Border runs through a wild, overwhelmingly unvisited no man’s land – the sort of trackless waste perfect for keeping two belligerent peoples apart? During the course of his journey Ian Crofton considers a number of questions. How ‘natural’ are borderlines? Sometimes they follow physical barriers, sometimes an arbitrary line on a map, the compromise made by some committee of distant diplomats.
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ISBN 9781780271873 July 2014 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 320pp Category Environmental
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Caring for the environment, developing rural communities and ensuring the survival of minority cultures are all laudable objectives, but they can conflict, and nowhere more so than the Scottish Highlands. As environmentalists strive to preserve the scenery and wildlife of the Highlands, the people who belong there, and who have their own claims on the landscape, question this new threat to their culture that dates back thousands of years. In this sensitive, thought-provoking book, James Hunter probes deep into this culture to examine the dispute between Highlanders, who developed a strong environmental awareness a thousand years before other Europeans, and conservationists, whose thinking owes much to the romantic ideals of the nineteenth century. More than that, he also suggests a new way of dealing with the problem, advocating drastic land-use changes and the repopulation of empty glens – an approach which has worldwide implications.
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ISBN 9781780271910 August 2014 Price £14.99 Pbk TPS 246x189mm Extent 144pp Illustrations 8pp colour plate section Category Scottish history
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Early historic Scotland – from the fifth to the tenth century AD – was home to a variety of diverse peoples and cultures, all competing for land and supremacy. Yet by the eleventh century it had become a single, unified kingdom, known as Alba, under a stable and successful monarchy. How did this happen, and when? At the heart of this mystery lies the extraordinary influence of the Picts and of their neighbours, the Gaels – originally immigrants from Ireland. In this new and revised edition of her acclaimed book, Sally M. Foster establishes the nature of their contribution and, drawing on the latest archaeological evidence and research, highlights a huge number of themes, including the following: • The origins of the Picts and Gaels • The significance of the remarkable Pictish symbols and other early historic sculpture • The art of war and the role of kingship in tribal society • Settlement, agriculture, industry and trade • Religious beliefs and the impact of Christianity • How the Picts and Gaels became Scots
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ST KILDA A People’s History Roger Hutchinson
ISBN 9781780272191 September 2014 Price £14.99 Hbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 304pp Category 8pp b/w plate section
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PADRE MAC The Autobiography of Murdo Ewen Macdonald of Harris Murdo Ewen Macdonald
‘ISN’T THIS ALL BLOODY?’ Scottish Writing From the First World War Trevor Royle
ISBN 9781780272481 August 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 256pp Category Biography/Memoirs
ISBN 9781780272245 August 2014 Price £14.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 320pp Category Literature/Anthologies
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St Kilda is the most romantic and most romanticised group of islands in Europe. Soaring out of the North Atlantic Ocean like Atlantis come back to life, the islands have captured our imagination for hundreds of years. Their inhabitants, Scottish Gaels who lived off the land, the sea and by birdcatching on high and precipitous cliffs, were long considered to be the Noble Savages of the British Isles, living in a state of natural grace. St Kilda: A People’s History explores and portrays the real life of the St Kildans from the Stone Age to the 20th century. Roger Hutchinson, a bestselling author with 40 years’ experience of Hebridean islands, digs deep into the archives to paint a vivid picture of the life and death, work and play of a small, proud and self-sufficient people.
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From a croft in the Hebridean island of Harris to the grim confines of the Nazis’ notorious prisoner-of-war camp Stalag Luft III and the hallowed Glasgow University, the life of Murdo Ewen Macdonald was one of extraordinary variety and richness. Macdonald was ordained as a Church of Scotland minister in 1939, and joined up in 1940. After volunteering in the First Parachute Brigade he was sent to North Africa, where, during a catastrophic mission in which he was severely wounded, he was taken prisoner in 1942. At the infamous Stalag Luft III he supported countless prisoners through their POW experience and assisted the 76 men who took part in the famous Great Escape. After the war he served in various charges in Scotland before being appointed Professor of Practical Theology at Glasgow University, a post which he held to his retirement in 1984. In this much acclaimed book he looks back over his long and eventful life.
