East of West, West of East by Hamish Brown (19 July 2018).
This extraordinary book tells the story of a remarkable family caught in Japan at the outbreak of the Second World War in the
Pacific. With letters, journal extracts and notes from Hamish Brown's parents, as well as his own recollections, it brings the
era to life: not only life in the dying days of the British Empire, but also the terrible reality of the invasion of Singapore
into which they escaped. Hamish Brown is a legendary climber, walker, traveller and author with many books to his name.
Read our full review.
There's Always the Hills by Cameron McNeish (15 February 2018).
From his home in the Cairngorms, Cameron McNeish reflects on a life dedicated to the outdoors. He has for almost forty years written and talked
about walking and climbing in Scotland. A prolific author, he has led treks in the Himalayas and Syria, edited The Great Outdoors Magazine,
establishing it as Britain's premier walking publication, created new long-distance walks and made television series, campaigned for Scottish
independence and raised a family with his wife, Gina.
Read our full review.
The Restless Wave: My Two Lives with John Bellany by Helen Bellany (19 April 2018).
John Bellany was one of the most innovative 20th century British artists, a man whose work was described by the "Guardian" as "at once realist,
expressionist and surrealist". Helen Bellany married him twice. This beautifully-written book is the story of their turbulent lives together. At once
biography and autobiography, this is a searingly, sometimes shockingly, honest account of a relationship that encompassed both the sublime joy of true love
and the utter despair of failure, rejection and the fear of imminent death.
Read our full review.
In the Blink of an Eye by Ali Bacon (11 April 2018).
In1843, Edinburgh artist, David Octavius Hill, is commissioned to paint the portraits of 400 ministers who have broken away from
the Church of Scotland. Only when he meets Robert Adamson, an early master of the art of photography, does this daunting task begin to look feasible.
Hill is soon bewitched by the art of light and shade. He and Adamson become the darlings of Edinburgh society, immortalising people and places
with their subtle and artistic images. In the Blink of an Eye is a re-imagining of Hill’s life.
Read our full review.
West Over The Waves: The Final Flight of Elsie Mackay by Jayne Baldwin (13 February 2017).
Glamorous heiress Elsie Mackay was determined to pursue her dreams: eloping with a dashing soldier, starring on the silver screen, and
designing the luxurious interiors of ocean liners. But her greatest passion was for aviation, still in its infancy in the 1920s, and her
burning ambition was to become the first woman to not only fly the Atlantic but to cross by the most challenging
route, from east to west. Journalist Jayne Baldwin uncovers the forgotten story of this bold and beautiful woman.
Read our full review.
The Adventures of John Carson in Several Quarters of the World by Brian Doyle (13 April 2017).
The young Robert Louis Stevenson, living in a boarding house in San Francisco while waiting for his beloved's divorce from her
feckless husband, dreamed of writing a soaring novel about his landlady's globe-trotting husband. Brian Doyle brings
Stevenson's untold tale to life, braiding the adventures of seaman John Carson with those of a young Stevenson, wandering the streets of San Francisco,
gathering material for his fiction.
Read our full review.
The Rise of the Elliots of Minto: A Scottish Family's Life in the Eighteenth Century by John Evans (15 March 2017).
This chronological account of the happenings of six generations of Elliots in the eighteenth century, and a dramatis personae of well over 100,
completes the author’s trilogy about the family. The Rise of the Elliots of Minto begins with battles between reivers across the English–Scottish
border. Gilbert Elliot is helping the earl of Argyll escape the clutches of the law. Soon afterwards, as a member of the Scottish Parliament,
he prospers both socially and financially.
Read our full review.
Walking the Song by Hamish Brown (16 March 2017).
Hamish Brown has been an outdoorsman for more than sixty years. The first person to complete an uninterrupted round of Scotland's Munros,
his account of the feat is a classic of Scottish mountain literature. Throughout those years he has contributed
articles and essays to many journals and, in this selection, he presents not an autobiography, but a very personal
record of his many journeys and interests from his 'dancing days of spring' to his present, very active, later life.
