The Scottish Highlands form the highest mountains in the British Isles, a broad arc of rocky peaks & deep glens stretching from the outskirts of Glasgow, Perth & Aberdeen to the remote & storm-lashed Cape Wrath in Scotland`s far northwest. The Romans never conquered the region
- according to the historian Tacitus, the Highland warrior chieftain Calgacus dubbed his people `the last of the free`
- & in the Dark Ages the island of Iona became home to a Celtic Church that was able to pose a serious challenge to the Church of Rome. Few travellers ever ventured there, however, disturbed by the tales of wild beasts, harsh geography & the bloody conflicts of warring families known as the clans. But after the defeat of Bonnie Prince Charlie at the Battle of Culloden the influence of the clans was curbed & the Scottish Highlands became celebrated by poets, writers & artists for their beauty rather than their savagery. In the nineteenth century, inspired by the travel reportage of Samuel Johnson, the novels of Walter Scott, the poems of William Wordsworth & the very public love of the Highlands espoused by Queen Victoria, tourists began flocking to the mountains
- even as Highlanders were being removed from their land by the brutal agricultural reforms known as the Clearances. With the popularity of hiking & the construction of railways, including the famed West Highland line across Rannoch Moor, the fate of the Highlands as one of the great tourist playgrounds of the world was sealed. Andrew Beattie explores the turbulent past & vibrant present of this landscape, where the legacy of events from the first Celtic settlements to the Second World War & from the construction of military roads to mining for lead, slate & gold have all left their mark.


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Fully revised & updated, this is the only book with detailed information & maps on every Scottish isl&. With the author`s own paintings liberally illustrating it, this beautiful guide will take you everywhere, whether by armchair or yacht. From the abandoned crofts of Mingulay & the standing stones of Orkney to the white beaches of Colonsay & the spectacular Cuillins of Skye, this is the first complete gazetteer to cover all of Scotland`s many hundreds of islands, including those which are uninhabited & those which are notoriously difficult to reach. Packed with information on access, anchorages, points of historical or natural interest & things to do & see, this fascinating compendium provides indispensable information for touring, for browsing, for reference, & for all of those travellers who wish to experience some of the most beautiful & remote places in the world. No other book begins to emulate the range & depth of the information contained in The Scottish Islands. Illustrated with full-colour illustrations & relief maps of all the main islands, this is both an impressive work of reference & a fascinating personal view of Scotland`s distant outposts. ...

Part of a trilogy on Scottish history, T.M. Devine`s ” The Scottish Nation: A Modern History” traces the epic story of a nation from the Union with England to today`s debates on the possibilities of Scottish independence. Drawing on extensive research & exploring everything from the high politics of the devolved parliament to the everyday effects of huge & growing levels of social inequality, this bestselling history places Scotland firmly within an international context & provides a key focus for the ongoing debate regarding Scotland`s future. Ranging from high politics to everyday life, ” The Scottish Nation” is the most read modern history of Scotland at home & abroad: vital to understanding an ancient nation at a crucial time. ” Outstanding.. .if you are after answers to the big questions of Scottish history, Devine is your man”. (Niall Ferguson). ” Magnificent.. .a high achievement, a history of modern Scotland which, rarely for the subject, endows with sweep & power the changes that have created the country we live in”. (Michael Fry, ” The Herald”). ” The work of a compendious historical mind.. .the first history of Scotland which both a nationalist & a unionist Scot can keep on their shelves with pride, & that is a large achievement in itself”. (John Lloyd, ” Financial Times”). ”A formidable work.. .quite remarkable”. (Donald Dewar). ”A fiercely intelligent account of Scotl&... Devine is the country`s most prominent historian, & from the evidence of this book, rightly so”. (Rosemary Goring, ” Scotland on Sunday”). T.M. Devine, OBE is University Research Professor & Director of the Research Institute of Irish & Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. His other books include ” The Scottish Nation” & ” To the Ends of the Earth”. ...

