Scottish Books

This page will lead you to a complete listing of Scottish Books. Below are a few recommendations from visitors to my web site. If you have a favorite Scottish Book that you would like to recommend, please let me know. Scotland has not only produced great writers, but has also been a great source of inspiration for writers and photographers from throughout the world. I hope you enjoy browsing through the Best Scottish Books.

The Naming Of The Dead The book is set in Scotland in July 2005, when one of the most important events in modern history is due to take place. The G8 summit, a meeting attended by some of the world's most powerful men. Virtually every day there is some form of demonstration or protest and the thin blue line is stretched to its limits. Detective Inspector Rebus has been sidelined, until an MP's apparent suicide coincides with clues that a serial killer may be on the loose. The powers that be are keen to keep the lid on both the suicide and the possibility of a killer on the loose. They would not make good headline reading while such important people are around and the possibility of overshadowing such an important meeting does not bear thinking about. But they have not taken into account the fact that Rebus has never been one to stick too closely to the rule book. When a colleague of Rebus, Siobhan Clarke becomes involved in finding the identity of the riot policeman who assaulted her mother, it looks as though both of them may be involved against both sides in the conflict.

St Kilda: Island on the Edge of the World St Kilda, Island on the Edge of the World. For more than 2000 years the people of St Kilda remained remote from the world. Its society was viable, even Utopian; but in the nineteenth century the island was discovered by missionaries, do-gooders and tourists, who brought money, disease and despotism. St Kildan culture gradually disintegrated and in 1930 the few remaining islanders asked to be evacuated.

Voices in the Street: Growing Up in Dundee Born in Dundee in 1938, Maureen Reynolds grew up in wartime Scotland, a young girl surrounded by adult concerns, the endless queuing for rations that never seemed to stretch quite far enough, the blackouts and air raids, and as she came of age, a whole generation seemed to suddenly do the same, with the rise of the Teddy Boy and rock and roll. A memoir written with the grace and lucidity of a novel, "Voices in the Street" chronicles a life of typical proportions with all the heartache and hope that entails, and reminds us that the most commonplace stories, properly told, can give a greater insight into a time and place than any of the more exceptional.

DriftnetA Driftnet catches everything. A teenager is found strangled and mutilated in a Glasgow flat. Leaving her warm bed and lover in the middle of the night to take forensic samples from the body, Rhona MacLeod soon recognises the likeness between herself and the dead boy and is horrified to think that he might be the son she gave up for adoption seventeen years before. Amidst the turmoil of her own love life and consumed by guilt from her past, Rhona sets out to find both the boy's killer and her own son. But the powerful men who use the Internet to trawl for vulnerable boys have nothing to lose and everything to gain by Rhona MacLeod's death. Scottish Books.

Scotland From Above Referred to as a creative tour de force, the latest book from photographer Colin Baxter is truly a must-see. With more than 200 high-quality images helping to create a new perspective and a unique vision of Scotland from above-from 100 feet to over 12,000 feet above. This comprehensive overview of Scotland's geography is broken into seven chapters with a general introduction and a satellite view of Scotland using M-Sat true color imaging. Scottish Books.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Penguin Modern Classics) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She was a schoolmistress with a difference. Proud, cultured, romantic, her ideas were progressive, even shocking. And when she decided to transform a group of young girls under her tutelage into the "creme de la creme" of Marcia Blaine school, no one could have predicted the outcome. Scottish Books.

Divided City Divided City. A young man lies bleeding in the street. It could be any street, in any city. But it's not. It's Glasgow. And it's May, the marching season. The Orange Walks have begun. Graham doesn't want to be involved. He just wants to play football with his new mate, Joe. But when he witnesses a shocking moment of violence, suddenly he and Joe are involved. With Catholics, and with Protestants. With a young Muslim asylum-seeker, and his girlfriend. With all the old rivalries, and fears. A gripping tale about two boys who must find their own answers, and their own way forward, in a world divided by differences. Scottish Books.

The Hebrideans. It consists of over 200 images taken by Gus over the last three decades, including a number from his most recent photographic essay on North and South Uist, as well as a completely new series of portraits and interiors. Described by Michael Russell as 'the best modern photographer of the Western Isles', Wylie's images capture the bleak beauty and remoteness of the islands. Scottish Books.

