An insight into life on the Slate Islands and a trade that ensured international recognition for Scotland, written by the Easdale Folk Museum archivist
For the first time, Bonnie Prince Charlie's arduous escape of 1746 has been recreated in a single journey. The author, along with his faithful border collie Meg, retraces the Prince's epic 530 mile walk through remote wilderness, hidden glens, modern day roads and uninhabited islands. Gregor Ewing tells the Prince's story alongside the trials of his own present day journey, whilst reflecting on the plight of the highlanders who, despite everything, loyally protected their rightful prince. The author's love of history and the landscape in which he travels shines through in this modern day adventure. BACK COVER: Charlie: Prince Charles Edward Stuart, second Jacobite pretender to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland, instigator of the Jacobite uprising of 1945, fugitive with a price of ?30,000 on his head following the disaster of Culloden, romantic figure of heroic failure. Meg: My faithful, four-legged companion, carrier of supplies, listener of my woes, possessor of my only towel. Me: An ordinary guy from Falkirk only just on the right side of 40, the only man in a houseful of women, with a thirst for a big adventure, craving an escape from everyday life. For the first time, Bonnie Prince Charlie's arduous escape of 1746 has been recreated in a single journey. The author, along with his faithful border collie Meg, retraces Charlie's epic 530 mile walk through remote wilderness, hidden glens, modern day roads and uninhabited Ewing tells the Prince's story alongside the trials of his own present day journey, whilst reflecting on the plight of the highlanders who, despite everything, loyally protected their rightful prince. The author's love of history and the landscape in which he travels shines through in this modern day adventure. One of the strengths of this man and dog travelogue is the neat way it stitches together history with the writer's personal journey. The balance is perfect. TONY POLLARD
An imaginative look into the story of the Jacobites who fought to bring the Stuart kings back to Scotland, McHardy creates a vivid historical picture of Scotland's Stuart past.
For use at home or in the classroom, this book provides the underlying principles of grammar, which can be used in Scots, English and other Modern Languages.
A poetry collection by John Hudson that focuses on the ways in which our lives find meaning in the context of the natural world.
A collection of poems about India and Pakistan based on the personal experiences and memories of the writer, interspersed with commentary and biography.
Ivanhoe follows Wilfred of Ivanhoe, part of one of the few Saxon families at a time when English nobility was dominated by the Normans, who is out of favour with his father for his allegiance to the Norman king, Richard the Lionheart. The gripping storyline beautifully captures the 12th century tensions between Saxons and Normans, Nobility and Commonality and Jews and Gentiles, with a whole host of well-known characters from Robin Hood to Friar Tuck. REVIEWS: A curious exemplification of the power of a single book for good or harm is shown in the effects wrought by Don Quixote and those wrought by Ivanhoe. The first swept the world's admiration for the meiaeval chivalry-silliness out of existence; and the other restored it. MARK TWAIN[Ivanhoe] may have been badly wounded in combat - only to recover and save the day - but he has never been sliced up like this. SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY This is exactly what is needed in order to rescue Sir Walter Scott. ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH. I applaud this new, shorter version of Ivanhoe which makes this wonderful novel, once so popular, accessible to a new generation of readers who will be able to enjoy its classic blend of history and romance. PROFESSOR GRAHAM TULLOCH, Editor of the Edinburgh Edition of the Waverley novels Professor David Purdie's meticulous adaption has made Sir Walter Scott's classic much more accessible to the modern reader... Purdie has managed to conserve Scott's masterly evocation of the 'sights, colours and sounds' of the Middle Ages. EDINBURGH LIFEBACK COVER: Fight on, brave knights. Man dies, but glory lives! A mediaeval tale of political intrigue, tumultuous romance, family machinations and a country's struggle for peace, Ivanhoe is one of Sir Walter Scott's finest historical novels. Banished from his father's court, Wilfred of Ivanhoe returns from Richard Lionheart's Crusades to claim love, justice and glory. Tyrannical Norman knights, indolent Saxon nobles and the usurper Prince John stand in his way. A saga of tournaments and melees, chivalry and love, nobility and merry men, Ivanhoe's own quest soon becomes a battle for the English throne itself... David Purdie's inspired reworking of Ivanhoe's complex characters, romance and high drama is an engrossing page-turner. His armour polished, his sword and dialogue sharp, Ivanhoe re-emerges alive for the modern age.