At a time when Scotland is once again considering life as an independent nation, The Scottish Nationality Test is essential reading for any citizen or visitor with a sense of humour. Scotland has long been recognised as one of the greatest countries in the world. & with global warming & long hot summers just around the corner, soon everyone will want to live in the New Scotl&, whether it`s independent or not. But there may not be room for everyone, so how Scottish are you? For example, do you know what Scottish women really think of Scottish men? Or the definition of a Scottish heatwave? These vital questions & more are answered in The Scottish Nationality Test. So take the test now & find out how Scottish you really are
- & have a laugh along the way.
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New title in the same series as bestselling The Stornoway Black Pudding Bible, The Italian Sausage Bible & The Macsween Haggis Bible Salmon can be eaten any time, & makes excellent starters, main courses, breakfasts & snacks, & there suggestions for all of these in this book. Due to its high protein content, omega-3 fatty acids & vitamin D, salmon is one of the most nutritious fish available, with many health specialists recommending that it should be eaten three times a week. In this handy & varied collection of recipes, award-winning chef Claire Macdonald demonstrates the enormous versatility of salmon in forty mouth-watering recipes which show you could eat salmon seven days a week & still never tire of it. Hot-smoked salmon, cold-smoked salmon, salmon fillets & Gravalax (salmon cured with sugar, salt & dill) all feature, together with a huge range of imaginative accompaniments, from beetroot, cheese & cream to bananas, tomatoes, garlic & prosciutto. ...

Detective Sergeant Harry Challenor is undoubtedly one of the most controversial policeman of all time. Born into grinding poverty in 1922, Challenor served with the prestigious Special Air Service during World War Two, was parachuted behind enemy lines, was captured twice, escaped twice & was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery. Joining the post-war Metropolitan Police, Challenor began his one-man crime crusade. After four years with the elite Flying Squad, Challenor was sent to London`s West End to clear up crime in Soho. Pimps, racketeers & crooks were rounded-up & often found themselves in possession of a bewildering assortment of armaments of which they denied all knowledge. More sensible gangsters, like Reg & Ron Kray, took off as soon as his name was mentioned. A reward of GBP1000 was offered by the gang leaders to anyone who could successfully bring sufficiently damaging allegations to have Challenor transferred, but in the end, it was not needed. During a political demonstration in 1963, half-bricks were planted on innocent protesters which resulted in three young policemen being imprisoned & Challenor was certified as being a paranoid schizophrenic & sent to a succession of psychiatric hospitals & care homes. Policeman-turned-author, Dick Kirby, has interviewed former friends & colleagues of Harry Challenor & has meticulously studied court records & official documents to write the sensational & extraordinary story of the man whom became The Scourge of Soho. ...

Nothing experienced in human history, before or since, eclipses the terror, tragedy & scale of the Black Death, the disease which killed millions of people in Medieval Europe. ” The Scourging Angel” tells the story of Britain immediately before, during & after this catastrophe. Against a backdrop of empty homes, half-built cathedrals & pestilence-saturated cities, we see communities gripped by unimaginable fear, shock & paranoia. By the time it completed its pestilential journey through the British Isles in 1350, the Black Death had left half the population dead. Despite the startling toll of life, physical devastation & sheer human chaos it inflicted, Britain showed an impressive resilience. Amid disaster many found opportunity, & the story of the Black Death is ultimately one of survival. ...

scouts have been part of the fabric of British society since the Movement`s founding by Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell in 1907, & Scout training continues to provide young people with `instruction in good citizenship` to this day. Beginning with an outline of Baden-Powell`s life & influences, Susan Cohen here tells the story of the Scout Movement & its growth from an experimental camp held on Brownsea Isl&, Dorset, attended by a handful of boys, into a multi-cultural, multi-national movement involving (in 2011) some 400, 000 young people (including 60, 000 girls) in the UK & millions of others across the world. ...

Robert Bickers` ” Scramble for China” explains the roots of China`s complex relationship with the West by illuminating a dramatic, colourful & sometimes shocking period of the country`s history. In the early nineteenth century China remained almost untouched by British & European powers
- but as new technology started to change this balance, foreigners gathered like wolves around the weakening Qing Empire. Would the Chinese suffer the fate of much of the rest of the world, carved into pieces by Europeans? Or could they adapt rapidly enough to maintain their independence?A pertinent & well-timed look at this intriguing period.
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The Scramble for the Arctic examines the history of the region & its exploration, the current state of ownership, the legal status of the Arctic & its waters, the likely outcomes of today’s power-plays & what is at stake both politically & ecologically. The map of the arctic is literally being redrawn by global warming & the ownership of its various segments will be one of the defining issues of the next decade. The Scramble for the Arctic is an informed & clear-sighted account by leading Arctic scholars & explorers Richard Sale & Eugene Potapov that analyses the competing interest of nations, corporations & last, but absolutely not least, species. ...