A celebration of Stornoway in poetry

SY Story: A Portrait of Stornoway Harbour is a stunning poetry collection which  explores the history of Stornoway from the Mesolithic time to its present-day life as bustling modern habour. Donald S Murray successfully brings to life the town’s triumphs and tragedies, which includes the sinking of the Iolaire and the departure of the Metagama…

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You can have your Cake – and read it

Refrigerator Cake is an enjoyable, humorous and contemporary collection of short stories from young Falkirk-based author, Dickson Telfer. With subject matter which guides the reader through subjects as diverse as teaching the class from hell to a 92-year-old man’s quest for peace, this is not one for the fainthearted, but Telfer’s humour will resonate with…

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A 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.…

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Rural Scotland celebrated with history and tales

Dr Fiona-Jane Brown’s love of Aberdeenshire has been re-affirmed with the third instalment in a series of local history books. Hidden Aberdeenshire: The Land provides the history and folk tales from across the region in superb detail. A fun book of short stories, this collection links the historic sights of Aberdeenshire with its folklore, a…

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Remembering the lives of brave military Scots

The Daily Telegraph’s  collection of 100 military obituaries from the past 16 years, edited by David Twiston Davies, is both informative and moving. The obituaries have been featured in the broadsheet newspaper over the years, and include those celebrated for their great heroism and their involvement in major operations. Others have extraordinary stories to tell,…

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A guide to one of the most important gardens

Regarded as one of the most important gardens in Britain, Little Sparta in the Pentland Hills has become renowned the world over. Ian Hamilton Finlay’s anarchic collection contains 300 artworks by himself and others, designed to evolve over time. This beautifully illustrated guide to the garden is the perfect companion for anyone visiting or interested…

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Picture perfect book that’s all write

Over thirty years on, photographer Angela Catlin has updated her first collection of striking black and white portraits  of Scotland’s finest writers, each accompanied by examples of their work. Among the 49 snapped for posterity are writers Alasdair Gray, A L Kennedy, Ian Rankin, James Robertson and Ali Smith, poets Ron Butlin, Jen Hadfield and…

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Shop to hold first-ever sample sale this weekend

Holland Cooper Edinburgh is getting ready to hold its first-ever sample sale this weekend. Taking place on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 March, it will be the first time that iconic pieces from the Holland Cooper collection will be on sale with huge discounts. The store will be open from 10am – 6pm each day…

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The story of Scotland’s islands are all mapped out

Scotland: Mapping the Islands is a beautifully presented book which reproduces maps from the National Library of Scotland’s collection using the most up-to-date digital mapping techniques. Structured by themes such as people, naming, navigating, improving and escaping, this fascinating publication reveals the stories of Scotland’s islands, its people and the history of how they came…

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Twelve real life stories of Scots in the Great War

Historian Walter Stephen reflects on the centenary of the end of World War I in A Dirty Swindle. This is a collection of 12 stories of Scottish soldiers from the Great War. A World War II veteran himself, Stephen tells the often neglected accounts of Scotland’s involvement in the conflict. Stephen provides a level of…

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