First US publication for the Scottish Spence.Neil McGraw is a lad in Glasgow, an only child, the son of a dour undertaker permanently embittered by his wife's death during childbirth. Whenever the boy misbehaves, he's locked in the basement among the coffins, so it's not surprising he asks every body: What happens when you die? Against his will, he finds himself learning the trade. This is less gloomy than it sounds. The story moves at a good clip as the resilient Neil experiments with drinking and dating.The crisis comes when his dad finds him and his girl making out in a coffin. Soon, it's Neil's turn to lock his old man, dead drunk, into the basement, before hightailing it to the London of the Swinging '60s. A friendly queer, Abe Morris, offers him a crash pad, no strings attached, where Neil finds drugs, straight sex, and Zen. The party ends when Abe, stoned, is killed in traffic and Spence abandons conventional narrative to send Neil hopscotching around the world before depositing him, 15 years later, beside the funeral pyres of the Ganges. Here, he gets very sick but is rescued by a vision in a sari: Lila, a Londoner, back home for her father's funeral. The two fall in love and marry, lickety-split, before Neil is summoned back to Glasgow. His father has died, leaving him the business, which Neil gives a hippie twist, producing brightly painted coffins in unusual shapes, with Lila a business partner.The mood is light and buoyant, but novelistic concerns (what makes Lila tick? why do the couple decide not to have kids?) are shelved in favor of a scrapbook of original last rites, seasoned with Eastern mysticism. There's an appealing freshness to Spence's writing; too bad he gives up on credible plotting and characterization.

    He discovers a world of sea-level adventure, and in the process takes a good look at Scottish identity from a unique and fascinating perspective. Sometimes harrowing, frequently philosophical, often hilarious, this book will appeal to all lovers of the coast and its endlessly varied characters, wildlife and lore. Adventure is there aplenty as he battles with whirlpools, heavy seas and hypothermia, streaks naked in front of Lady Diana, and survives a close encounter with a killer whale. The narrative is brim-full of history and folklore, disasters at sea, haunted bothies and the exploits of Celtic Saints, Viking raiders and mermaids. It is inhabited by larger-than-life characters like Tex Geddes the shark hunter, Dr Stan the cave-dweller, and a whole camp of homosexual gold panners. It is also a perceptive commentary on submarines, supertankers, and other issues threatening the Scottish coastline and its unique and fragile wildlife. 'As good a maritime sage as has ever come out of the Scottish seas.’ The Scotsman‘I don’t know whether the adventure itself or the story of it deserves the greater admiration; the combination strikes me as a triumph – which I hope will have many successors.’ BBC RADIO 4 – A Book at Bedtime‘One of the classic pieces of canoe writing. This is without doubt the best sea canoeing travel book I have ever read.’ CANOEIST Magazine‘Beautifully illustrated, by a perceptive conservationist … is both topical and entertaining.’ Canoe Focus

    Charlotte is ecstatically in love with Geoffrey; Peter prepares for the day when he will inherit the family distillery, while Andrew, gregarious and fun-loving, is already turning heads and hearts. Nell, the youngest, contents herself with daydreams of a handsome highlander. The Great War, however, has no respect for family life. As those carefree pre-war days fade, with death and devastation brought in their wake, the Drummonds are plunged into the horrors of the trenches in France. Yet those who survive discover that love can transcend class, creed, and country.

    Repackaged for a new generation of book buyers.

    Kevin MacNeil's voice and vision, while rooted in the Hebridean islands, is open to a wide range of cultures, not only those of Scotland - from Gaeldom to urban Scotland - but to the wider European and American mind and, through his interest in Zen Buddhism, to Japanese and Chinese culture.With astonishing freshness and versatility, MacNeil's poetry creates powerful connections and new combinations -he has wit as well as feeling, a powerful sense of the past and the local while being resolutely turned towards the future and the cross-cultural.

    While political history dominates, separate chapters address culture and society, art and architecture, travel and trade, and the ecclesiastical history of the Isles.

