Reviews
The true story of a botanical fraud in Scotland
Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and all-round critically acclaimed, A Rum Affair tells the extraordinary tale of eminent botanist John Heslop Harrison. In the 1940s, Heslop Harrison believed that some of the plants found on the Isle of Rum had survived the last Ice Age. Running contrary to a popular belief that no plant…
Read MoreThe shooter’s handbook is a surefire winner
The Sporting Shooter’s Handbook is the perfect starting point for anyone who wants to get involved in one of the country’s most traditional sports, or for anyone who simply wants to improve their knowledge. Graham Downing’s highly experienced outlook on shooting provides the reader with clear and in-depth instructions on different types of shooting, whether…
Read MoreTragedy of the Iolaire at the heart of new novel
Donald S Murray is known for breathing life into the history and culture of Scottish islands, and this book does just that. It is centered on the Iolaire tragedy in 1919 when over 200 people died after a warship sank in Stornoway harbour, with the men returning after the end of the Great War. Told…
Read MoreA veritable feast at Voujon
The pudding shelf: the space reserved in an unspecified location of the stomach designed to accommodate a sweet treat even after the most filling of meals. On Tuesday night, that shelf was inaccessible… The other half and I took a trip up to Newington, an area of Edinburgh that we quickly realised we don’t spent…
Read MoreWriter returned to his roots for a pilgrimage
On a twelve day pilgrimage, Alastair McIntosh returns to the islands of his childhood to explore the history and culture of the Outer Hebrides. Walking from St Clement’s church in the southern end of the Isle of Harris to the most northerly Butt of Lewis, the tough terrain and physical endurance aids McIntosh’s feelings of…
Read MoreBehind the headlines in the Scottish highlands
He was the Highland correspondent for The Herald for 30 years, and in this book David Ross reflects on the most significant stories he found himself caught up in during that time. It’s clear that his late father-in-law Sorley Maclean, was a great inspiration to him and provided him with a lot of guidance in…
Read MoreCelebrating 12 parks in Scotland’s dear green place
John Cairney, a native Weegie, pays a personal tribute to 12 of Glasgow’s dear green spaces in A Walk in the Park. It’s a reminder that there’s much more to the city than its tenements and skyscrapers. Cairney concludes his survey of these parks with an exhortation to those people who are fixated by social…
Read MoreThe 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 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…
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