Undiscovered Scotland

Edinburgh: The Autobiography by Alan Taylor (3 October 2024). (Amazon paid link.) From one of the earliest mentions of its name in the sixth century to the Covid lockdowns of the twenty-first, this is a magnificent portrait of one of the world’s great cities, from ‘Edinburgh, the sink of abomination’ to the Athens of the North and everything – including the home of the Enlightenment, the Festival City and a Mecca for tourists seeking tartan tat – in between. There are stories body snatching and murder, drunkenness and drug-taking, sex and shopping, as well rants against inclement weather and the city council.
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Edinburgh Reflections by Jack Gillon (15 June 2024). (Amazon paid link.) Edinburgh Reflections features a collection of historic and modern pictures that are individually merged to reveal how the area has changed over the decades. Each of the 180 pictures in this book combines a recent colour view of Edinburgh with the matching sepia archive scene. Through the split-image effect, readers can see how streets, buildings and everyday life have been transformed with the passing of time. This book will be of interest to residents, visitors, local historians, and all those with links to Edinburgh.
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Kilmarnock is the largest town in Ayrshire. Lost Kilmarnock by Frank Beattie (15 July 2024). (Amazon paid link.) Lost Kilmarnock presents a portrait of this town in Ayrshire over the last century to recent decades that has radically changed or disappeared today, showing not only industries and buildings that have gone but also people and street scenes, many popular places of entertainment and much more. This fascinating photographic history of lost Kilmarnock will appeal to all those who live in the area or know it well, as well as those who remember it from previous decades.
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Edinburgh: A New History by Alistair Moffat (3 October 2024). (Amazon paid link.) From prehistory to the present day, the story of Edinburgh is packed with incident and drama. As Scotland’s capital since 1437, the city has witnessed many of the key events which have shaped the nation. Alistair Moffat shows how the city has grown, changed and adapted over the centuries. He introduces Edinburgh’s famous places and people as well as the ordinary citizens who have contributed so much to the life of one of the world’s best-known and most beautiful cites.
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Beastly Edinburgh by Barclay Price (15 March 2022). (Amazon paid link.) The sight, sound and smell of animals are a part of the story of every great city – and are also part of its hidden history. The royal standard of Scotland features a lion rampant, and Edinburgh can trace its earliest depiction of the beast to the Roman occupation – long before Scotland evolved into a nation. As marks of prestige and respect, animals are highlighted in many public sculptures, bas-reliefs and other artworks throughout the city. This is the hidden history of Edinburgh's animals.
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Tyninghame: Landscapes and Lives by Judy Riley (5 May 2022). (Amazon paid link.) For many, Tyninghame on the beautiful East Lothian coast means beaches, sea birds and salt marshes. But this place was once an important monastic site that eventually became the seat of the earls of Haddington. In the early eighteenth century, its landscape was dramatically changed by a young woman, Lady Helen Hope. Judy Riley reveals a fascinating story, weaving together the different threads which make up this special place in a corner of East Lothian.
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The Royal Mile: A Comprehensive Guide by Jan-Andrew Henderson (15 May 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Everything you need to know. All the little closes, wynds and courts, that people often miss, with a handy rating guide to the most interesting ones, plus the significant buildings and monuments, noted pubs, restaurants and modern visitor attractions. It recounts the Mile’s long and spectacular history. It has evocative pictures, fun facts and even lists the Old Town’s notorious haunted sites. And it’s written by an award-winning novelist who spent more than twenty years working as a Royal Mile guide.
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Crucible of Conflict: Three Centuries of Border War by John Sadler (28 February 2023). (Amazon paid link.) For three savage centuries England and Scotland, both dynamic races, slogged it out upon this arena of nations. Scott might have reinvented the border as a sweep of chivalric romance, but the reality was very different. John Sadler knows this ground and its people; he is one of them. For half a century he has traversed the borderland, and has taught, enacted and written about them. In this book he offers a uniquely personal but highly informed view.
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Tweed Rins tae the Ocean by Alasdair Allan (29 September 2021). (Amazon paid link.) Alasdair Allan is the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (the Western Isles), and lives in the Isle of Lewis. Tweed rins tae the Ocean, however, is about the place he comes from originally - the Scottish Borders. The book follows an east to west coast walk by Allan and some friends, and gently explores the history, literature and language of what Allan contends is the oldest national land border in the world. This is a book that will challenge the preconceptions of many.
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At the Crossroads of Time: How a Small Scottish Village Changed History by Andrew C. Scott (15 February 2020). (Amazon paid link.) Unlike many other small villages in the UK, Lesmahagow has many claims to fame because of its location and geological heritage and due to many of its sometime residents having taken up influential roles. Andrew C. Scott’s family lived in the village for more than three centuries, and in this book he explores the fascinating story of this unassuming settlement. Given its extraordinary legacy, Lesmahagow may well claim to be a village that changed the world.