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As in the rest of Britain, the outbreak of hostilities in 1914 was met in Scotland with excitement and relief. In the field of literature too, the initial response was positive. Kailyard fiction and the Celtic Twilight were left behind as artless verses, patriotic articles and short stories flooded into print. But as the war progressed things changed and a more complex picture emerged – the patriotism and braggadocio was counterpointed by writers who saw the futility and horror of war. In this book, acclaimed military historian Trevor Royle introduces a huge range of literary material – including poetry, prose, fiction, non-fiction, letters and articles – by Scottish writers. The result is a fascinating picture which shows how war affected not only those who fought at the front, but also those at home, and how it led to profound changes – not least in the forging of the Scottish literary Renaissance and the rise of nationalism. Writers include; John Buchan, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, Douglas Haig, Ian Hay, Harry Lauder, Hugh MacDiarmaid, Naomi Mitchison, Neil Munro, John Reith, and Saki (H.H. Munro).
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A DROP IN THE OCEAN The Story of the Isle of Muck Polly Pullar
A HIGHER WORLD Scotland 1707–1815 Michael Fry
THE SCOTTISH RAILWAY ATLAS David Spaven
ISBN 9781780272368 October 2014 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 256pp Illustrations 16pp b/w plate section Category Scottish/Islands/Biography
ISBN 9781780272337 October 2014 Price £25 Hbk TPS 215x135mm Extent 480pp Illustrations 8pp colour plate section Category History
ISBN 9781780272382 October 2014 Price £30 Hbk TPS 278x218mm Extent 224pp Category Transport
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Polly Pullar tells the fascinating tale of one of the Hebrides unique thriving small communities through the colourful anecdotes of Lawrence MacEwen, whose family have owned the island since 1896. A wonderfully benevolent and eccentric character, his passion and love for the island and its continuing success has always been of the utmost importance. He has kept diaries all his life and delves deep into them, unveiling a uniquely human story, punctuated with liberal amounts of humour, as well as heartrending tragedy, always dominated by the vagaries of the sea. Filled with fascinating and extraordinary tales and priceless observations, this is not only a highly entertaining read but is also an important part of Scottish social history.
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A new and compelling history of one of the golden ages of Scottish history. Michael Fry examines the century in which Scotland entered into Union with England, showing how from shaky independence, Scots achieved an uncontested, even privileged position within the United Kingdom. None of this happened without pain and penalties, of course, and Fry offers a balanced perspective on the whole process, giving equal attention to political, cultural and socio-economic themes. The result is a balanced and fascinating portrait of one of the significant centuries in Scottish history.
The rich diversity of Scotland’s railway network has never before been the subject of a specialist atlas. This book showcases 100 topographical and railway maps, telling the story of the country’s railways from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Researched and written by David Spaven – who co-wrote the best-selling Mapping the Railways on the history of Britain’s rail network – this beautiful atlas allows the reader to understand the bigger story of the effects of the railways on the landscape and the impact of Scotland’s distinctive geography on the pattern of railway development over a period of nearly 200 years. The unique map selection is supported by an informative commentary of key cartographic, geographic and historical features. This sumptuous atlas will appeal not just to railway enthusiasts and those who appreciate the beauty of maps, but also to readers fascinated by the role of railways in Scotland’s modern developments.
Beginning with the amusing debut of Lawrence as a new baby when his mother returned from the hospital on the mainland, on through his colourful island childhood, and up to present day. Here are tales of coal puffers and livestock transportation on steamers and small boats, extraordinary chance meetings and adventures that eventually led him to finding his wife Jenny, on the island of Soay. It’s a book about the small hard-grafting community of 30 souls on this fertile island of just 1500 acres. Residents work closely with the MacEwen family in business interests: the thriving farm, market garden, a modern school, a busy tearoom, craft shop, and a winter shoot. A new village hall was opened in 2012, and a guesthouse in May 2013. Until March 2013, Muck depended on an unreliable generator for electricity that only came on twice daily, but now has finally been electrified with solar panels and wind turbines. It was one of the last places in the UK to receive 24-hour power.
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GLASGOW INTERIORS Helen Kendrick
A CHASM IN TIME Scottish War Art and Artists in the Twentieth Century Patricia Andrew
AS HIBS GO MARCHING ON A Post-War History of Hibs: Volume Three John Campbell Foreword by Keith Wright
ISBN 9781780272436 October 2014 Price £20 Hbk TPS 234x190mm Extent 176pp Category
ISBN 9781780271903 November 2014 Price £25 Hbk TPS 250x246mm Extent Illustrations Colour throughout Category Art
ISBN 9781780270562 November 2014 Price £25 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 320pp Category Sport/history
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Glasgow has a dazzling array of buildings and is internationally renowned for its history of architectural innovation, design excellence and unique brand of urban glamour, both cosmopolitan and gritty. But unlike other world-class cities – London, Paris, New York among them – until now there has been no publication to showcase the interiors of Glasgow’s built heritage. This book is a stunningly presented guide to Glasgow’s most spectacular historic interiors. Featuring 35 interiors of some of the city’s most alluring buildings – both public and private – Glasgow Interiors features magnificent interior shots and accompanying text telling the story of each building, its historical context and owner. From a dramatic Victorian swimming bath and glittering art deco restaurants to intricately detailed art nouveau warehouses and imposing Edwardian townhouses in the city’s West End, the book demonstrates the extraordinary wealth of interiors that lie behind the facades of Glasgow’s buildings.
