Best of
Scotland

2003

Borrowed Dreams


May McGoldrick - 2003
    Her only hope is a marriage—in name only—to the notorious widower the Earl of Aytoun. THE GROOM Devastated by the tragic accident that killed his wife and left him gravely wounded, Lyon Pennington, fourth Earl of Aytoun, is tormented by the accusations that blame him for the catastrophe. Filled with despair, he lets his mother lure him into a marriage of convenience—for the sake of a good-hearted woman on the verge of financial ruin.THE DESIREUnder Millicent’s gentle gaze, Lyon begins to regain his strength and his wounded heart begins to heal. And soon Millicent discovers that beneath his unruly beard and grim demeanor, Lyon just may be the most handsome—and caring—man she’s ever encountered. For the first time in her life, she realizes that she is alive—alive with a smoldering desire for the one man she’ll love forever…

Mary Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley


Alison Weir - 2003
    The noise was heard as far away as Holyrood Palace, where Queen Mary was attending a wedding masque. Those arriving at the scene of devastation found, in the garden, the naked corpses of Darnley and his valet. Neither had died in the explosion, but both bodies bore marks of strangulation.It was clear that they had been murdered and the house destroyed in an attempt to obliterate the evidence. Darnley was not a popular king-consort, but he was regarded by many as having a valid claim to the English throne. For this reason Elizabeth I had opposed his family's longstanding wish to marry him to Mary Stuart, who herself claimed to be the rightful queen of England.Alison Weir's investigation of Darnley's murder is set against one of the most dramatic periods in British history. Her conclusions shed a brilliant new light on the actions and motives of the conspirators and, in particular, the extent of Mary's own involvement.

Joseph Knight


James Robertson - 2003
    In the 1770s, he returned to Scotland to marry and re-establish the family name. He brought with him Joseph Knight, a black slave and a token of his years in the Caribbean.Now, in 1802, Sir John Wedderburn is settling his estate, and has hired a solicitor's agent, Archibald Jamieson, to search for his former slave. The past has haunted Wedderburn ever since Culloden, and ever since he last saw Knight, in court twenty-four years ago, in a case that went to the heart of Scottish society, pitting master against slave, white against black, and rich against poor.As long as Knight is missing, Wedderburn will never be able to escape the past. Yet what will he do if Jamieson's search is successful? And what effect will this re-opening of old wounds have on those around him? Meanwhile, as Jamieson tries to unravel the true story of Joseph Knight he begins to question his own motivation. How can he possibly find a man who does not want to be found?James Robertson's second novel is a tour de force, the gripping story of a search for a life that stretches over sixty years and moves from battlefields to the plantations of Jamaica, from Enlightenment Edinburgh to the back streets of Dundee. It is a moving narrative of history, identity and ideas, that dramatically retells a fascinating but forgotten episode of Scottish history.

Stargazing: Memoirs of a Young Lighthouse Keeper


Peter Hill - 2003
    Before taking the job I didn't really think through what a lighthouse keeper actually did. I was attracted by the romantic notion of sitting on a rock, writing haikus and dashing off the occasional watercolor. The light itself didn't seem important: it might have been some weird coastal decoration, like candles on a Christmas tree, intended to bring cheer to those living in the more remote parts of the country."Hill learned quickly, though, of the centuries-old mechanics of the lighthouse, of the life-and-death necessity of its luminescence to seafarers, and of the great and unlikely friendships formed out of routine. With his head filled with Hendrix, Kerouac, and the war in Vietnam, Hill shared cups of tea and close quarters with salty lighthouse keepers of an entirely different generation. The stories they told and idiosyncrasies they exhibited came to define a summer Hill has memorialized with great wit and a disarmingly affectionate style.