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A Sketchbook of Edinburgh by Iain Fraser & Anne Fraser Sim (17 August 2017). (Amazon paid link.) In this evocative book Iain and Anne Fraser take the reader, both visitor and resident, on a personal journey through the centre of one of the world's most unforgettable cities. Working with four talented local artists (Irina Cucu, Cat Outram, Keli Clark and Catherine Stevenson) they reflect the character and cultural history of Edinburgh through 80 pages and 150 beautiful and original illustrations.
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Duddingston: its story in 50 objects by Duddingston Conservation Society and Jacquetta Megarry (15 October 2019). (Amazon paid link.) Duddingston is less than two miles from central Edinburgh. Yet it has its own identity. It has several outstanding grade-A Listed buildings, including 12th century Duddingston Kirk and 18th century Duddingston House. It is also home to Scotland's oldest pub, the Sheep Heid. With over 100 photographs, a self-guided walking tour map and concise, readable text, this short book will reveal hidden secrets of a part of Edinburgh known to few.
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Going Underground: Edinburgh by Jan-Andrew Henderson (15 October 2022). (Amazon paid link.) Edinburgh has a fascinating ‘Underground City’, much of which is open to the public. Features include hidden passages and cellars, ancient buried streets, castle dungeons and escape tunnels, a warren of vaults and chambers under Edinburgh’s mighty bridges, abandoned or repurposed rail tunnels, and anomalies like the subterranean world of Gilmerton Cove. The author explores the world beneath Edinburgh in this pictorial guide.
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Edinburgh's Literary Heritage and How it Changed the World by Jan-Andrew Henderson (21 May 2021). (Amazon paid link.) Edinburgh has a literary tradition like no other. In 2004, the capital became the first ever UNESCO City of Literature and its book festival is the largest public celebration of the written word on the planet. But that is merely scratching the surface. For centuries, work written, set and published in the city, or directly influenced by Edinburgh, has changed the face of the world. This book tells the fascinating history of Edinburgh’s literary legacy, and shows where it can still be found.
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Exploring Glasgow: The Architectural Guide by Robin Ward (25 May 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Glasgow is one of the most architecturally exciting cities in the world, boasting a huge variety of building styles. There are grand Victorian public buildings as well as tower blocks, tenements, the Art Nouveau of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the quirky classicism of Alexander 'Greek' Thomson. This book illustrates and describes almost 500 buildings and structures, featured not only for their architectural excellence but also for their social and historical significance.
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The Hot Trod: A History of the Anglo-Scottish Border by John Sadler (15 November 2022). (Amazon paid link.) As a borderer and historian John Sadler is uniquely qualified to examine the border from Roman times to today. He’s been here all his life, read about their wild inhabitants, traversed every inch and studied every castle, bastle, tower and battlefield. The story of the borderlands is tempestuous, bloody and fascinating. And a ‘Hot Trod’? If your cattle were stolen there was a legal requirement to pursue the rustlers within six days, otherwise you’re on a less enforceable Cold Trod.
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Edinburgh at Work: People and Industries Through the Years by Malcolm Fife (15 April 2018). (Amazon paid link.) Edinburgh at Work explores the working life of this great city, from humble beginnings to its current status as the UK’s second financial centre after London and the fourth largest in Europe. In a fascinating series of photographs and illustrations it looks at the consequences of rapid urbanisation, the rise in the city’s economic fortunes through the nineteenth century, the growth of tourism from the postwar period and the opening of the Scottish Parliament.
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Secret Dumfries by Mary Smith & Keith Kirk (15 June 2018). (Amazon paid link.) Dumfries, in south-west Scotland, has a long history. However, as with most places there are more than a few secrets hidden away. First referred to as the Queen of the South by local poet David Dunbar in 1857, the name stuck and was later adopted by the local football team. Darker aspects of the town’s history include the burning of nine witches on the Whitesands in 1659. Local author Mary Smith and photographer Keith Kirk take the reader on a fascinating journey through the town’s past.
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The Graveyards and Cemeteries of Edinburgh by Charlotte Golledge (15 February 2020). (Amazon paid link.) In medieval Edinburgh the dead were buried in the city's churchyards, with internment in the church reserved for the wealthy, but in the post-Reformation years both rich and poor were buried in the grounds of the churches. By the nineteenth century the city centre churchyards were overcrowded and new outer town cemeteries created. In this book local historian Charlotte Golledge takes readers on a tour through the history of Edinburgh's burial grounds
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Only In Edinburgh: A Guide to Unique Locations, Hidden Corners & Unusual Objects by Duncan J. D. Smith (11 March 2019). (Amazon paid link.) A comprehensive illustrated guide to more than 100 fascinating and unusual historical sites in the Scottish capital, including secret gardens and haunted theatres, mysterious monuments and unexpected underworlds, industrial relics and unusual places of worship. From historic homes and ruined churches to an Art Deco petrol station and a library for poets.