Read our full review.
For Jean: Poems & Songs by Robert Burns (19 January 2017).
A new collection of Robert Burns' poems and songs written for his wife,Jean Armour. Jean was a pretty lass with the voice of a nightingale and who loved to dance
all enticing qualities that caught the eye of her ardent young suitor, who rapidly fell in love with her. Their extraordinary marriage was passionate,
tempestuous and enduring against all odds, and Burns wrote many lines of verse for her or with her in mind.
Read our full review.
The Great Horizon: 50 Heroes of Geography by Jo Woolf (16 November 2017).
Fifty stories of adventure and exploration over more than two centuries. The Great Horizon features those who set out to conquer new
territories and claim world records alongside those who contributed to our understanding of the world all but accidentally. Published
in association with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, and with full access to their extensive records, the book includes unique
images and insights from the RSGS archives, along with never-before seen material.
Read our full review.
A Wild Call: One Man's Voyage in Pursuit of Freedom by Martyn Murray (10 October 2017).
Martyn Murray was finding modern life, with all its restrictions and controls, suffocating. His father's death triggered him
into opening the old logbooks and charts to retrace the sailing trips they had once shared together. Falling in love with an
old ketch in Ireland, he bought and restored her enough to sail back to Scotland. Over the next two summers he cruised Scotland's
Western Isles, with one goal: to reach St Kilda: 40 miles from the Outer Hebrides.
Read our full review.
Between Daylight and Hell: Scots Who Left a Stain on American History by Iain Lundy (9 December 2016).
This is the culmination of years of research into the lives of Scots who were guilty of dastardly deeds after leaving Scotland
for America: some literally got away with murder. These emigrants were rogues, con artists, charlatans and reprobates of the
worst order and their crimes are laid out in detail. For each the author relates their early lives in Scotland
and why they left to make a fresh start in the New World.
Read our full review.
More Sherlock Holmes Than James Herriot: The Veterinary Detectives by Roger S. Windsor (28 September 2016).
Roger Windsor s stories of life as, first, a naive student at vet school, then as a junior vet in general practice, and
finally as a senior member of the Veterinary Investigation Service running a laboratory in Africa, certainly give James Herriot
a run for his money. His vignettes of helping to build that Botswana's agricultural and forensic veterinary resources are truly fascinating.
Read our full review.
From Land to Rail:
Life and Times of Andrew Ramage 1854-1917 by Caroline Milligan and Mark A.
Mulhern (4 December 2014). Andrew Ramage was the son of a farm servant and
he himself worked on the land in the Lothians and Berwickshire, in Scotland.
Subsequently he became a dock worker, lorry driver and railwayman. This book is
based on his surviving diaries and reveals much about life at the
time.
Read our full review.
Henrietta Tayler: Scottish Jacobite Historian and First World War Nurse by Maggie Craig (26 May 2016).
Henrietta Tayler, (1869-1951), was a remarkable woman. She was born into the Scottish gentry and might have
lived a life of ease. Instead, she devoted herself to scholarship and helping others.
She was a prolific author and
served throughout the First World War as a nurse, helping wounded soldiers on both sides of the conflict and refugees.
Read our full review.
The
Blind Man of Hoy by Red Szell (16 April 2015). 'From the moment I watched a
documentary of Chris Bonington and Tom Patey climb the perpendicular flanks of
the Old Man of Hoy I knew that my life would not be complete until I had
followed in their footholds. Those dreams went dark at nineteen when I learned
I was going blind.' This is the story of Red Szell's attempt on the Old
Man.
Read our full review.
Manuel: Portrait of a Serial Killer by A. M. Nicoll (29 September 2016).
In a two-year killing spress, Peter Manuel terrorised a city. As the people of Glasgow held their breath and anxxiously awaited news
of yet more murders, Peter Manuel killed Anne Kneilands, Marion Watt, her daughter Vivienne and her sister Margaret, Isabelle Cooke and
the Smart family. But why did he do it? What drove him to commit such barbaric crimes? And could the police have caught him sooner?