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This book examines Scottish artists and their experience of war, and Scotland at war, as recorded and interpreted by them. In addition to introducing magnificent reproductions of around 200 works of art, Patricia Andrew also examines the context in which artists undertook their work, and how they and their art were received, and the influence the experience had on their careers. Whilst the book concentrates on the First and Second World wars, other conflicts before and after – including Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf wars as well as the Cold War – also feature. The result is a unique perspective on the Scottish experience and reaction to war. Artists include F.C.B. Cadell, Sir John Lavery, Muirhead Bone (the first official war artist), Franc P. Martin, William Gillies, Charles Rennie mackintosh, J.D. Fergusson, James McBey, D.Y. Cameron, Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Keith Henderson, Eduardo Paolozzi, Benno Schotz, the Earl Haigs, Ian Eadie, Ian Fleming, Robert Henderson Blyth. The book also discusses non-Scottish artists – for example Eric Ravillious and Ronald Searle, who were in Scotland during the Second World War.
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Beginning with the ten-year reign of Alex Miller, where the club had to fight off a hostile takeover bid by Mercer, survived to win the Skol Cup, signed players like Andy Goram and Steve Archibald and ventured once again into European competition, John Campbell completes his fascinating post-war trilogy on the history of Hibernian FC. Volume three sees Campbell cover every season from 1987, through the nineties and into the new millennium, where the club experienced relegation, promotion and two consecutive cup finals. Relive every game as the story recounts the many highs and lows of these tumultuous years, completing an extraordinary history of one of Scotland’s greatest clubs. ‘a most enjoyable trip down memory lane… . I warmly commend John’s book to all Hibs fans and to all members of the footballing family’ – Keith Wright
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ARENA SPORT
WWW.ARENASPORTBOOKS.CO.UK
SHOCKING BRAZIL Six Games that Shook the World Cup Fernando Duarte
FIGHTING SPIRIT The Autobiography of Fernando Ricksen Fernando Ricksen with Vincent de Vries
THE SECRET AGENT Inside the World of the Football Agent Anonymous
ISBN 9781909715165 June 2014 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 368pp Illustrations 16pp col & b/w plate section Category Sport
ISBN 9781909715202 May 2014 Price £16.99 Hbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 488pp Illustrations 16pp colour plates Category Sport
ISBN 9781909715240 October 2014 Price £12.99 Hbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 256pp Category Sport
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The Brazilian game has become synonymous with excellence, success and beautiful, irresistible football. Supporters from every part of the globe are able to recount joyful tales about Brazil’s unmatched achievements, especially ones of World Cup glory – not for them the almost fifty years of hurt endured by England fans. But few realise that the most crucial transformations undergone by Brazilian football came as a direct result of the Seleção’s failures. Shocking Brazil looks at six crucial World Cup campaigns that radically altered the face of Brazilian football and which had repercussions far beyond the sport. Behind the ignominy lurk narratives of racism, corruption, authoritarianism, corporate power and greed. This tour de force through the history of Brazilian football, told through the prism of these six famous defeats, is by turns fascinating, enlightening, shocking and utterly compelling.
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NEW
NEW
I always knew I wanted to do something in football just like I always knew I wanted to be rich.
Fernando Ricksen is a fighter. As a footballer, he carved out a fearsome reputation for Rangers, Zenit St Petersburg and the Netherlands. Throughout his time at Ibrox, his aggressive approach won him hero status among the Rangers fans, and off the field he was just as dynamic a force, finding himself on the front pages of the national newspapers as often as in the sports sections. After leaving the club in 2006 and signing for Zenit St Petersburg, he went on to defeat his former teammates in the final of the 2008 UEFA Cup and established as wild a reputation in Russia as he had in Glasgow. In a career that saw him win twelve caps for Holland and an array of silverware and titles for Fortuna Sittard, AZ Alkmaar, Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg, Ricksen has stood out both on and off the field with the sheer force of his personality and his never-say-die attitude.
Foreword by Gilberto Silva. In late 2013, Ricksen was diagnosed with motor neurone disease, and here he candidly reveals his battle with the deadly disease, once again displaying the fighting spirit for which he is famed. He has experienced a rollercoaster of highs and lows in both his personal and professional life and now reveals all in this extraordinary story, an explosive exposé of football, alcohol, drugs, sex, violence and corruption.
