Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Scottish Monuments and Memorials" by Roger Smith is a superb book we'd wholeheartedly recommend to anyone with the slightest interest in any aspect of Scotland or its history. That's the short form of this review. The longer version seeks to set out in a little more detail why I'm so blown away by it.

Books vary greatly in their durability. By that I'm talking about their lasting value rather than their physical construction. There are books that are read and enjoyed (or sometimes not) and forgotten almost immediately. There's nothing wrong with books as ephemeral entertainment. But there are other books that are intended to be of long-term use and interest, and some of them succeed in that aim. "Scottish Monuments and Memorials" by Roger Smith is one of the successful ones. It's a book we know will find a home on our bookshelves as an invaluable work of reference.

In his introduction, the author sets out what the book covers, and notes that it excludes a number of categories including war memorials and memorials in churches and graveyards. This is as well. The excluded categories tend to be those that have already achieved good coverage elsewhere, leaving the author to focus on the 600 or so monuments and memorials covered in this book. The body of the book is divided into twenty chapters, organised thematically. Categories covered include heroes and heroines, writers, follies, Jacobites, Covenanters, royalty, battles, fountains and, "a gallimaufry of curious objects", which is probably a more attractive title than "not elsewhere specified".

You get a good sense of the book from the publisher's description: " An extraordinary book, with its origin in the author’s long-standing interest in monuments and memorials, arising from many years of wandering Scotland’s hills and glens. It reflects and encapsulates a huge variety of monuments in every style imaginable – pillars, towers, obelisks, mausoleums, cairns and many more curious shapes. Everything from much-loved dogs and horses to seemingly obscure members of the aristocracy have been commemorated. Sculptors, artists and designers have let their imagination run free resulting in a glorious collection of places to visit. Grouped into 20 categories, the monuments and memorials are placed in proper context, which is important in understanding their timing and location. With the aid of this book readers can experience the joy of discovering a monument and unearthing the reason for its creation."