Read our full review.
On the Trail of Mary, Queen of Scots: A visitor’s guide to the castles, palaces and houses associated with the life of Mary,
Queen of Scots by Roy Calley (15 November 2017).
On the Trail of Mary, Queen of Scots takes the reader on a journey through the landscape of Mary's time. In her footsteps we visit resplendent
castles, towering cathedrals, manor homes, chapels and ruins associated with Mary. Each is brought to life through an engaing narrative and a
collection of photographs and works of art. The book covers locations in Scotland, England and France.
Read our full review.
Higher Ground: A Mountain Guide's Life by Martin Moran (20 March
2014). For decades now, Martin Moran has made his living as a mountain
guide based in Wester Ross. Martin has climbed and guided in the Alps, Norway,
and the Himalayas, experiencing life changing adventures, near death
experiences, meeting and guiding many interesting people. He has lived life in
the mountains to the full and this is his story.
Read our full review.
That Guy Fae the Corries by Ronnie Browne (16 July 2015). With
his musical partner, Roy Williamson, Ronnie Browne formed The Corries. His
autobiography describes his childhood in war time and the 1950s and 60s, his
musical career including Scotland's unofficial national anthem, Flower of
Scotland, the death of Ronnie Williamson, and the following years as a solo
artist.
Read our full review.
On Tour with Thomas
Telford by Chris Morris (3 June 2015). Born into poverty in the Scottish
Border country in 1757, Thomas Telford rose to become a towering figure of the
Industrial Revolution. Incorporating material from the author's earlier book
Thomas Telford's Scotland, this new edition is a visual celebration of
Telford's architectural and engineering legacy, from the mighty Menai Bridge to
the harbours, manses and chapels of the remote Scottish Highlands.
Read our full review.
Call Me Sister: District Nursing Tales from the Swinging Sixties by
Jane Yeadon (10 October 2013). It's the late '60s and Jane Yeadon wants to
be a district nurse. Jane's about to find that the drama on district can demand
instant reaction; and without hospital back up, she's usually the one having to
provide it. The story of Jane's challenging and often hilarious route to
realising her own particular dream.
Read our full review.
The
Darkness Below by Rod Macdonald (6 October 2011). A collection of absorbing
adventures gained from a lifetime in diving. As one of the UK's leading
Technical Divers, Rod takes the reader on a spellbinding and gripping journey.
Told in intimate detail with a beguiling sense of self-deprecating humour, he
recounts epic dives on some of the most fabulous shipwrecks around the
world.
Read our full review.
The
Victorian Elliots in Peace and War by John Evans (10 May 2012). This book
is part history and part an account of the daily life of a large aristocratic
family with homes in Roxburghshire in Scotland, and in fashionable Eaton Square
in London. The action takes place in Britain and across the world, in such
places as Brazil and Uruguay, Morocco, China, Cape Province, Russia, Corfu, the
Crimea, Bulgaria, Prussia, Italy, Sicily and the Vatican.
Read our full review.
Scotland's Merlin: A Medieval Legend and its Dark Age Origins by Tim Clarkson (3 May 2016).
Who was Merlin? Is the famous wizard of Arthurian legend based on a real person? In this book, Merlin's origins are traced back
to the story of Lailoken, a mysterious 'wild man' who is said to have lived in the Scottish Lowlands in the sixth century AD.
The book considers the question of whether Lailoken belongs to myth or reality.
Read our full review.
Becoming Julie: My Incredible Journey by Julie Clarke (3 November
2014). Julie Clarke was born a boy in the 50s in central Scotland. From a
very early age she knew she was different from other boys, but growing up in
the 50s and 60s was not conducive to discussing feelings of gender difference
and for many years Julie didn't even know there was a medical term for her
dilemma: she was transsexual.
Read our full review.
