The Romans in Scotland and The Battle of Mons Graupius by Simon Forder (15 August 2019).
In AD 77, Roman forces under Agricola marched into the northern reaches of Britain to pacify the Caledonians. For seven years, the
Romans battled across what is now Scotland. In AD 83, they fought the final battle at Mons Graupius where 10,000 Caledonians were
slaughtered with only 360 Roman dead. How much of this is true? Author Simon Forder considers contemporary sources and triangulates
these with the very latest archaeological finds to suggest a new narrative, including a new location for the battle itself.
Read our full review.
The Danger of Life by Ken Lussey (10 May 2019).
It is late 1942. Group Captain Robert Sutherland's first week in charge of Military Intelligence 11's operations in Scotland is not going smoothly.
An investigation into a murder at the Commando Basic Training Centre in the Highlands take an even darker turn that draws Bob in personally. He is also trying
to discover who was behind an attempt to steal an advanced reconnaissance aircraft; and then Monique Dubois in MI5 asks for his help with an operation
of hers in Glasgow that has gone badly wrong.
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Common Cause by Kate Hunter (1 July 2019).
It's 1915 and Britain is at war as Kate Hunter's sequel to The Caseroom opens on the next stage in the lives of Iza Orr, skilled compositor,
and the workers in Edinburgh's print industry. At a time of momentous events, we step alongside Iza as she copes with unexpected complexities
of patriotism, women's suffrage, worker victimisation and a historic wartime lockout. Printers are denied reserved occupation status but, with
bankruptcies looming, the jobs of Edinburgh's dwindling number of female hand typesetters are on the line.
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Walking Scotland's Lost Railways: Track Beds Rediscovered by Robin Howie and John McGregor (22 July 2019).
Scotland still has hundreds of miles of dismantled railways and the track beds give scope for many walks. Some track beds have been saved as
Tarmacadam walkway/cycleway routes while others have become well-trodden local walks. The remainder range from good to overgrown to well-nigh
impassable. This book provides a handy guide to track bed walks with detailed information and maps. It is enhanced by numerous photographs.
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Hard Down! Hard Down! The Life and Times of Captain John Isbester from Shetland by Captain Jack Isbester (30 April 2019).
Hard Down! Hard Down! describes the eventful life of a Shetland man in pursuit of his ambitions - to reach the top in his profession,
to find a wife, to cherish a family, to do his job well and to be respected by his peers. The account is enlivened by extracts from
numerous well-chosen family letters, diaries and postcards revealing the minutiae of shipboard and family life 120 years ago.
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The Silent Traveller in Edinburgh by Chiang Yee (6 June 2019).
Chiang Yee was, in his own words, 'dazzled' by the Scottish capital. From the Meadows to Princes Street, from Arthur's Seat
to Calton Hill and Edinburgh Castle, he paints an unforgettable picture of the city and its people in the 1940s. Writing with
wry humour, he broadens our perspective of familiar sights and customs, introduces us to Confucian philosophy and Chinese poetry,
corrects cultural misconceptions, and encourages us to appreciate life.
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The Sewing Machine by Natalie Fergie (7 February 2019).
It is 1911, and Jean is about to join the mass strike at the Singer factory. For her, nothing will be the same again.
Decades later, in Edinburgh, Connie sews coded moments of her life into a notebook. More than 100 years after his
grandmother's sewing machine was made, Fred discovers a treasure trove of documents. His family history is laid out
before him in a patchwork of unfamiliar handwriting and colourful seams. He starts to unpick the secrets of four
generations, one stitch at a time.
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Wild Light: Scotland's Mountain Landscape by Craig Aitchison (4 October 2018).
Wild Light is a stunning panoramic exploration of the Scottish landscape by photographer Craig Aitchison, winner of the
inaugural Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. Produced over seven years and shot entirely using a
traditional Hasselblad film camera, this remarkable body of work captures the essence of the Scottish wilderness through
the seasons and portrays the Highlands and Islands at their most beautiful.