Fleshmarket Close Fleshmarket Close is not one of the best of Rankin's John Rebus thrillers, but his second-best is still more than excellent. Middle age is catching up with Rebus, he currently has no desk as a none-too-subtle hint from his superiors that he should seek retirement, but he and his friend and protegee Siobhan, who is still not his lover, race around investigating a variety of seemingly unconnected cases… The sister of a dead rape victim is missing; stolen medical skeletons turn up embedded in a concrete floor; a Kurdish journalist is brutally killed; the son of a Glasgow ganglord has moved in to the Edinburgh vice scene. Scottish Books.

Simply Devine The sensational autobiography of showbiz legend Sydney Devine. With the celebration of fifty years in showbiz, the legendary Sydney Devine has reached a milestone in his career. The Lanarkshire lad began singing on stage at the tender age of fifteen, treading the boards in London. Before long, he would become a household name, cementing his reputation in recent years as Scotland’s very own Rhinestone Cowboy thanks to sequinned jumpsuits, line dancing, ten-gallon hats and hit songs such as ‘Tiny Bubbles’.

The Law Killers: True Crime from Dundee True crime from Dundee, covering the most fascinating and chilling cases from the last century.Every town has its monsters. But only when their rage explodes and unspeakable crimes are committed do we realise we hold them in our midst. Some are unpredictable psychopaths, others achieve notoriety after a moment of madness when a single out-of-character act changes their lives forever. One thing is for certain, homicide comes in many guises – the only thing most have in common is a corpse.

Vendetta: Turning Your Back on Crime Can Be Deadly Vendetta tells the astonishing inside story of what happened next to Paul Ferris. And it’s a story of international gangsters, hit contracts, murders, bank scams, Essex-boy torturers, corrupt politics, crack-head hit-men, knife duels, securi-wars, drugs, guns, Yardies, terrorists and more. In Vendetta, Paul Ferris slashes open the underbelly of Britain’s streets and exposes the dark forces that police them as well as revealing the truth about what really happened to him and about the conspiracies and corruption that won’t leave him alone.

The Thistle and the Rose: The Centuries Old Tale of Love and Hate Between Scots and English Scotland's leading commentator and novelist unveils for the first time the complex web of rivalry, collusion, affection and hostility that has bound the Scots and the English for 500 years The thorny relationship between the thistle and the rose has been central to our history since the first attempt at dynastic union, the Rough Wooing between Margaret Tudor and James IV. Scottish Books.

Buddha Da Anne Marie's Da, a Glaswegian painter and decorator, has always been game for a laugh. So when he first takes up meditation at the Buddhist Centre, no one takes him seriously, especially when his pursuit of the new lama ends in a trip round the Carmunnock bypass. But as Jimmy becomes more involved in a search for the spiritual, his beliefs start to come into conflict with the needs of his wife, Liz. Cracks appear in their apparently happy family life, and the ensuing events change the lives of each family member. Scottish Books.

Ian Rankin's personal guide through the places in Scotland that have provided him with the inspiration for the thrilling events in the Inspector Rebus novels.

A Picture of Britain A Picture of Britain is a celebration of the British landscape and the art that it has inspired, from Constable to Lowry, from Turner to Nash.

Haunted Scotland. Scotland's Castles. Phantom hounds, spectral pipers, eerie drumbeats in the night, green ladies, weeping stones, ancient curses, skeletons entombed in hidden dungeons, heads floating in air, screams of torture at midnight, ghouls and ghosts, even the Devil himself, they're all here in tales of terror conjured up from Haunted Scotland.

Coast Accompanying the BBC series, Coast is not only a superbly illustrated celebration of Britain s coastal areas but a practical guide to all that they have to offer.

Stone Of Destiny. Scotland's 'Stone of Destiny' is the most famous symbol of both Scottish nationhood and the British monarchy. Nick Aitchison has produced the first full-length, fully researched and fully illustrated study of its history, mythology and cultural significance.

Scotland Visitor Guides. Scotland is, quite simply, a wonderfully rewarding and diverse country to visit, encompassing everything from the rolling countryside of the Borders to the wild and weather-beaten islands that arc around its west and north coasts. Scottish Books.