    Compassionate and humorous, the grace and style of Shepherd's prose is heightened by a superb ear for the vigorous language of the north-east.The Weatherhouse, Shepherd's masterpiece, is an even more substantial achievement which belongs to the great line of Scottish fiction dealing with the complex interactions of small communities, and especially the community of women—a touching and hilarious network of mothers, daughters, spinsters and widows. It is also a striking meditation on the nature of truth, the power of human longing and the mystery of being.The third and final novel, A Pass in the Grampians, describes Jenny Kilgour's coming of age as she has to choose between the kindly harshness of her grandfather's life on a remote hill farm, and the vulgar and glorious energy of Bella Cassie, a local girl who left the community to pursue success as a singer, and has now returned to scandalise them all. The Living Mountain is a lyrical testament in praise of the Cairngorms. It is a work deeply rooted in Shepherd's knowledge of the natural world, and a poetic and philosophical meditation on our longing for high and holy places.

    But her supporters, including noblewoman Heather Gordon, are planning a rescue. Heather travels to a cottage in the frigid Highlands to teach a simple man—who just happens to resemble someone with access to Lochleven—how to act the part of a nobleman in order to gain entry to the castle. But in the close quarters of the cottage there is more stirring than political rebellion. A suspenseful story of deceit and betrayal, love and secrets, As High as the Heavens will capture readers’ hearts.

    Addresses the Biblical view of separation of church and state.

    The author pieces together the jigsaw of Wallace's life through his travels.

    It doesn't help that she's as shallow as a paddling pool and terminally self-obsessed.Then she gets a dream job as the face of the Millennium - but there's a catch. Forget stretching out in Armani beachwear in the Seychelles. Peri's got six days in the Scottish Highlands wearing rags and not a scrap of make-up. She's far from home and far from happy - the beauty of Nature is inferior to her own and she's surrounded by a bunch of pointless animals. But a big burly Scotsman called Douglas is about to instill some true values into Peri's hollow life...

    Many churches and families, even Christian families, have dispensed with it. Rutherford's Catechism is ideal for family or church use. His answers are often pithy, suggestive and always Biblical. The catechism forms a compact Body of Divinity, a little primer of theology. Catechising is an excellent way to teach children beliefs. Rutherford knew its value and was careful to catechise his flock regularly in order to bring them to maturity and understanding in the things of Christ.

    So well-known was he that no one thought to write down a physical description of him, or any direct record of his childhood and youth. Thus tracking down Rob Roy today is to embark upon a painstaking search through archives, estate records and folk myths, enriched and confused by the romantic yarns that have grown up around him.W. H. Murray brings together new interpretations of Rob Roy's life and times to produce a new understanding of the character, actions and motives of a man who became a myth and symbol of Scotland. Murray shows that Rob Roy's renown stems from his remarkable force of character, rather than his politics or his place in the writings of Sir Walter Scott. His political mission outwardly failed, but his extraordinary resolution in adversity has earned him his place in history and legend.

    Frankly the duchess would prefer a Mills and Boon, but her friend's wartime tragi-comedy soon gets a grip on her imagination.

    Once the predominant language of the area, Gaelic has survived the vicissitudes of reformers and Anglophones to become once again an important part of Scotland's culture.

    Scotland, with its Viking settlements, ancient tombs, and Roman fortresses, offers an ideal location for the archaeological traveller.

    the articles have been written by various authors at various times.

    Contemporary artist Courtney Davis recreates portraits of the saints, border designs, Celtic symbols, and elaborate initials from all the Irish School manuscripts, spanning the period from the beginning of the seventh century until the twelfth century. His text vividly describes the historical background -- the Christianization of Ireland, the Viking raids, and the monks who fled with their precious books to libraries abroad. From the Book of Durrow to the Corpus Missal, the origin of each manuscript is given, with an account of where and by whom it was made, its purpose, and the symbolism of its designs.The result is an inspiration for designers everywhere, and an essential resource for anyone interested in the Celts.

    From the Scottish Origin Legend, expressed in the works of the medieval chroniclers, to the ideas of contemporary historians - anyone who wants to know how Scottish identity came to be, need only read this book.Winner of the Saltire Society Scottish History Book Award 1999Honorable Mention - Frank Watson Scottish History Prize 1999

    In illustrating this varied and extensive area, Christopher Uncles has drawn upon the fantastic photographic legacy of F.W. Urquhart of Dingwall.

    

    Its special novelty is the attempt to prove that the War of Independence was the achievement, not of Teutonic, but of Celtic Scotland. Mr. Barron's work is based on a close study of contemporary documents; its able research deserves consideration from historical students, and its lively style should ensure it popularity with the general reader.