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The Nature of Spring by Jim Crumley (4 April 2019).
Spring is nature's season of rebirth and rejuvenation. Jim Crumley chronicles the wonder, tumult and spectacle
of that transformation, but he shows too that it is no idyll. Climate chaos brings unwanted drama to the lives
of badger and fox, seal and seabird and raptor, pine marten and sand martin. Jim lays bare the impact of global
warming and points the way to a conservation vision that embraces everything from the mountain treeline to a second
spring for the wolf.
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Fixed Odds by William McIntyre (4 July 2019).
(A Robbie Munro Thriller) Defence lawyer Robbie Munro is looking forward to the birth of his second child, while at work he’s called
to defend George ‘Genghis’ McCann on a charge of burglary, and Oscar ‘the Showman’ Bowman, snooker champion, on one of betting fraud.
Genghis has stolen – and lost – a priceless masterpiece, while Oscar doesn’t seem to have a defence of any kind. With promises of great
rewards, Robbie has never been more tempted to fix the legal odds in his favour.
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Eilean: The Island Photography of Margaret Fay Shaw (18 October 2018).
Margaret Fay Shaw took her first photographs of the Hebrides in 1924 whilst travelling through the islands by bicycle.
Her collection of some 9,000 photographs and film were taken mainly on the Hebridean islands of Uist, Barra, Mingulay,
Eriskay, Canna and the Irish Aran Islands, and form a key part of the magnificent Campbell collections at Canna House,
where she and her husband made their home. This book features almost 200 of the best of her island
photographs.
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Archie's Lights: The Life and Times of a Scottish Lightkeeper by Archie MacEachern and Anne MacEachern (30 April 2019).
Born at a clifftop lighthouse in 1910, Archie's life was spent in the world of Scottish lighthouses. Compiled by Anne MacEachern and written
in Archie's words, this account portrays the man and reveals a past way of life. From peacetime through war, dealing with goats, shipwrecked
sailors or German spies, the story brings vividly to life the challenges of living and working at a lighthouse.
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Murder in the Merchant City by Angus McAllister (7 February 2019).
Annette Somerville, a young single mother, earns her living in a high-class Glasgow sauna parlour, keeping her respectable
home life separate from her professional activities. During a series of murders in the city, Annette realises that all of
the victims have been regular customers. What should Annette do? No one else seems interested, and going to the police will
cost Annette her job. But Annette's new boyfriend could be the murderer's next victim.
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Pirate Tales from Scotland by Antony Kamm (27 September 2018).
Here are true pirate tales of barbaric acts, sensational trials, bravery and cowardice, loyalty and treachery - and amazing incompetence -
with extracts from original sources. Tales of pirates, whether in fact or fiction, have long excited young imaginations. The pirate stories
here all have a Scottish connection. The title is part of the Scotties series of activity books for young readers and includes a
section of activities which are photocopiable for home or classroom use.
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All That’s Dead by Stuart MacBride (30 May 2019).
Inspector Logan McRae is looking forward to a nice simple case – something to ease him back into work after a year off on
the sick. But the powers-that-be have other ideas… The high-profile anti-independence campaigner, Professor Wilson, has gone
missing, leaving nothing but bloodstains behind. There’s a war brewing between the factions for and against Scottish Nationalism.
Infighting in the police ranks. And it’s all playing out in the merciless glare of the media.
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The Great Scuttle: The End of the German High Seas Fleet: Witnessing History by David Meara (15 May 2019).
After the German surrender in November 1918, the German High Seas Fleet was interned at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. The German commander,
Admiral Von Reuter, ordered that his fleet be scuttled on 21 June 1919. Most ships began to sink within hours, witnessed by a visiting group of
school children. This book follows the events of that day, drawing on the eyewitness accounts of those who were there.
Read our full review.
