Posts Tagged ‘book review’
Book review – Minister of Money
The name of Henry Duncan is one you may recognise. He was a parish minister who played a role in the Disruption of the Church of Scotland in 1843, but most importantly, was the founder of the worldwide savings bank movement. He opened his first branch in Dumfriesshire in 1810 to encourage the poor…
Read MoreBook review – Who Built Scotland
You can tell a lot about a country by the quality of its buildings and the stories behind them. Historic Environment Scotland commissioned five popular writers to bring together Who Built Scotland, telling the story of the nation in an off-kilter way. Between them, the authors have picked 25 buildings from across the nation, but…
Read MoreBook review – Rosslyn Chapel
To many people, Rosslyn Chapel has become synonymous with Dan Brown’s novels, particularly The Da Vinci Code. However, this book explores a different side of the 15th-century building as one of Scotland’s most extraordinary architectural masterpieces. Founded by Sir William St Clair, third Prince of Orkney, and inspired by the great Gothic cathedrals he had…
Read MoreBook review – All The Galaxies
Philip Miller’s novel takes place in a step into tomorrow, with militarised police and a failed second Scottish Independence referendum. It features a boy wakened in the afterlife by his spirit guide, with interesting religious themes running alongside the narrative, with the Devil growing in power in the Glasgow, whilst the city’s fictional newspaper is…
Read MoreBook review: Scottish Lighthouse Pioneers
Many of Scotland’s coastal lighthouses were created in the 19th century by the Stevenson family, including the famous author Robert Louis Stevenson, and this book celebrates their work in Orkney and Shetland. The noted engineers worked hard to create lighthouses that were adapted to the needs of their individual climates. Of particular note is the determination to…
Read MoreBook review – Exploring Glasgow
Glasgow, known for being one of the most architecturally exciting cities in the world, has an extremely diverse range of buildings. This book by Robin Ward captures almost 500 structures, detailing their architectural credentials as well as their social and historical significance. Arranged by area, this book includes maps on which the locations of all…
Read MoreBook review: St Valery and its Aftermath
In many histories of the Second World War, much is written about great generals and momentous battles while the story of the ordinary soldier goes untold. This is not the case in Stewart Mitchell’s superbly researched work. Through personal accounts, often told here for the first time, Mitchell tells the story of the men of the…
Read MoreBook review – Making For Home: A Tale of the Scottish Borders
A former art historian, farmer and writer, Alan Tait has lived in the Moffat Water Valley for over 40 years. He describes his third book as a memoir, a meditation on the nature of buildings in the area and a history of the valley. Tait skillfully weaves together the history and tales of the landscape…
Read MoreBook review – Spirit of Place: Whisky Distilleries of Scotland
Scotland’s whisky industry is a fascinating area, not just with the tipple itself, but also the surrounding industry. In Spirit of Place, Charles Maclean, the author of many notable works on whisky, explores the fifty greatest distilleries in Scotland. Not only does he tell a brief history of each distillery, it captures the spirit of…
Read MoreBook review – Enlightenment Edinburgh: A Guide
Edinburgh was the intellectual hub of the western world in the 18th century, with treatises and lectures on science, medicine, law, architecture, philosophy and political economy being delivered in the city. At the heart of this was the New Town area, with the buildings of the period being celebrated in this guide, carefully detailed by…
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