Cameron Taylor believes that the search for one's ancestors helps you to work out who you really are, and this book provides a great starting point to uncovering your past.
The story of the Scottish Highlands at a time when the mountains were a sanctuary for Jacobites, bandits, poachers and illicit distillers, rather than the tourists and mountaineers of today.
Voicing Scotland takes the reader on a discovery tour through Scotland's traditional music and song culture, past and present. West unravels the strings that link many of our contemporary musicians, singers and poets with those of the past, offering up to our ears these voices which deserve to be more loudly heard. What do they say to us in the 21st Century? What is the role of tradition in the contemporary world? Can there be a folk culture in the digital age? What next for the traditional arts? REVIEWS Can folk stay true to tradition and still be genuinely contemporary? Can its pride in place counter globalisation- without collapsing into narrow nationalism? The answer for, Gary West, is a resounding Yes. SCOTSMAN Voicing Scotland...is an engrossing assessment of where Scottish Traditional Music standsl, at a time of resonant political developments in the nation's history but also of globalisation and the threat of cultural homogenisation in todays 'liquid society'. SCOTSMAN
This is the second in the Baffies' Easy Munro Guide series of reliable rucksack guides to some of the more easily tackled Munros, covering 25 routes in the Central Highlands.
From Thomas Hamilton to contemporary artists, Tom Normand traces the 200 year history of the Royal Scottish Academy. High quality reproductions are accompanied by short summaries, directing the reader to particular points of interest within each artwork.
So stands Scotland where it did? Not on your nelly.The professional classes in Scotland may be busy with Commissions, vows, deals, submissions and General Election planning but the wider Yes Movement is busy with huge spontaneous meetings involving hundreds, even thousands of people - gatherings like birds flocking before winter or starlings swooping to throw shapes into darkening skies. Because they can.Wee White Blossom is a post-indyref, poppadom-sized version of Blossom for folk who've already sampled the full bhuna. It updates Blossom with a new chapter on Scotland's Year of Living Dangerously. Lesley Riddoch shares her thoughts on the Smith Commission, the departure of Gordon Brown, the return of Alex Salmond and the latest developments in land reform and local control. She considers the future of the SNP, the Radical Independence Campaign, Common Weal, Women for Independence and Scottish Labour in the aftermath of the referendum. This is a plain-speaking, incisive call to restore equality and control to local communities and let Scotland flourish.Wee White Blossom is the ideal companion volume to Blossom, whether you want an update on the first edition or an appetiser before delving into the pages of the original.The most influential, passionate and constructive book to appear during the referendum campaign. Blossom seized readers because it argued for independence as means to an end - restoring control over their own lives to Scottish communities so disempowered by top-down authority that they had no real experience of democracy.NEAL ASCHERSONA brilliant, moving, well written, informative, important and valuable piece of work.ELAINE C SMITHNot so much an intervention in the independence debate as a heartfelt manifesto for a better democracy.ESTHER BREITENBACH, Scotsman
The Last Tram tae Auchenshuggle is the hilarious patter and build up to the end of the Glasgow trams, featuring Glasgow's famous clippie, Big Aggie MacDonald.
Examining how the firm developed over the course of the 20th century, the author portrays how the broadcaster developed its own Scottish identity despite governance from London and how it thrived within the context of the history it reported and created.
Join Alistair Findlay on an off-beat tour of Scotland where he captures the humorous, passionate, and sometimes biting voices of some of our national treasures.
A unique analysis on how the Union was saved by our commander-in-chief Mr Cameron, the lengths he went to secure his victory and the wider implications for the UK and Europe. In a series of open letters to the Prime Minister, historian Owen Dudley Edwards, examines the man behind the victory, and the manner of the victory itself.
Scotland's Democracy Trail goes from Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars, down the High Street, across North Bridge to Calton Hill, and then on down to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Although the roots of democracy run deep in Scotland, here we concentrate on the footprint of democracy in our capital city.
In the bicentenary year of the publication of Sir Walter Scott's first novel Waverley, this is a timely republication of Buchan's work The Man and the Book, originally published in 1925. Buchan's treatment is sympathetic but perceptive, and at points critical.