NEW TITLES
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So begins this true account from a British football agent currently working at the heart of the English game. From mere coffee boy, to lowly scout, to multimillion pound wheeler dealer with the Big Four and the cream of the clubs in the UEFA Champions League, this book charts The Secret Agent’s fast and furious progress through the dressing rooms, board rooms and bedrooms during the most recent days of the premier league. The glamorous field of sports agents was made famous over a decade ago in the Tom Cruise film Jerry Maguire but a romantic comedy this most definitely isn’t – The Secret Agent presents the somewhat darker truth that often lies behind that film’s most memorable line, ‘Show me the money!’ A witty, fearless and occasionally heartless account of ambition, greed, and power in a cut-throat and self-obsessed world. This book doesn’t just look to lift the lid on today’s EPL, it tears it off and hurls it across the room.
www.arenasportbooks.co.uk
ARENA SPORT
HOW TO BE A CYCLIST An A–Z Guide for the M.A.M.I.L. (Middle Aged Man in Lycra) John Deering and Phil Ashley
THE FLYING SCOTSMAN Graeme Obree Foreword by Sir Chris Hoy
BEHIND THE ROSE Playing Rugby for England Stephen Jones and Nick Cain
JEWEL IN THE GLEN Gleneagles, Golf & the Ryder Cup Ed Hodge Foreword by Jack Nicklaus
ISBN 9781909715158 September 2014 Price £12.99 Hbk TPS 215x177mm Extent 224pp Illustrations colour throughout Category Humour/Sport
ISBN 9781909715110 June 2014 Price £8.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 256pp Illustrations 16pp colour plates Category Sport
ISBN 9781909715196 November 2014 Price £19.99 Hbk Also available TPS 234x156mm as an eBook Extent 224pp Illustrations colour and b/w throughout Category Sport
ISBN 9781909715233 October 2014 Price £25 Hbk TPS 250x246mm Extent 336pp Illustrations colour hroughout Category Sport
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In what could be the most middle-class uprising in history, a million middle-agedmen-in-Lycra are taking to the streets of Britain. How to be a Cyclist has been created with love, affection and understanding for the M.A.M.I.L. We get how it feels to believe you look like Eddy Merckx only to catch a glimpse of your reflection in a shop window and sadly realise it’s more Eddie the Eagle. But we also understand what it feels like to sit in the pub waiting for your Sunday roast surrounded by bleary-eyed Observer readers who’ve just got up, when you’ve already ridden over the Horseshoe Pass that morning. With wise words and inspirational original photography, Phil Ashley and John Deering will guide you through a world where snobbery and etiquette rule. How to be a Cyclist is a ruthless authoritative voice that you can rely upon to see you right. Never again will you be humiliated because you have your helmet on back to front . . .
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NEW EDITION
On 17 July 1993, Graeme Obree stunned the international world when he emerged from obscurity to smash Francesco Moser’s World Hour Record.
This is a complete history of the England rugby union team – told by the players themselves. Based on a combination of painstaking research into the early years of the England team through exclusive interviews with a vast array of Test match stars from before the Second World War to the present day, world-renowned rugby writers Stephen Jones and Nick Cain delve to the very heart of the English international rugby union experience, painting a unique and utterly compelling picture of the game in the only words that can truly do so: the players’ own.
The Flying Scotsman is Graeme Obree’s searing autobiography, from his tough upbringing in Ayrshire where he found escape on the roads, to his head-to-head duels with Chris Boardman and becoming a major star on the European circuit. Obree created massive controversy in the professional cycling world with his unique riding style and his pioneering construction techniques – famously using washing-machine parts to complete the building of his ‘Old Faithful’. Yet all his sporting success was achieved in the shadow of manic depression and suicidal despair. Obree brings his amazing life story up to date as he continues to astound the world with his creative genius and sporting prowess.
This is the definitive story of English Test match rugby – a story etched in blood, sweat and tears; a story of great joy and heartbreaking sorrow; a story of sacrifice, agony, endeavour and triumph. Behind the Rose lifts the lid on what it is to play for England – the trials and tribulations behind the scenes, the glory, the drama and the honour on the field, and the heart-warming tales of friendship and humour off it.
‘This is one of the best and moving sports books I have read’ – The Times ‘Hard-hitting and brutally honest’ – Cycling Weekly
Absorbing and illuminating, this is a must-have for all supporters who have ever dreamed of walking the hallowed corridors of Twickenham as a Test match player, preparing themselves for battle in the changing rooms and then marching out to that field of dreams with the deafening roar of the crowd in their ears and the red rose emblazoned on their chest.
