Books
The fascinating rise of a Scots statesman
The eventful life and career of Sir John Malcolm, a distinguished combatant, statesman and man of letters who spent most of his life in India, has been a story little told in his native Scotland. An ambitious and bold man who left his impoverished beginnings as one of 17 children of a tenant farmer in…
Read MoreA fascinating look at the world in 100 moments
You are not alone in wondering how one goes about filtering through a million years to form an articulate narrative. Yet Neil Oliver achieves this incredibly succinctly and with rare wit. Travelling through space and time on a whistlestop tour of the world, Oliver offers a tangible array of moments which give an invaluable and…
Read MoreHayley Mills to speak at the latest literary lunch
The Royal Scots Club are delighted to announce their next Literary Lunch featuring Hayley Mills. The daughter of Sir John Mills will be discussing her new book Forever Young, a memoir of the first 21 years of her fascinating life. Hayley, who won an Oscar for her role in Pollyanna, went on to make such…
Read MoreScottish history brought to life by Denise Mina
A tale of Scottish Tudor history told through a modern perspective, the multi-award-winning author captures our imaginations once more. Reviving the rule of Mary, Queen of Scots and her husband’s plot to murder her private secretary David Rizzio while she watches, this is a masterful reflection on one of Scottish history’s darkest periods. Quick paced…
Read MoreA family’s history captured on film since 1840
The Lindsays of Balcarres spans a century of photographs from an ancient Scottish family. The book began with the rediscovery of some old dusty photograph albums one wet afternoon at the home of the author’s late father in Fife. The photographs, which begin at the birth of photography in the 1840s, unravel a family narrative…
Read MoreA perfect travel guide companion for the Highlands
Travelling the length and breadth of the ‘classic’ Scottish Highlands, from the Trossachs and central Highlands through the Great Glen and onto the Cairngorms, Paul Murton regales his audience with tales that exude charm and character. Far from the basic travel information that could be found with a quick internet search, Murton’s book is incredibly…
Read MoreA fascinating look at deer – in real life, myths and art
The Celts called them ‘fairy cattle’ and the Greeks associated them with the hunter goddess Artemis, but for most people today, deer are seen as cute, like Bambi, or noble, like the Monarch of the Glen. Deer appear in religion and mythology, on coats of arms, in fine art, and in literature ranging from The…
Read MoreBig Scottish Book Club host Damian Barr joins our podcast
The 26th Scottish Field podcast is out today – and we’re joined by author Damian Barr, the host of the Big Scottish Book Club. The December issue of Scottish Field will be appearing in shops any day now, and one of the features in it on Dr David Livingstone, the famous Scots explorer. This month…
Read MoreA mystery from Alexander McCall Smith
Esteemed writer Alexander McCall Smith brings us a new and exciting enigma. Set in the unusual location of Ceylon just before WWII, it follows the story of a ‘pavilion in the clouds’ – the place where a confrontation between suspicious governess Miss White, and protagonist Bella’s parents leads to a gunshot being fired. Years later,…
Read MoreFascinating mystery to be solved in the Cairngorms
Of Stone and Sky is a book for inquisitive minds. The mysterious disappearance of shepherd Colvin Munro and a trail of his twelve possessions leading into the Cairngorms is one that tickles the brain cells. Foster sister Mo and brother Sorley are keen to find Munro and discover why he disappeared. Glover, who has lived…
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