McCrae's Battalion


Jack Alexander - 2003
    Raised in Edinburgh shortly after the start of the Great War, it was perhaps the finest unit in Lord Kitchener's volunteer army - a brotherhood of sportsmen, bound together by their extraordinary colonel and their loyalty to a quaintly named Association Football club, the famous Gorgie 'Hearts'. McCrae's were blooded in the Battle of the Somme, losing three-quarters of their strength on the first day alone. The Colonel himself was invalided home. In time the battalion recovered. It came of age at Arras, endured the muddy horror of Passchendaele, and held the line unbroken in the face of furious German attacks on the Lys in 1918. For almost a century their story has remained untold. It was all but lost forever. Now, after 12 years of exacting historical detective work, Jack Alexander has reclaimed the 16th Royal Scots for posterity. In this stirring book he draws upon interviews with veterans and a unique archive of letters, diaries and photographs, assembled from the families of more than 1,000 of Sir George McCrae's men. Who was the Colonel? How did the players come to enlist? Where did they fight? Where did they die? What became of the survivors? Why were they forgotten? Who was the handsomest man in the world?

The '45: Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Untold Story of the Jacobite Rising


Christopher Duffy - 2003
    Christopher Duffy’s original research reveals evidence of a wider plot against the Hanoverians and more support for the risings in Scotland, than had been suspected before. Filled with maps and a guide to the key sites, it provides an eye-opening perspective.

Tales from the Tent: Jessie's Journey Continues


Jess Smith - 2003
    Unable to adjust to settled life working in a factory after leaving school, she finds herself drawn once again to the wild countryside of Scotland. Having grown up on the road in an old blue bus with her parents and seven sisters, Jessie now joins her family in caravans, stopping to rest in campsites and lay-bys as they follow work around the country—berry-picking, hay-stacking, ragging, fortune-telling and hawking. Making the most of their freedom, Jessie and her family continue the traditional way of life that is disappearing before their eyes, wandering the roads and byways, sharing tales and living on the edge of 'acceptable' society. Intertwined with the story of Jessie's loveable but infuriating family, incorrigible friends, first loves and first losses are her 'tales from the tent', a collection of folklore from the traveller's world, tales of romance, mythical beasts, dreams, ghostly apparitions and strange encounters.

The Gaelic-English Dictionary


Colin Mark - 2003
    The numerous examples of usage and idiom in this work have been modelled on examples culled from modern literature, and encompass many registers ranging from modern colloquial speech, to more elaborate literary constructions. The main contemporary terms and idiomatic phraseology, often not available in other dictionaries, provide excellent models for easier language learning. In addition to the main dictionary, the volume contains introductory material, providing guidance on using the dictionary, spelling and pronunciation. There are also twelve useful appendices which cover not only the various parts of speech, lenition and proper nouns, but also address the more difficult issues of expressing time, direction and numerals. The clarity of the design and layout of the volume will greatly ease the process of attaining mastery of the Gaelic language.

Song of the Rolling Earth


John Lister-Kaye - 2003
    Too much ocean squeezes us. Clouds are to the Highlands as canals are to Venice. They belong here... Great sky-rollers crashing soundlessly ashore, thundering on to ice-shattered rocks polished smooth by the rain-wave of milions of rolling centuries. Long ago I came to the conclusion that this was once hell of a place to live."It was the Torrey Canyon oil disaster in 1967 that tipped John Lister-Kaye into becoming a naturalist and conservationist. It was a decision that led him to the Highlands of Scotland, and the derelict nineteenth-century mansion near Inverness that he turned into the world famous Aigas Field Centre.Song of the Rolling Earth is his celebration of nature and the land that have been his home and his work for over twenty-five years. It is a powerful evocation of the turbulent human history of the Highlands and the wealth of wildlife from the magnificent landscape of mountains, forests and lochs that surround his field centre. It is a journey of personal discovery; an enchanting account that captures the hills and glens in all their glory – the brown trout in the loch, the ospreys and swifts overhead, red-squirrels and spindle-legged roe deer of the woods – and a fascinating exploration of man’s ever changing relationship with his environment.

Katie Morag Of Course!


Mairi Hedderwick - 2003
    And in The Camping Holiday Katie Morag and the Big Boy Cousins find themselves stranded by the tide but luckily Eriska is on hand to save the day.