‘This is a book that must have taken great courage to write … a harrowing reminder of how little the public know about sportsmen, no matter how brightly the spotlight shines on them’ – Guardian
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Updated to include coverage of the 2014 Ryder Cup. The Ryder Cup is coming home to where it all began; the 40th staging of golf’s showpiece event is returning to Gleneagles, Scotland. Tracing the history of the Ryder Cup back to that famous forerunner match at Gleneagles in 1921, this book intertwines the histories of the coveted prize with the five-star resort’s own rich heritage, on and off the course. Through a series of over 80 in-depth interviews with an array of national and international celebrities, including Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Sir Jackie Stewart, Andy Murray and Stephen Hendry, Jewel in the Glen reveals what the Ryder Cup and Gleneagles mean to them while examining the impact of the tournament on the local community and the wider Scottish society, culture, and economy. With a foreword from golf’s greatest player, Jack Nicklaus, designer of the Ryder Cup 2014 course, The PGA Centenary, and a hole-by-hole guide by Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie, this volume paints a unique and absorbing portrait of Gleneagles and Scottish golf as a whole. ‘Fantastic book. It’s a great read and I would highly recommend it’ – Colin Montgomerie ‘This beautiful publication appears to match the majesty of Gleneagles itself and depict our wonderful game – and Samuel Ryder’s legacy – in the manner most deserving’ – Ken Schofield, former European Tour chief executive. ‘An informative and entertaining read, it certainly whets the appetite for a great competition next year’ – Alex Salmond
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NEW TITLES
JOHN DONALD
WWW.JOHNDONALD.CO.UK
THE REAL PATRIOTS OF EARLY SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE Alan Young and George Cumming
MALCOLM – SOLDIER, DIPLOMAT, IDEOLOGUE OF BRITISH INDIA The Life of Sir John Malcolm (1769– 1833) John Malcolm
SCOTTISH PEWTER 1600-1850 Peter Spencer Davies
ISBN 9781906566654 May 2014 Price £25.00 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 340pp Illustrations 16pp b/w plate section Category Scottish History
ISBN 9781906566739 May 2014 Price £30.00 Hbk Extent 672pp TPS 234x156mm Illustrations b/w maps throughout, 8 pp col plates Category Biography; History
ISBN 9781906566722 May 2014 Price £55.00 Hbk TPS 275x218mm Extent 304pp Illustrations 150 col illustrations throughout Category Scottish Art/Antique History
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The Battle of Bannockburn (1314) gave Scotland a great hero in Robert Bruce but deprived Scotland of three other worthy ‘patriot heroes’. This book tells the intriguing story of three members of the Comyn family who have been deprived of their rightful place in Scottish tradition because of Robert Bruce’s success. Bruce’s ruthless rise to power and his sacrilegious murder of Scotland’s chief political leader, John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch, in Greyfriars Church in Dumfries in 1306 had to be ‘spun’ to paint Bruce in a more favourable light in keeping with his status, and the victim (and his family) were mercilessly cast as traitors to Bruce and the Scottish ‘cause’. The book re-examines the murder and reconstructs the Scottish Independence movement before 1306. The conclusions are surprising – there was already a strong sense of national identity and political independence before the involvement of William Wallace or Robert Bruce, and Walter Comyn Earl of Menteith (d.1258), Alexander Comyn Earl of Buchan (d.1289) and John III Comyn Lord of Badenoch (d.1306) were pre-eminent as pillars of an independent Scottish monarchy, defining and protecting Scotland’s integrity in times of political crisis. The Comyns fittingly led Scotland into the War of Independence in 1296.
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Highly regarded in India to this day, Sir John Malcolm is remarkably little known in his native Scotland. This book describes his extraordinary journey from humble origins to become a leading player in the transformation of the East India Company from a largely commercial enterprise into an agent of imperial government, during a crucial period of British and Indian political history. Born in 1769, Malcolm was one of seventeen children of a tenant farmer in the Scottish Borders. Leaving school, family and country at the age of thirteen, he achieved distinction in India over the next half century. A quintessential all rounder, he excelled in many fields: as a professional soldier he campaigned with Wellington in south India and rose to MajorGeneral; as an administrator, he pacified Central India and later became Governor of Bombay. He led three Company missions to Persia in the early stages of the Great Game of diplomatic rivalry between Britain and Russia. He was fluent in several languages, and wrote nine influential books, including The History of Persia. Based on extensive research in Britain and India, this biography brings to life the story of a talented and ambitious man living in a dramatic era of imperial history.
