Books
The tough battle to keep a railway route on track
In Highland Survivor, David Spaven picks up on his father’s relentless quest to keep Britain’s most northerly and longest rural railway line operational. In this survey of the Far North Line, he details how the campaign to prevent the closure of the line proposed by the Beeching Report succeeded by examining eyewitness accounts from public…
Read MoreCapturing a turbulent period in Scottish history
It’s 1679 in Scotland and the king’s power is increasing with regard to the church – this is the dawn of Protestantism. In Changed Times, Ethyl Smith vividly evokes how life was during this significant historical period by using the auld Scottish dialect. The characters come alive with the vibrancy of these evocative accents in…
Read MoreFrom glass to plate in delicious combinations
For those who love a dram, Á Table: Whisky From Glass To Plate by the Islay-based, French food and drink journalist, Martine Nouet is not only a wonderful collection of whisky-based recipes, but a fascinating insight into the spirit’s history. She matches the perfect dram to all of her easy-to-follow recipes. Starters include Scottish Sushi…
Read MoreHighs and the lows of Scottish life from 1976-99
The Broken Journey is the second volume in Kenneth Roy’s collection on life in Scotland after the tragic events of World War II. His first volume The Invisible Spirit: A Life of Post-War Scotland 1945-75 was hugely successful, making this sequel a highly anticipated piece of work. The Broken Journey certainly lives up to expectations and…
Read MoreFather and son in the footsteps of the Romans
In its day, the Marches acted as a frontier between the Roman Empire and the unconquered lands of North Britain, two rival kingdoms. To enforce this separation, the Romans started the construction of Hadrian’s Wall in 117AD which spanned 73 miles from the mouth of the River Tyne to the Firth of Solway. Rory Stewart, together with his 90-year-old father the late Brian Stewart…
Read MoreScots author’s book wins 2019 Bookbug Picture Book Prize
A Scots author and children’s book publisher has won the 2019 Bookbug Picture Book Prize. Alan Windram’s book, One Button Benny (Little Door Books), which was illustrated by Chloe Holwill-Hunter, is the story of a little robot who has a special button that he is only allowed to press in an emergency, and of what…
Read MoreScottish Book Trust reveals New Writers Awards
The Scottish Book Trust has today announced the 10 recipients of the New Writers Award, which is supported by Creative Scotland. Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has supported over 100 creative individuals through the New Writers Awards, and 2019 marks the tenth anniversary of the prize. The New…
Read MoreA journey through life in a collection of poetry
Alexander McCall Smith takes readers on a journey through the Scottish landscape in A Gathering: A Personal Anthology of Scottish Poems. In choosing the Scottish poems which mean the most to him, there poems are helpfully split up into chapters such as ‘love & marriage’ and ‘war, conflict & loss’ allowing the reader to dip…
Read MoreCorrie’s Capers are the best in the Westie
The Westie Fest: Corrie’s Capers is a beautifully illustrated book with lots of information about things to see and do on the Isle of Arran, along with a smidge of Gaelic. Corrie the West Highland Terrier, named after one of Arran’s villages, wants to do her Papa and her country proud by competing in the…
Read MoreScotland in the 19th century lives on in 3D
Most people assume that 3D imaging and virtual reality are relatively modern technologies. However, they were developed in St Andrews 170 years ago. Peter Blair has selected 3D images from his own collection to create a Victorian virtual reality tour of Scotland. A cardboard stereoscope is included with the book which allows you to view…
Read More