Set in the 17th century against the backdrop of political and religious conflict, the second of Watt's John MacKenzie series is as historically rich and gripping as the last. MacKenzie investigates the murder of a woman accused of witchcraft and he must act quickly when the same accusations are made against the woman's daughter. Superstition clashes with reason as Scotland moves towards the Enlightenment. The 1600s are expertly recreated with a strong sense of history and place.
Discover Flaming Janet, James IV's mistress; Elsie Watson who rode solo across South Africa on a motorcycle, the spymaster of Albanian agents in World War II, and more.
Early man would have been alert to wild, camp-following dogs warning of approaching danger. Present day people can be thankful for a much wider range of canine services. Part autobiography and part history, Of Dogs and Men is a celebration of our passion for the trusty sheepdog. Filled with lively anecdotes, poems and mythological stories, Barrington sets out to map the evolution and bond between man and dog; how dogs developed from the wild into the beloved companions as we know them today. Barrington includes heart warming stories of collies used in life saving operations as search and rescue dogs, in epilepsy and cancer alert situations and as guide dogs.
Lord Cockburn, Victorian defender of Edinburgh's beauties, describes Calton Hill as 'the Glory of Edinburgh'. 'It presents us,' enthused Cockburn, 'with the finest prospects both of its vicinity and the city... it is adorned by beautiful buildings dedicated to science and to the memory of distinguished men. 'Following on from the success of Arthur's Seat, the Journeys and Evocations series continues with a look at the events and folklore surrounding Edinburgh's iconic Calton Hill. Standing only 338 ft (103m) high, this small hill offers a fascinating view of Edinburgh both literally and historically. The book brings together prose, poetry and photographic images to explore the Calton Hill's role in radical nationalist politics through the centuries as well as taking a look at the buildings, philosophy and intrigue of a central part of Edinburgh's landscape. Two of the city's leading storytellers, Donald Smith, director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre... and historian and writer Stuart McHardy, have sifted through the centuries to compile the remarkable guide to Edinburgh's famous landmark. EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS on Arthur's Seat.
A celebration of the stunning landscapes of Scotland's watershed, Peter Wright's descriptions are accompanied by stunning full colour photography.
Spanning four politically and socially tumultuous decades, Stephen Maxwell's writings explore the origins and development of the modern Scottish Nationalist movement. As an instrumental member of the SNP and a life-long socialist, Maxwell's work provides an engaging contemporary insight into the debate over Scottish independence, setting out a clear ideological and practical arguments for a socially just Scotland. The Case for Left Wing Nationalism - Maxwell's seminal 1981 pamphlet - considers the historical and cultural roots of Scottish national identity and stresses the importance of a realistic understanding of the past as the basis of a more prosperous, independent future. It concludes with Hugh MacDiarmid's prescription for a Scottish renaissance: Not Traditions - Precedents.
This is an accessible history of the oft misunderstood Picts, discrediting the idea that the Picts were a strange historical anomaly and showing them to be the indiginous people of Scotland.
This is not another complete works collection but a personal selection of sixty favourite poems, songs and other works, chosen by the Man Who Played Burns , as well as an introduction that explores Burns' life and influences, his triumphs and tragedies. The Luath Burns Companion is a unique introduction to the works of ona of Scotland's best loved poets by a man with an obvious love and depth of understanding for Burns and his work. This selection reveals the drama, passion, pathos and humour that make Burns's work what it is. He was always a forward thinking man and remains a writer for the future.
Time is running out for four-year-old Sebastian Zair. A rare blood disorder means that a stem-cell transplant is his only hope of surviving past childhood. His mother places her trust in the Pemberton Fertility Centre and a controversial IVF procedure which will allow her to select an embryo that is the same tissue type as Sebastian - to create a saviour sibling. But what she doesn't know is that the sword of Damocles is hanging over the Pemberton. A Nigerian couple, the Opakanjos, have just given birth to twins through IVF, but only one is their biological child. Someone has made a monumental mistake. With a major enquiry under way and pro-life campaigners on the warpath, both families are faced with agonising personal choices as well as the intrusions of an unscrupulous journalist. Will they break under the strain? Will Sebastian survive? REVIEWS: There are very few novels which deal with the issues of contemporary medical ethics in the lively and intensely readable way which Hazel McHaffie's books do. ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH McHaffie's books are skillfully written to bring out the complex ethical issues we as doctors, nurses, patients, or relatives, may face in dealing with difficult issues... These books are a welcome development of what has been called the narrative turn in medical ethics. THE BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL
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