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Pewter vessels, plates and measures were in everyday use in homes, churches and commerce from about 1500 until the eventual decline of pewter in the mid-nineteenth century as new materials came into fashion. During its 350-year history, Scottish pewter had its own style and features that distinguished it from English pewter. Based on extensive research, this book describes in detail the characteristics of the metal, the ways in which it was fabricated, and the history of the pewterers’ craft, as revealed by archived manuscripts and historical records. Full colour images of all known types of Scottish pewter, including a large number of objects not previously recorded, have been taken specially for the book. The text discussion reveals regional variations, and highlights key features to facilitate identification. The names, working dates and marks of all the major Scottish pewterers are provided in an appendix, together with details of all types of their wares currently known, making it possible to identify and date any pewter object, and the town in which it was made. There is also information on the care and conservation of old pewter. This book will become the standard reference work on a neglected but important part of Scottish heritage. It will be of interest to anyone wishing to find out more of the history of Scotland’s material culture and will be an indispensible resource for museum curators, collectors, fine art salerooms and antique dealers.
WWW.JOHNDONALD.CO.UK
JAMES VII Duke and King of Scots, 1633–1701 Alastair J. Mann
BÀIRD GHLEANN DAIL / THE GLENDALE BARDS A Selection of Songs and Poems by Niall MacLeòid (1843-1913), ‘The Bard of Skye’, His Brother Iain Dubh (1847-1901) and Father Dòmhnall nan Òran (c.1787-1873)
JOHN DONALD
BLUDIE HARLAW Realities, Myths, Ballads Ian A. Olson
Edited by Meg Bateman and Anne Loughran ISBN 9781904607908 July 2014 Price £25.00 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 352pp Illustrations 8-page b/w plate section Category Scottish History/Biography
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James VII and II is one of the least studied monarchs of Scotland, and has previously mostly been studied from an English perspective or as the muddled victim of the revolution of 1688/9 which delivered for Britain much-vaunted political emancipation. This book provides the first complete portrait of James as a Stewart prince of Scotland, as duke of Albany and King of Scots. It re-evaluates the traditional views of James as a Catholic extremist and absolutist who failed through incompetence, and challenges preconceptions based on strong views of his failings, both in popular belief and serious history. Investigating the personality and motives of the man, this biography assesses James as commander, as Christian and as king, but also as family man and Restoration libertine – a prince of his time. Painting a picture of James from cradle to grave, from childhood to resigned exile, it brings him to life within his Scottish context and as a member of the royal line of Scotland. The journey from dashing young cavalry commander to pious prince in exile appears oddly incongruous given the political and personal trials that lay between. That journey was much more of Scotland than previous studies have suggested – indeed, James was in many ways the last King of Scots.
ISBN 9781906566807 July 2014 Price £25.00 Hbk TPS 234x156mm Extent TBCpp Category Scottish music/poetry
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This book marks the centenary of Neil MacLeod’s death in 1913 with the republication of some of his work. It also publishes for the first time all of the identifiable work of his brother, Iain Dubh (1847–1901), and of their father, Dòmhnall nan Òran (c.1787–1873). Their contrasting styles mark a fascinating period of transition in literary tastes between the 18th and early 20th centuries at a time of profound social upheaval. Neil Macleod left Glendale in Skye to become a tea merchant in Edinburgh. His songs were prized by his fellow Gaels for their sweetness of sentiment and melody, which placed a balm on the recent wounds of emigration and clearance. They are still very widely known, and Neil’s collection Clàrsach an Doire was reprinted four times. Professor Derick Thomson rightly described him as ‘the example par excellence of the popular poet in Gaelic’. However, many prefer the earthy quality of the work of his less famous brother, Iain Dubh. This book contains 58 poems in all (32 by Neil, 14 by Iain and 22 by Dòmhnall), with translations, background notes and the melodies where known. Biographies are given of the three poets, while the introduction reflects on the difference in style between them and places each in his literary context. An essay in Gaelic by Professor Norman MacDonald reflects on the social significance of the family in the general Gaelic diaspora.
