Reviews
The intriguing stories of an Edinburgh landmark
Calton Hill: Journeys and Evocations is an interesting collection of history and folklore on one of Edinburgh’s most famous landmarks. Told by means of prose, poetry, photography and history, this is not a guide book for the casual tourist. There are plenty of images to highlight the tales, although the monochrome format is unusually dated…
Read MoreA complete history of the beautiful town of Hawick
Hawick: A History From Earliest Times truly covers the history of Hawick, taking the reader right back to pre-history. Alistair Moffat takes the narrative much further back into the mists of prehistory, to the time of the Romans, the coming of the Angles and the Normans. He recounts how Hawick got its name, where the…
Read MoreScotland’s major conflicts in one book
For somebody taking a stroll on the barren fields of the Highlands to enjoy the immense peace and tranquility of the place today, it can be hard to imagine that the very same lands were once loud with the battle cries of brave and determined soldiers. They ended up being soaked with the blood of…
Read MoreThe perfect guide to research your Scots family roots
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors is great starting point for anyone who has an interest in their Scots roots. It is aimed primarily at family historians who are eager to explore and understand the world in which their ancestors lived. He guides readers through the wealth of material available to researchers in Scotland and abroad. He…
Read MoreThe sad real-life story of the ‘Victorian Titanic’
Gill Hoffs’ enthusiasm for the subject of The Sinking of the RMS Tayleur and extensive research makes for an absolutely fascinating read . It’s a piece of work scattered with inserts from historical reports and newspaper articles. The book starts by painting a picture of the social and economic problems in 19th century Ireland with…
Read MoreDaunderlust – a book sharing the untold Scots stories
Daunderlust is a beautifully eclectic and eccentric collection of stories about a side of Scotland that is rarely seen by the average visitor (or by many who have lived in the country all their lives). And they certainly has never been mentioned in VisitScotland’s ongoing campaign to promote Scottish culture and encourage tourism. But, like…
Read MoreA well-researched look at who the Picts were
The first time I heard about the Picts, the ancient people of the North of Scotland, I was hooked. My dad told me all about them during a trip to visit family in Aberdeen, and my imagination went into overtime, imagining who they were, and where they lived compared to where I was visiting. The…
Read MoreIt’s definitely worth trying to grab hold of Letting Go
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, according to the old song (and film). And it most definitely is in Letting Go: A Timeline of Tales, by Gerda Stevenson. The Twelve Stories in Letting Go take us on a journey through landscape, language and turbulent times, from the mid-19th century to the present day, and into the…
Read MoreScotland’s capital shown literally in a different light
When people visit Scotland, something they always notice is the weather. You can never quite guarantee that it will be the same two days in a row – look at the past week, for example – heavy rain and wind on Saturday, and Sunday was like a cool summer’s day. This inclement weather has been…
Read MoreA mystery with a hint of some Gothic romance
Author Gillian Galbraith is one of the gems of Tartan Noir. As a writer, her Alice Rice mystery series has been crtically acclaimed, and, during the first lockdown in 2020, her library eBook borrowings outstripped Hilary Mantel, Michelle Obama and Sally Rooney – in the top ten, the first novel in the series Blood in…
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