The
Final Curtsey by Margaret Rhodes (31 May 2011). This is the intimate and
revealing autobiography of Margaret Rhodes, the first cousin of Queen Elizabeth
II and the niece of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. Margaret was born into
the Scottish aristocracy. This is a fascinating account of a special life, with
the author's family relationships to nobility and royalty and a life lived to
the full.
Read our full review.
The
Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women From The Earliest Times to 2004: by
Elizabeth Ewan, Sue Innes, Sian Reynolds, Rose Pipes (1 July 2007). This
excellent single-volume dictionary presents the lives of individual Scottish
women from earliest times to the present and throws light on the experience of
women from every class and category in Scotland and among the worldwide
Scottish diaspora.
Read our full review.
Mary, Queen of
Scots: 'In My End is My Beginning' by Rosalind K. Marshall (1 July 2013).
Mary, Queen of Scots has been much written and speculated about. Was she
betrayed, condemned by her cousin Elizabeth, or was she a murdering adulteress
with her husband's blood on her hands? This book, specially written to
accompany the exhibition of the same name at the National Museum of Scotland,
takes a fresh look at Mary, using over 120 objects associated with
her.
Read our full review.
Growling in the Kennel of Justice: Lawyers' Reflections on the
Legacy of Robert Burns by Allan Nicolson (28 September 2014). In unfolding
the backstory of the Bard's life and working through the voices of 22 lawyers
from Burns's era, Allan Nicolson subtly unravels a tale at once familiar and
new. Blending Burns's verse, correspondence and law reports of the time, we
find a novel analysis of the legacy of the Scottish poet.
Read our full review.
The Jewel by Catherine Czerkawska (5 May 2016).
A historical novel about Robert Burns' wife, Jean Armour. The Jewel is set largely during the dramatic years of their
courtship in Mauchline, their married life at Ellisland and in Dumfries, and Robert's early death, all against a background simmering
with political intrigue and turmoil. How Jean lived with - and frequently without - her famous husband is surely Scotland's
greatest love story.
Read our full review.
All
Because of Henry by Nuala Gardner (26 September 2013). We pick up the story
from the bestseller, A Friend Like Henry, which traced the childhood journey of
Dale, the Gardner family and their amazing golden retriever Henry. Dale is no
longer the victim of severe classical autism, but a young man facing a
challenging and uncertain future. Dale is ready for the world, but is the world
ready for him?
Read our full review.
Bruce, Meg and Me by
Gregor Ewing (1 April 2015). Gregor Ewing writes a personal account of his
1,000 mile walk over nine weeks with collie Meg that takes them through
Northern Ireland and the central belt of Scotland, literally following in
Robert the Bruce s footsteps. Gregor frames his expedition with historical
background that follows Robert the Bruce s journey to start a campaign which
led to his famous victory seven years later.
Read our full review.
The
Sunlit Summit: The Life of W. H. Murray by Robin Lloyd-Jones (15 August
2013). William Hutchison Murray (1913 - 1996) was one of Scotland's most
distinguished climbers in the years before and after the Second World War. As a
prisoner of war in Italy he wrote his first classic book, Mountaineering in
Scotland, which was destroyed by the Gestapo. The rewritten version was
published in 1947 and followed by the, now equally iconic, Undiscovered
Scotland.
Read our full review.
High Endeavours: The
Life and Legend of Robin Smith (Paperback) by Jimmy Cruickshank (26 Oct
2006). A balanced and extremely readable appraisal of the life and tragic
death of a legend. Robin Smith was one of the most daring climbers ever to have
tackled a mountain. And he was just 23 when he died. This definitive
biography...
Read our full review.
Telling Tales: Growing Up on a Highland Farm by Jane Yeadon (9 April
2015). Growing up on a farm in the north of Scotland could be both
rewarding and challenging. Now, bestselling author Jane Yeadon recounts her
childhood before her nursing adventures started, in her own unique and
entertaining style. Telling Tales recounts how Jane learns about her place in
the scheme of things, the hard way.