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ISBN 9781906566760 July 2014 Price £14.99 Hbk TPS 216x138mm Extent 192pp Illustrations 8pp b/w plates Category Scottish History; Scottish Ethnology
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In the summer of 1411, the ageing Donald of Isla, Lord of the Isles, invaded mainland Scotland with a huge, battle-hardened army, only to be fought to a bloody standstill on the plateau of Harlaw, fifteen miles from Aberdeen, a town he had threatened to sack. One of the greatest battles in Scottish history, described by hardened mediaeval chroniclers as ‘atrocious’, ‘Reid Harlaw’ left some 3,000 dead and wounded. Dismissed by Scott as a ‘Celt v. Saxon’ power struggle, it has faded from historical memory, other than in the north-east of Scotland. Written records in Latin, Scots, Gaelic and English are presented in their original form, and with transcriptions and translations. Two major ballads are analysed, one contemporary, and one fabricated over 350 years later – which is still sung. Lowland views dominate, because of the loss and destruction of Highland records, notably those of the Lords of the Isles themselves. The histories themselves fall into two groups – those written at or around the time, and those composed some 300 years later. These later accounts form the basis of most modern descriptions of the battle, but they tend to be romantic and highly imaginative, creating noble order where chaos once existed.
NEW TITLES
JOHN DONALD
WWW.JOHNDONALD.CO.UK
THE CUMBRIAN WARS Strathclyde and the English, AD 750 to 1100 Tim Clarkson
THE VIKINGS IN ISLAY The Place of Names in Hebridean Settlement History Alan Macniven
SAVING THE ARMY The Life of Sir John Pringle Morrice McCrae
ISBN 9781906566784 August 2014 Price £14.99 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 224pp Illustrations b/w maps, 8pp bw plate section Category Scottish/English History
ISBN 9781906566623 September 2014 Price £25.00 Pbk Also available TPS 234x156mm as an eBook Extent 400pp Category Scottish History/Viking Studies/Celtic Studies
ISBN 9781906566753 September 2014 Price £25.00 Hbk TPS 234x156m Extent 288pp Category Medical/Scientific History
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How did the English county of Cumberland come into being? Why do we find so many Welsh-sounding place names in the lands around the head of the Solway Firth? What is the origin of the term Cumbria? An answer to each of these questions will be found in this book. With a geographical focus on what are now south-west Scotland and north-west England, The Cumbrian Wars traces the history of political relations between the kingdom of Strathclyde and its English neighbours in the Viking Age. At the centre of the narrative are the Cumbri, or North Britons, an ancient people whose kings ruled from a power base in the lower valley of the River Clyde. In the tenth century, these kings extended their rule southward to the Solway Firth and beyond, bringing their language and culture to districts that had been in English hands for more than two hundred years. Their kingdom, known as Strathclyde or Cumbria, became one of the great powers of the time. Its history is an important chapter in the tale of how England and Scotland emerged from the early medieval period or ‘Dark Ages’ as the countries we know today.
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The Hebridean island of Islay is well-known for its whisky, its wildlife and its association with the MacDonald Lords of the Isles. There would seem to be little reason to dwell on its fate at the hands of marauding Northmen during the Viking Age. Despite a pivotal location on the ‘sea road’ from Norway to Ireland, there are no convincing records of the Vikings ever having been there. In recent years, historians have been keen to marginalise the island’s Viking experience, choosing instead to focus on the enduring stability of native Celtic culture, and tracing the island’s modern Gaelic traditions back in an unbroken chain to the dawn of the Christian era. However, the foundations of this presumption are flawed. With no written accounts to go by, the real story of Islay’s Viking Age has to be read from another type of source material – the silent witness of the names of local places. The Vikings in Islay presents a systematic review of around 240 of the island’s farm and nature names. The conclusions drawn turn traditional assumptions on their head. The romance of Islay’s names, it seems, masks a harrowing tale of invasion, apartheid and ethnic cleansing.
The book will be of interest to undergraduate students of medieval history, and heritage tourists in Greater Glasgow and the English Lake District.
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Sir John Pringle was born in 1707 in the Scottish Borders, where his ancestors had held land since the thirteenth century. He studied philosophy at St Andrews University and medicine at the universities of Edinburgh and Leiden. During the War of the Austrian Succession, Pringle was made Physician General to the British Army and was appalled to see the huge number of deaths resulting not from casualties of battle but from diseases such as typhus and dysentery. He introduced a wide range of improvements in hospital management and discipline, and in standards of care and sanitation/hygiene. His reforms helped to reduce the appalling number of deaths from disease that had previously been thought inevitable. His published account of this achievement, Observations on the Diseases of Army, brought him fame across Europe. Honoured by learned societies, he was made physician to King George III and the royal family, and was elected President of the Royal Society in London. At a time when medical practice was still guided by theories that had hardly changed for two thousand years, Pringle’s revolutionary approach and scientific investigations earned him a place in medical history.
