Reviews
An insightful guide to the secrets of Stirling
Stirling, while remaining a small settlement throughout the past, is not to be underestimated and holds huge significance in Scottish history. It has been associated with some of the most famous names in Scotland, including William Wallace and Mary Queen of Scots, with Stirling Castle housing almost every Scottish monarch. Secret Stirling gives a vivid…
Read MoreA look at Scottish trains which is the rail deal
The Scottish Rail Scene gives a whistle-stop tour of the railway services throughout Scotland. From the bustling scenes of Edinburgh’s Waverley or Glasgow Queen Street, to the more remote Highland outposts such as Mallaig or Kyle: John Jackson has visited, photographed and documented them all. Since he first set foot in Scotland in 1968, Jackson…
Read MoreA look at what goes into making fine furniture
In this large but stunningly illustrated and compelling autobiographical tome, artist Rupert Williamson dissects the organic process which came to define his work as a fine furniture maker. The mildly dyslexic designer embraced futurism in the early 1970s with gawdy, bulbous, curved structures, desperate to topple the establishment – which for a designer at that…
Read MoreStory of the Scottish Wildcat brought to book
Tracking the Highland Tiger is an eye-opening account of the tormented lives of Scottish Wildcats. Taylor tells the story of how the beautiful animals used to live, in all their glory, compared to their lives now with numbers depleting rapidly. Many of Scotland’s wild animals, from bears to wolves, have been driven to extinction –…
Read MoreLiving in a lighthouse is a novel experience
The Lighthouse Keepers is an inspirational and light-hearted novel that follows Max, an aspiring young musician. The novel is set in the west coast of Scotland, making many of the places mentioned recognisable to local readers. Anderson is able to bring to life, with vivid descriptions, the enchanting music that Max creates drawing emotional responses…
Read MoreA love affair with wild life and the barn owl
Jim Crumley is one of the country’s premier wildlife writers and this small but perfectly formed book shows why. The writer looks back on his ethereal encounters with the barn owl and its aptly heart-shaped face, which he has always cherished as part of his life-long affiliation with nature. Even living in Dundee as a…
Read MoreA classic piece of writing from Sir Walter Scott
The Lady of the Lake is a vivid and gripping tale of deception, romance and mystery told with the backdrop of some of Scotland’s most breathtaking scenery. It emphasises the vivid language used by Sir Walter Scott. The Lady of the Lake signified the peak of Scott’s reputation as a poet and was a sensation…
Read MoreA chance meeting changed her life forever
Sasha Roseberry’s life isn’t as exciting as she had imagined it when a teenager, in Leap Year: A Time to Remember. Her job in the Five-Plus-The-One shop, traipsing round the isles and selling discounted, substandard products, only just pays her bills, regardless of her steady rise to a management position over the years. Then a…
Read MoreA carefully curated collection of summer writing
Carefully selected by Melissa Harrison, this anthology has been put together to capture the spirit of summer. The physical wonders are captured through the writings of well-known authors such as Charles Dickens, George Elliott and Edward Step, to name a few, and together they form a collection which reconnects the reader with the natural world.…
Read MoreMagical tales from ancient Scots mythology
The Old Grey Magician is a compilation of short stories featuring Fionn and his crowd of men (the Fianna) and his poet son, Ossian. The Old Grey Magician is a mystical figure who frequently appears throughout Celtic mythology, often taking on different forms and shapeshifting. This book is one of the first collections featuring a…
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