Read our full review.
Ghosthunter: Adventures in the Afterlife by Tom Robertson with
Murray Scougall (30 September 2010). Tom Robertson has spent a lifetime
hunting for ghosts. His quest to uncover the supernatural started at the tender
age of seven with his first terrifying encounter with the Black Lady of
Larkhall. Since then, Tom has embarked on countless investigations.
Read our full review.
Natural Mechanical (Paperback) by J.O. Morgan (20 Feb 2009) This
is a beautiful, lyrical book. It presents a series of biographical insights
into the life of Rocky, a boy growing up on the Isle of Skye. Told in the form
of a highly accessible poem this is a book likely to increase significantly the
number of people who regard themselves as readers of poetry.
Read our full review.
Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish by Bill Watkins (25 August
2011). Rich and colourful, Bill Watkins deftly mingles Celtic poetry,
history, and song with tales of his high-seas adventures and explorations of
the Scottish Highlands. After realising his childhood dream of becoming a
wireless operator at seas, Watkins takes his readers to the places he visits,
the people he meets, and the work and predicaments he gets into.
Read our full review.
Crimestopper: Fighting Crime on Scotland's Streets by Bryan
McLaughlin (1 November 2012). Bryan McLaughlin faced the challenge of
tackling crime on Glasgow's mean streets and throughout Scotland for more than
30 years, finding himself involved with nearly 300 killings. He started as a
bobby on the beat, worked in the elite Serious Crime Squad and later headed up
the force's Criminal Intelligence Branch. When he retired he became a private
eye.
Read our full review.
That Curious Fellow: Captain Basil Hall, RN by James McCarthy (29
September 2011). Son of a scientifically-minded Scottish aristocrat, Basil
Hall joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13 in 1802. Renowned for his curiosity
and energy, he became a popular writer himself based on his world-wide travels
and adventures, including his involvement in the liberation of Peru and his
epic journeys in North America and across the sub-continent of India.
Read our full review.
Bonnie Prince
Charlie: A Life by Peter Pininski (12 March 2012). The life of one of
Scotland's most romantic and tragic figures. Prince Charles Edward Stuart,
known as 'Bonnie Prince Charlie', achieved international fame at the age of
twenty-five as the man who led the Rising of 1745 against George II which
nearly restored his exiled royal family, the Stuarts, to the thrones of
Scotland, England and Ireland.
Read our full review.
Carspotting: The Real Adventures of Irvine Welsh by Sandy Macnair (1
September 2011). Having Sandy Macnair and Irvine Welsh were friends long
before fame and fortune arrived, and their adventures and Welsh's novels have
obvious parallels. Irvine Welsh was always the free spirit who would act on a
whim and deal with the consequences later. Carspotting is Sandy Macnair's
affectionate portrayal of their adventures.
Read our full review.
The
Next Stop: Inverness to Edinburgh, Station by Station by Simon Varwell (9 March
2014). After years travelling by train between Inverness and Edinburgh,
Simon Varwell realised that he knew very little about the places on the line.
So over the course of six days in 2012, he stopped at all twenty-three
stations. It was a trip that led him to the unknown, the beautiful, the
isolated, the depressingly mundane, the run-down, and the haunting.
Read our full review.
Boswell's Bus Pass by Stuart Campbell (30 June 2011). Armed with
a bus pass and supported by a relay team of equally eccentric companions Stuart
Campbell follows the bus routes that Dr Johnson and Boswell would have used had
they delayed their journey to the Western isles of Scotland by 238 years.
Included are previously unpublished love letters from Boswell s servant, to his
master's long suffering wife, Margaret.
Read our full review.
Tretower to Clyro: Essays by Karl Miller (7 July 2011). Karl
Miller is one of the greatest literary critics of the last fifty years, the
founder of the London Review of Books and Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern
English Literature at University College, London. In this last book of essays
he turns his attention to appreciate a number of British, and especially
Scottish, writers.
Read our full review.