REPRINTS
EVERYDAY GAELIC Morag MacNeill
EVERYDAY GAELIC WITH CD Morag MacNeill
DR FINLAY’S CASEBOOK A.J. Cronin
THE SCOTS A Genetic Journey Alistair Moffat
THE FADED MAP The Lost Kingdoms of Scotland Alistair Moffat
THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND Alistair Moffat
ISBN 9781841583402 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 216x143mm Extent 144pp Category Gaelic
ISBN 9781841583709 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 216x143mm Extent 144pp Category Gaelic
ISBN 9781841588544 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 304pp Category Fiction
ISBN 9781780270326 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 272pp Illustrations 8pp col Category History
ISBN 9781841589589 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 288pp Illustrations 12pp col Category History
ISBN 9781780271606 Price £30.00 Hbk TPS 250x246mm Extent 336pp Category Art/Scottish History
LOST EDINBURGH Edinburgh’s Lost Architectural Heritage Hamish Coghill
SHACKLETON’S BOAT JOURNEY Frank Worsley
STONE OF DESTINY Ian Hamilton
THE GAELIC OTHERWORLD Ronnie Black
CANNA John Lorne Campbell
TALES FROM BARRA John MacPherson
ISBN 9781841587479 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 272pp Category Architecture/Local History
ISBN 9781780272092 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 160pp Illustrations 3x16 b/w Category Military/History and Adventure
ISBN 9781841587295 Price £8.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 224pp Category Autobiography/ Biography
ISBN 9781841587332 Price £25.00 Pbk TPS 234x156mm Extent 848pp Category Gaelic/Folklore
ISBN 9781841582009 Price £14.99 Pbk TPS 216x138mm Extent 400pp Category Local History
ISBN 9781874744030 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 160pp Category Fiction/Folklore
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS AND ALL THAT Allan Burnett
ISOLATION SHEPHERD Iain R. Thomson
SCOTTISH TRADITIONAL TALES A.J. Bruford & D.A. MacDonald
THE TRUTH ABOUT ST KILDA An Islander’s Memoir Donald Gillies
A CROFT IN THE HILLS Katharine Stewart
THE PUFFER COOKBOOK Mandy Hamilton & David Hawson
ISBN 9781841584997 Price £2.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 112pp Category Children’s History
ISBN 9781841586151 Price £8.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 240pp Illustrations 2x16pp b/w Category Autobiography/ Biography
ISBN 9781841582641 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 216x138mm Extent 496pp Category Fiction/Folklore
ISBN 9781780272085 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 192pp Category Scottish History
ISBN 9781841587912 Price £7.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 176pp Category Autobiography/ Social History
ISBN 9781780271040 Price £14.99 Hbk TPS 234x190mm Extent 160pp Category Food & Drink
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REPRINTS
THE POOR HAD NO LAWYERS Who Owns Scotland and How They Got It Andy Wightman
JOURNEYS IN THE WILDERNESS John Muir
THE VATERSAY RAIDERS Ben Buxton
THE SIEGE OF VIENNA John Stoye
THE DAM BUILDERS Power From The Glens James Miller
THE HEBRIDES AT WAR Mike Hughes
ISBN 9781780271149 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 480pp Category History
ISBN 9781841586977 Price £12.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 576pp Category Travel Writing
ISBN 9781841585536 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 240pp Category History
ISBN 9781843410379 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 304pp Category Military History
ISBN 9781841582252 Price £14.99 Pbk TPS 260x189mm Extent 256pp Category Industry
ISBN 9781841581439 Price £10.99 Pbk TPS 256x200mm Extent 128pp Category History/Photography
THE ASSASSINATION OF REINHARD HEYDRICH Callum MacDonald
AWA’ AN’ BILE YER HEID David Ross
A DESCRIPTION OF THE WESTERN ISLES Martin Martin
A VERY CIVIL PEOPLE Hebridean Folk, History and Tradition John Lorne Campbell
AN EYE ON THE HEBRIDES An Illustrated Journey Mairi Hedderwick
SLEDGE PATROL One of the Greatest Adventure Stories of World War II David Howarth
ISBN 9781843410362 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 304pp Illustrations 16pp Category European History
ISBN 9781841585949 Price £5.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 256pp Illustrations line throughout Category Humour
ISBN 9781841580203 Price £9.99 Pbk TPS 216x135mm Extent 360pp Category Exploration
ISBN 9781780272399 Price £10.99 Pbk TPS 216x138mm Extent ?pp Category History
ISBN 9781841587943 Price £10.99 Pbk TPS 260x190mm Extent 144pp Category Travel Writing
ISBN 9781843410096 Price £8.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 256pp Category History
FOR FREEDOM ALONE Edward J Cowan ISBN 9781780272566 Price £8.99 Pbk TPS 198x129mm Extent 176pp Illustrations 8pp b/w plates Category Scottish History
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