Turning the Hiram Key invites readers to join a gripping journey of discovery to find the real secrets of Freemasonry. Robert Lomas, co-author of best-selling The Hiram Key, has finally tackled the big unanswered questions about The Brotherhood. What is the purpose of Freemasonry?

Scottish Explorers. For centuries Scots have been driven by an avid curiousity for far distant lands and life's mysteries. Their stories as are varied as the landscapes and countries they explored. Scottish Books.

Scotland From The Air. The Scots are not alone in thinking Scotland the most beautiful part of the British Isles, from the cosy, domesticated Lowlands to the rugged Highlands and Islands, from its vibrant and cosmopolitan cities to its great castles and stately homes. Jason Hawkes' breathtaking photographs capture from a unique angle the huge variety Scotland has to offer. Scottish Books.

The Wreckers. From the bestselling author of The Lightouse Stevensons, a gripping history of the drama and danger of wrecking since the eighteenth century, and the often grisly ingenuity of Scottish and British wreckers, scavengers of the sea. A fine wreck has always represented sport, pleasure, treasure, and in many cases, the difference between living well and just getting by. Scottish Books.

Scottish Battlefields. Scottish history has been shaped and defined by a series of great battles. From Mons Graupius to Culloden. For the military historian, Scotland is an example of how a small country can fight off domination by a far larger neighbour. From Celtic warfare to the feudal host to the professional border armies of the 18th century, from guerilla warfare to the pitched battle, from siege to Border revier, Scotland is unique in having had almost every major type of warfare taking place within it frontiers. Scottish Books.

Culzean castle on the Ayrshire coast is the most visited property of the National Trust for Scotland. Built in the late 16th century above a network of caves, the castle became a centre for smuggling during the 18th century.

Places Of Scotland. It is remarkable that in this age of information there is no up-to-date guide to the places of Scotland. That situation is about to be remedied with the publication of Scotland: An Encyclopedia of Places and Landscape, edited by Dr David Munro, Director of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Scottish Books.

The Glens Of Silence. The Glens Of Silence goes behind the brutal events of the Scottish Clearances to the emotions of the people, to give a voice to the silent dispossessed and to provide a visual record of the empty Scottish places once vibrant with thriving communities. Scottish Books.

Driving Tours Of Scotland. Everything You Need to See the Best of Scotland by Car. Scottish Books.

Scotlands Best Walks. This is a guide to Scotland''s best walks. From Scottish mountain, glen, drove road and seashore each Scottish walk is graded for length and difficulty. It is an essential guide for anyone who enjoys walking and for anyone with an interest in rural Scotland. Scottish Books.

Highland Railway. From the Inverness and Nairn Railway to Scotrail. The opening of the Inverness and Nairn Railway in 1855 was one of the most significant events in the history of the Highlands. It created new communities, led to the development of villages into towns and boosted agriculture and tourism. In this new book, published to mark the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Inverness and Nairn Railway. Scottish Books.

A Dictionary of Scottish Quotations A picture of Scottish culture and society through the words of its poets, novelists, dramatists, critics, historians, and men and women of letters who have written in English, Scots or Gaelic. The dictionary contains 4000 entries, extensive cross-references and information on sources.

The Great Glen Way. This updated guidebook contains all you need to plan and enjoy a holiday walking along Scotland's historic Great Glen. Scottish Books.

Lanark: Life in Four Books (Canongate Classics S.) From the moment it first appeared, Lanark was hailed as the most remarkable novel of the second half of the 20th century. A work of extraordinary imagination and wide range, its playful narrative techniques convey a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind's inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying. Scottish Books.

North Uist. Like all the Hebrides, North Uist has a fascinating history, and a landscape scattered with historic sites, from Neolithic burial chambers and Iron Age forts, though medieval churches and battle-sites, to townships forged in the days of kelp trade, and the subsequent traumas of clearance and emigration.

The Missing The Missing. This book, part autobiography, part inquiry into mystery, part social history, tries to find out how people can disappear without a trace, and looks at the impact these disappearances can have on communities.

The Speyside Way. Leading from the coast at Spey Bay and Buckie and covering 65 miles as it follows the Spey through to Aviemore, the Speyside Way is an introduction to one of the most beautiful areas of Scotland.