Tom
Weir: An Anthology by Tom Weir, Edited by Hamish M. Brown (20 June 2013).
To mark the bicentenary of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, this volume provides
biographies of the eight membes of the Stevenson family who between them built
many of Scotland's lighthouses and gives a detailed account of the building of
the Bell Rock Lighthouse, one of the engineering marvels of its day.
Read our full review.
Finding Arthur: The True Origins of the Once and Future King by Adam
Ardrey (29 October 2014). The legend of King Arthur has been told and
retold for centuries. As the kind who united a nation, his is the story of
England itself. But what if Arthur wasn't English at all? Adam Ardrey sets out
the argument for Arthur's Scottish origin, showing how all the elements of the
Arthurian legends can be fitted neatly into the Scottish landscape.
Read our full review.
Jules Verne's Scotland: In Fact and Fiction by Ian Thompson (1
August 2011). Jules Verne only visited Scotland twice, 20 years apart, yet
he fell in love with the country. This book takes the reader on a journey with
Verne from the cities to the highlands and islands. It also explains how how
Verne's love for Scotland and his memories of his visits led to the country
featuring as the setting of novels such as The Underground City and The Green
Ray.
Read our full review.
Gentle Johnny
Ramensky: The Extraordinary True Story of the Safe Blower Who Became a War Hero
by Robert Jeffrey (15 July 2011). Gentle Johnny Ramensky is the astonishing
tale of a boy reared in the poverty of the Gorbals who became one of the
world's most extraordinary safe blowers. In the Second World War he served as a
Commando and parachuted behind enemy lines to break into the safes of the
German High Command.
Read our full review.
The
Call of the Mountains: A Journey of a Thousand Miles Across Scotland's Munros
by Max Landsberg (17 October 2013). More than just a travel guide, this is
a lyrical testament to the power of the Scottish mountains to offer anyone of
reasonable fitness either simple enjoyment or a deeper journey of
transformation. This is an invaluable companion to anyone planning their next
Highland adventure...
Read our full review.
The
Caithness Influence: Diverse Lives of Distinction by Valerie Campbell (12
December 2011). It is remarkable that so many people from Caithness have
had such a huge impact, not only in Scotland but worldwide. From scientists,
explorers, ministers and politicians to engineers, artists and writers, this
part of the far north of Scotland has roduced many people who have made a
lasting mark on the world.
Read our full review.
Lord James by Catherine Hermary-Vieille (6 December 2010). A
well told historical novel recounting the story of James Hepburn, 4th Earl of
Bothwell. It focuses on his intense and deeply ill fated relationship with Mary
Queen of Scots that culminated with their ill judged marriage. Their story is
one of the great tragedies of Scottish history, and this book brings it vividly
to life.
Read our full review.
Winchman by Chris Murray (31 May 2013). This is the thoroughly
enjoyable life story of Chris Murray. As a winchman on Stornoway based search
and rescue helicopters, for 22 years he was involved in the rescue of many
people from the seas and mountains around the north of Scotland and further
afield. He also details his exploits from his early days as a Royal Navy diver
in the elite Faslane diving team and later as a civilian diver working offshore
for various companies.
Read our full review.
Prelude to Everest
by Ian R. Mitchell and George Rodway (1 August 2011). When Everest was
finally climbed in 1953, few remembered Aberdeen-born Alexander Kellas, who
achieved the first ascent of several Himalayan peaks over 20,000 feet, but
became the first man to die on an expedition to Everest in 1921. His
expeditions and work on high altitude physiology prepared the way for its
eventual ascent.
Read our full review.
It Shouldn't Happen
to a Midwife by Jane Yeadon (15 March 2012). Training to be a nurse in the
Swinging Sixties was demanding but great fun. In this sequel to It Won't Hurt a
Bit, Jane Yeadon moves on from her basic training to her exciting new life as a
midwife. It's a whole new challenge with a new set of intriguing colleagues as
she heads from Scotland to Belfast for a brand new adventure.
Read our full review.
