Posts Tagged ‘Scots’
The Reiver Rat is a good Scots read for children
If The Reiver Rat sounds familiar, then the chances are you may well have either read it, or heard of it before. Translated by James Robertson and featuring Axel Scheffler’s engaging illustrations, this brilliant Scots version of The Highway Rat serves as a great, entertaining introduction to the ‘mither’ tongue for youngsters. With the flow…
Read MoreDiscover who was the scourge of King Henry VIII
Whilst Mary, Queen of Scots is a familiar historical figure her mother, Marie de Guise, is relatively unknown. The historian and blogger Melanie Clegg delves into the relationship de Guise had with her French family, The Lorraines, with imaginative fervour which sees this lively biography often stray into the realms of fiction. Scourge of Henry…
Read MoreA life on the ocean wave for the Scottish pirates
Pirates and Privateers in the 18th Century provides an interesting account of pirates – a surprising number of whom were Scots in real life. They have been portrayed on the big screen, in plays and books as heroes, romanticising the reality of these criminals of the sea. This book destroys the myth of buried treasure…
Read MoreThe former Queen of Scots with a famous brother
Margaret Tudor: The Life of Henry VIII’s Sister is brilliantly researched novel which transports the reader back to the 15th century. At times, this allows them to forget they’re reading non-fiction as they delve into the great and often hard life of a once Queen of Scots. Focused on Margaret Tudor, who is often overlooked…
Read MoreThe tragic story of a World War I Scots soldier
Two siblings made a fascinating discovery when they opened a chest in their mother’s loft, which they found to be full of an Edinburgh soldier’s writings from World War One. The chest, which had lain unopened for 100 years, contained diaries, letters and poetry from the late Hamish Mann’s time in the trenches. Robert and…
Read MoreA bedtime favourite translated into Scots
Scots linguist Susan Rennie has charmingly translated the much loved children’s classic into Scots. With the delightful original artwork, the story follows the family’s adventure to find the bear as they battle through ‘Claggie mud’, ‘muckle forests’ and ‘Skirlin snawstorms’. An enjoyable re-imagining of the classic bed time story, as much fun for adults as…
Read MoreRemembering a forgotten Scots explorer
William Speirs Bruce’s name has been largely forgotten in the realms of polar exploration and research. He was a Scottish nationalist and naturalist who led the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902-1904), This book examines his life, a determined passion for oceanography and his own personal struggles as someone who appears to have been on the…
Read MoreThe names the Scots have taken all over the world
Scots have travelled to every corner of the globe and, with an estimated Scottish diaspora of up to 40 million today, it is hardly surprising that these places all have one thing in common – they are named by or after Scots. From the barren lands of Antarctica to the Highlands of Northern Kenya, Abbotsford…
Read MoreTwelve 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…
Read MoreScots are the fastest readers in Great Britain
New research has shown that Scots are Britain’s fastest readers. Lenstore developed a test to measure the speed you read, and participants from Scotland boasted the quickest average time. The quiz gives you a passage to read, followed by questions about the passage to check your understanding. The results show how many novels you could…
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