Alba. A group of distinguished Scottish medievalists examines various aspects of the history of Celtic or Gaelic-speaking Scotland from the sub-Roman period to the sixteenth century. Scottish Books. The Celts.

Jacobite Wars. The Jacobite rebellions of 1715 and 1745 occurred within the context of the 1707 Act of Union, acquiring the trappings of a national crusade to restore Scotland's independence. James Edward Stuart promised consistently to break the Union between Scotland and England if he became King.

The Cone-gatherers Set during World War II and on a large Scottish estate where two brothers, Calum and Neil, are employed as cone-gatherers, Robin Jenkins' novel is a powerful examination of good and evil and mankind's propensity for both.

The Road Riders Guide To Scotland. The only travel guides designed entirely for the motorcyclist. Detailed route plans are provided for over 40 of the most interesting roads for riding imaginable. Roads with scenery to take the breath away, roads to get your knees tingling, roads so twisty you'll want to go back and start again! Scottish Books.

The Rob Roy Way. This long-distance walk from Drymen to Pitlochry was developed by Rucksack Readers in partnership with walking enthusiasts. It runs for 79 miles (126 km) along some of Scotland's finest lochs and glens, using historic footpaths, a cycle route, forest tracks and some minor road. Scottish Books

Scapa Flow. At Scapa Flow on 21 June 1919, there occurred a very unusual event in naval history. The German Admiral in charge of 74 of his countries warships ordered that the fleet be scuttled. Scottish Books.

Highland Soldiers. The life of the Highland soldier between 1820 and 1920 and the pride and reputation that has made him so famous and respected through the years. While changes in the origins of the Highland soldiers have taken place, national loyalty, their unique uniform and music and the strong family nature of their regiments have all contributed to the particular character of the Highland battalions. Scottish Books.

Medieval Scotland. Of all the Celtic peoples once dominant across the whole of Europe north of the Alps, the Scots were the only ones who established a kingdom that lasted. Wales and Brittany, subject to the same sort of pressure from a powerful neighbour, retained linguistic distinctiveness but lost political nationhood.

The Southern Upland Way. Britain's first official coast-to-coast footpath from Portpatrick in the West to Cockburnspath in the east. Scottish Books

Discovering Scotland. Full, detailed mapping of Scotland, complete with guide information on places of tourist interest. The atlas and guide is divided into tourist regions and is fully colour coded to aid use. Full colour atlas of Scotland with brief descriptive text, information, websites and phone numbers for all the best places to visit. Scottish Books.

Living In The Highlands. A book which reflects the mix of tradition and style in the Scottish Highlands: tartans, tweeds and natural materials, sports, and dancing, fishing and stalking. Accompanied by stunning photographs.

Scotland The Wild Places. This latest collection of panoramic photographs by award-winning photographer Colin Prior celebrates the breathtaking scenery of Scotland's wildland areas. It follows the longstanding success of his earlier book Highland Wilderness. Scottish Books.

Knots And Crosses 'And in Edinburgh of all places. I mean, you never think of that sort of thing happening in Edinburgh, do you...?' 'That sort of thing' is the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls. And now a third is missing, presumably gone to the same sad end. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer. And then the messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses, taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve.

Handful of Rogues: Thomas Muir's Enemies of the People The 1790s were a turbulent decade in Europe. This age of revolution had repercussions in Scotland where the lawyer Thomas Muir of Huntershill led calls for democratic reform. The landowning establishment (land ownership was a requirement for the franchise) were a powerful minority and had virtual carte blanche from Westminster to deal with unrest. Rocked to their foundations they acted to crush democratic movements. This new book is a very readable account of this fascinating period in Scottish and European history. The author has researched previously unpublished papers which show the work of a network of government sanctioned spies. He points up the social and political context of the court trials of Thomas Muir and others and demonstrates the weight of political power against the serving of justice and of our understanding of Muir and the mood of the time across a wide cross-section of society.

Somerled. Through most of eight hundred years, Somerled of Argyll has been variously denounced as an intractable rebel against his rightful king and esteemed as the honoured ancestor of the later medieval Lord of the Isles, but he can be recognised now as a much more complex figure of major prominence in twelfth-century Scotland and of truly landmark significance in the long history of the Gael. Scottish Books.

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