An insight into Scotland’s lost love of pewter

Pewter was in everyday use in most households, churches and places of commerce in Europe for hundreds of years. But it fell out of favour in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as new materials and manufacturing methods became available. The pewter wares of Scotland have for a long time interested collectors, who have been attracted…

Read More

A strange tale which will have you gripped

From an author whose favourite TV shows include Twin Peaks, it is no surprise that Happiness is Wasted on Me is a strange book. But, it is an undoubted page turner at same time. Spanning a decade of 11-year-old Walter Wedgeworth’s life around Cumbernauld in the 1990s, the setting harks back to a time long…

Read More

The latest mystery for the ladies’ detective agency

The 20th book published in the much-loved series The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a story of mystery, community and of course, friendship. Alexander McCall Smith injects the usual levels of intelligent charm and wit along with beautifully detailed descriptions of the Botswanian landscape. As ever the question of the female identity is explored as…

Read More

Remembering the lost regiments of Britain

From the very beginning, regiments formed the backbone of the British Army. It is a single institution that reflects the way the people of Britain view themselves and their past. Here, Trevor Royle explores the histories of the many regiments that have disappeared; to celebrate their existence, as well as the men and officers who…

Read More

Novel focuses on issues affecting our former soldiers

R L McKinney’s debut novel follows Sean, a British soldier who has returned from Afghanistan after his best friend, Mitch, in an act of heroism saved his life but lost his own. With Mitch talking to Sean from beyond the grave, Sean begins to question his own sanity and finds the only place he fits…

Read More

When the Vikings came to Strathclyde

Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age is critical exploration of early medieval Strathclyde. It examines the neighbouring peoples that challenged its authority, taking into account the multitude of corrupted sources that distort our understanding of this period. From the Damnonii of the Clyde, to the emergence of Alba, which combined Pictish and Scottish…

Read More

The perfect book to entertain the little ones

Written by Alan Windram and beautifully illustrated by Chloe Holwill-Hunter, A Puppy’s Tale is a charming children’s book for two to five year olds. It tells the story of energetic little puppy Georgie who gets lost in the woods. There are so many exciting and interesting things to see and smell, and Georgie loves to…

Read More

A trip down memory lane to lost train routes

Julian Holland takes train lovers back in time to when some of Britain’s most stunning railways were in use, exhibiting historical photographs from their time in action.  A visual experience for enthusiasts which tells of 50 of the UK’s long lost railways and their original purpose and use in the present day. Breathe in the…

Read More

Novel with lost souls on the Portobello coast

Set on Portobello’s coast, It Takes One to Know One is a heart-warming yet harrowing story, embellished with Isla Dewar’s needle-sharp humour and effortless narrative gift for storytelling. The tale is based around Charlie Gavin, the lost and hopeless founder of the Be Kindly Missing Person’s Bureau whose mission is to find other lost souls…

Read More

The battle of Culloden – from a new angle

The battle at Culloden Moor, the last pitched land battle on mainland Britain, is one of the most famous, and gruesome battles in our history and yet few authors focus on the battle itself. Instead they choose to write about the aftermath and the legends surrounding the infamous battle. Stuart Reid redresses that balance with…

Read More