When lairds had their private railway stations

When compared to other books of its kind, Lairds in Waiting stands out. It focuses on the private railway stations and waiting rooms situated along the Highland route and the families and lairds who used them. (Think VIP lounges at the airport, reserved for high-flying A-listers). Paterson highlights the history of villages such as Fochabers…

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Longlist revealed for Bloody Scotland prize

Five years ago the Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award was renamed the McIlvanney Prize in memory of William McIlvanney. This year his final book, The Dark Remains, which was completed with the help of Ian Rankin, will be published on 2 September coinciding with the announcement of the McIlvanney Prize shortlist. The longlist…

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Boswell Book Festival is an international hit

People from across the world tuned in to the Boswell Book Festival’s virtual events last week with viewers from the UK, America, Italy, Canada, Australia, China and Norway amongst other countries. The Schools and Families programme saw over 40 schools signing up. The festival delivered a star-studded cast including broadcaster Andrew Marr, Andrew Cotter with…

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A look at Scotland’s oldest mountain refuge

As most Scots will know, Corrour Bothy is a staple in the Cairngorms landscape. Known as the oldest and most famous bothy in Scotland, Storer explores the history of this mountain refuge. This is a surprisingly fascinating and humorous book considering it is centered around such a small bolthole. This is mainly due to the…

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A celebration of the boutique Fife Arms Hotel

Located in the quaint village of Braemar, The Fife Arms is a boutique hotel like no other. This book provides a visual tour of the historic hotel after its stunning renovation beginning in 2015, detailing the craftmanship and hard work that went into its rejuvenation. The interior has been meticulously considered – each room tells…

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Hilary Mantel wins Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction

Hilary Mantel has won the 2021 Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction for The Mirror and the Light. This is the final novel in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, eleven years after the first of the trilogy, Wolf Hall, won the inaugural Walter Scott Prize in 2010. She receives £25,000, and will take part in a…

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Putting Scotland on the road to being transformed

I was a bit apprehensive about Old Ways New Roads: Travel in Scotland 1720-1832 first landed on my desk but my feelings were greatly misplaced. It details the 1725 military road and bridge-building programme implemented by the British military leader General Wade that went on to transform 18th-century Scotland. However, this description alone does not…

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A fascinating study of an important Scots figure

Mary Queen of Scots’ Secretary: William Maitland is a long overdue account of a man left out of the history books. William Maitland was a politician who played a crucial role in defending Mary, Queen of Scots’ throne and was behind the Scottish Reformation, altering the future of the country drastically and permanently. Stedall explores…

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The Highland Battles chronicles Scottish wars

Chris Peers is an expert at bringing medieval warfare to life and The Highland Battles is no exception. He delves into the rarely studied wars fought in the Highlands between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. Most notably the battles of Skitton Moor, Renfrew and Clairdon are explored. Peers breaks down each battle by date, who…

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A fascinating focus on the fantastic funghi

Who’d have thought mushrooms could be poetic? Fungi-obsessed Whiteley takes us on a lyrical, fascinating exploration of this weird organism which she says has a ‘surreal and alien beauty’. I never realised how diverse fungi is: it can be found in our floorboards, fingernails, and even our thoughts. I found this humble book really rather…

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