Matilda of Scotland: A Study in Medieval Queenship


Lois L. Huneycutt - 2003
    Matilda's marriage to Henry I of England in 1100 brought Henry, son of William the Conqueror, a direct and politically desirable link to Matilda's ancestor Alfred the Great.Matilda was educated in the exclusive convents of Romsey and Wilton, a grounding which enabled her to further the literate court culture of the twelfth century, and under her control was a substantial demesne that allowed her to exercise both lay and ecclesiastical patronage. In the matter of ruling, she was an active partner in administering Henry's cross-channel realm, served as a member of his curia regis, and on occasion acted with what amounted to vice-regal authority in England while Henry was in Normandy.Chroniclers of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries often refer to her as Mathilda bona regina, or Matildis beatae memoriae, and for a time she was popularly regarded as a saint. Huneycutt's study shows how Matilda achieved such acclaim, both because the political structures of her day allowed her the opportunity to do so and because she herself was skilled at manipulating those structures. This study will be valuable to those interested in not only English political history, but also to historians of women, the medieval church, and medieval culture.

The Scots: A Photohistory


Murray Mackinnon - 2003
    Over the next century, Scottish photographers captured a stunning visual record of their land and its people, their mixed fortunes, hopes, and aspirations. Their achievementsnever before collected together so tellinglydocument a century of profound contrasts, of division, upheaval, and change that recast forever the character of Scotland. Here are the triumphs of self-confident Scotlandthe completion of the Forth Bridge and the stream of vessels that slid down the slipways of the Clyde to bind together a far-flung empirebut also its injustices, the story of the urban and rural poor, and the evictions that drove people from the land to seek work in the cities or renewed hope in emigration to the New World. Scotland has always been the country of the "lad o' pairts," the youth from the unpromising, impoverished, often rural background who, with the help of parental self-sacrifice and ambition, personal determination and strength of character, progressesoften as an emigrant to North Americato great things. Gordon Highlanders drinking whisky from enamel buckets in the New Year celebrations of 1890; the caves of Staffa and their associations with the mythical Celtic hero, Finigal; the grandeur of Edinburgh Castle; a portrait of John Logie Baird, Scottish scientist-hero and inventor of the television; the golfers of Scotscraig a mere decade after the beginning of photography; settlers overseas in Colorado; salmon-netting on the River Oykelthis enthralling visual history brings the country to life not only for everyone of Scottish origin, but equally for everyone who has enjoyed the rich character and landscape of this beguiling nation. 236 illustrations in color and duotone.

Starlight on Water


Helena Nelson - 2003
    I recommend it without reservation."--Anne Stevenson"Warm, witty, musical and moving, Helena Nelson’s poems honour everyday life. She is that rare thing: a good popular poet. Read her."--Alison Brackenbury

Top 10 Scotland


Alastair Scott - 2003
    Dozens of Top 10 lists provide vital information on each destination, as well as insider tips, from avoiding the crowds to finding out the freebies, The DK Top 10 Guides take the work out of planning any trip.

The Broons 2003


Dudley D. Watkins - 2003
    

Nick Nairn's New Scottish Cookery


Nick Nairn - 2003
    Nick Nairn creates a mouth-watering collection of recipes combining Scottish ingredients.

Visiting the Bard: And Other Stories


Alasdair Campbell - 2003
    Funny, often tragic and poignant, always acutely observed and with an astonishing sense of character and skill at dialogue, these stories show the skill of a writer at the peak of his powers. From the snatched encounter of "The Odour of Corruption", through the humor of the "Sisters" to the deeply moving symbolism of the "The Lost Sheep", the author's artful evocation of people and the human world holds a universal appeal that transcends their island surroundings.

Tam Lin: An Ancient Scottish Folk Ballad


Bruce Garrard - 2003
    The story of their romance is the subject of a well-known traditional folk ballad. Versions have been sung and recorded by many contemporary musicians including Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Steeleye Span, and Tricky Pixie.The story deals with the relationship between the human world and the faerie realm, and by implication with the relationship between Christianity and the old religion. The eighteenth and nineteenth century versions which have come down to us are over-laid with Christian imagery but the tale has ancient roots, sharing many motifs and story-lines with the Mabinogion.The prose re-telling is presented in a modern idiom, but with the intention of remaining true to the spirit and the style of the original songs. It is published in booklet form as a work-in-progress, and feedback from readers would be welcome.

Celtic Poets


Jonathan Swift - 2003
    Cosham's finely honed delivery brings verdant valleys, quaint villages, and drunkards' and maidens' conversations to listeners' ears. What is not to love?!

Past Forgetting: A Memoir of Heroes, Adventure, Love and Life with Fitzroy Maclean


Lady Veronica Maclean - 2003
    Past Forgetting is the story of her life played out against the dramatic social, political, and diplomatic history of the 20th century. From her acquaintance with the Kennedys, Bushes, and the Astors to her friendships with Belloc, John Singer Sargent, and Freya Stark, the autobiography also charts her journeys overland to China, Persia, and Yugoslavia, her lecture tours in America, and her medical mission to the Balkans in the late 1990s.

Walking through Scotland's History


Ian R. Mitchell - 2003
    Later on we meet pioneering mapmakers, cattle drovers, distillers, seasonal walkers, town and city walkers and life-long travelling people.

Discovering the Scottish Revolution 1692 - 1746


Neil Davidson - 2003
    Neil Davidson argues that Scotland experienced a revolution during this period that has rarely been recognised in the existing historiography. Davidson explores the political and economic changes of these years, revealing how social and economic power was transferred from one class to another. He describes how Scotland was transformed from a feudal economy to a new centre of emergent capitalism. He traces the economic and social crisis that led to Scotland's incorporation into the Union in 1707, but argues that the Union did not lead to the transformation of Scottish society. The decisive period was instead the aftermath of the last Jacobite revolt in 1746, whose failure was integral to the survival and consolidation of British, and ultimately global capitalism.

Prehistoric Orkney


Anna Ritchie - 2003
    An evocative look at the ancient Scottish monuments, and what they reveal about the Orcadian way of life, from the earliest farmers around 4000 BC, to the Viking onslaught of AD 800.

The Slimy Stuarts: Bombs and Broomsticks (Horrible History Magazines, #6)


Terry Deary - 2003
    This is the 6th of the set and gives information on Guy Fawkes and the laws of the time of the Stuarts.Includes:- Gunpowder and plot: The truth and the rot!- Neighbourhood Witch Watch: Six simple steps in spotting witches- Crackpot Courtiers- Cows' tongues and coffee: Vile Stuart scoff!"There'll be fireworks!"

Being English in Scotland


Murray Watson - 2003
    The history of relations between England and Scotland is always passionate and often controversial. What is extraordinary is that the pervasive spread and influence of English migration north of the Border has been largely ignored until now.Using a range of different sources including oral history contributions from English people living all over Scotland, Murray Watson explores how the English merged into and contributed to Scottish society in the second half of the twentieth century. Many of the myths surrounding the English in Scotland are dispelled and what emerges instead is that the migratory experience has been extremely complex and multi-faceted in nature. The near-invisible absorption of so many English-born migrants has far-reaching implications for the host communities at a local, regional and national level, as well as influencing Scotland's economy, its demography, culture and society. At a political and constitutional level, after a number of false starts, Scotland has gained some measure of devolved autonomy. And here, English migrants have shown a range of fascinating responses in the reconstruction of their own identities. In leaving behind the undoubted insecurities and uncertainties about what it means to be English, their reactions to moving to a country with strong traditions of national feeling has been intriguing and surprising.The first comprehensive exploration of the complex process of English migration into Scotland, Being English in Scotland challenges us with as many questions as answers.Key Features: *The first full-scale coverage of the English in Scotland - Scotland's largest migrant group (over 366,000 English-born adults live in Scotland). *Challenges many of the commonly-held assumptions and myths abou

The Broons and Oor Wullie 2004: More Classics from the Fifties


Dudley D. Watkins - 2003
    

Scotland's Empire, 1600 - 1815


T.M. Devine - 2003
    The Scots had an enormous impact on the global development of the British Empire as emigrants, soldiers, merchants and colonial administrators. Imperial Scotland provides a comprehensive examination of their crucial role during the formative era of the long eighteenth century. The book ranges from the Americas to Australia and from the Caribbean islands to India. It explores in depth many key themes including the slave trade, the Scots on the colonial frontier, Highland soldiers, the saga of the Ulster Scots, the effect of the Scottish Enlightenment and the connection between empire and the economic revolution in Scotland itself.