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Giants of the Clyde: The Great Ships and the Great Yards by Robert Jeffrey (30 May 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Around the world "Clyde-built" is recognised as the ultimate shipbuilding accolade. As late as the 1950s, around a seventh of the total of the world's sea going tonnage was built on the Clyde. From the many yards on its banks, north and south came iconic names in shipping: vessels like the Cutty Sark, warships like the mighty Hood, and the cream of the world's great liners. This is the fascinating, often turbulent, story of a great river, its great ships and the folk who built them.
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Edinburgh: Mapping the City by Chris Fleet & Daniel MacCannell (16 October 2014). (Amazon paid link.) Maps can tell much about the story of a place. This lavishly illustrated book features 71 maps of Edinburgh which have been selected for the particular stories they reveal about the political, commercial and social life of Scotland and her capital.
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Secret Peebles by Liz Hanson (15 June 2017). (Amazon paid link.) The history of Peebles spans nine centuries, so there is a wealth of history in which to delve for nuggets of interest. David I of Scotland used to visit Peebles Castle in the late 1100s to hunt, the parish church of St Andrew was founded in 1195, and the town was made into a royal burgh by David II in 1367. In the sixteenth century, the town was surrounded by a wall with defensive bastel houses, remains of which can still be seen. Traces of the town’s fascinating history are visible to the enquiring eye and this book uncovers them.
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Lothian & Berwickshire Coast by Keith Fergus (10 April 2014). (Amazon paid link.) 60 walks, including varied and family oriented day walks of 2 to 9 miles exploring Scotland's south-east coast. and day-stages of the Berwickshire Coastal Trail and John Muir Way. Routes begin at Bo'ness on the River Forth and continue east to Dunbar. The Berwickshire coast is then followed to Berwick-upon-Tweed.
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An Ayrshire Postcard Album by Frank Beattie (9 March 2011). (Amazon paid link.) This book illustrates Ayrshire's diverse communities with a collection of rare postcards, many from Frank Beattie s collection, others donated from institutions across the county. They include images of ancient castles, great mansions, humble cottages, village streets, and working people.
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Greenock & Gourock Through Time by Bill Clark & Gaie Brown (6 November 2012). (Amazon paid link.) The former shipbuilding centres of Greenock and Gourock sit on the coastal strip, offering breathtaking views north to the Argyll Hills and Scottish Highlands. Many of the historical attractions in these town's, the museums and galleries, stately homes and castles, celebrate the area's influential maritime history and industrial past.
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Greyfriars Bobby: The Most Faithful Dog in the World by Jan Bondeson (7 November 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Although Greyfriars Bobby has been dead for nearly a century and a half, this extraordinary dog has yet to find his biographer. Much fiction has been based on the myth, but no historian has investigated the authenticity of his story, and sift the facts from a century of exaggeration and legend.
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Enlightenment Edinburgh, A Guide by Sheila Szatkowski (29 June 2017). (Amazon paid link.) During the 18th century, Edinburgh was the intellectual hub of the Western world. This had its physical embodiment in the New Town and the great civic improvements in the old medieval city. In this informative and highly illustrated guide Sheila Szatkowski introduces the noteworthy buildings and people of 18th- and early 19th-century Edinburgh. It is a celebration of how topography and cultural achievement came together to create Edinburgh.
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Annandale Way by Roger Turnbull and Jacquetta Megarry (13 March 2017). (Amazon paid link.) The Annandale Way is a charming long walk in a little-known, but very accessible, part of southern Scotland. Walked southward from source to the sea, it starts in the sheep town of Moffat, and runs for 56 miles (90 km) via Lochmaben, with superb views from the top of Almagill Hill. A slightly shorter branch of the route goes via Lockerbie and Eskrigg Nature Reserve. The two branches rejoin north of Annan to reach the Solway Firth at Newbiebarns.
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The Scottish Shale Oil Industry & Mineral Railway Lines by Harry Knox (20 February 2013). (Amazon paid link.) This magnificent book tells the story of the Scottish Shale Oil Industry. This was to prove a world first, where mineral oils were produced for the first time from the oilbearing shale lying below the county of West Lothian. The result was to transform the landscape, and leave a legacy which in places still remains on view today.
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The Story of Calton Jail, Edinburgh's Victorian Prison by Malcolm Fife (6 January 2016). (Amazon paid link.) Close to Edinburgh's Princes Street, the castellated design of Calton Prison was often mistaken by nineteenth-century visitors to the city for Edinburgh Castle. Occupying a prominent site on the rocky slope of Calton Hill, the then largest jail in Scotland was constructed to replace the ageing tolbooth and soon became the region's main correction facility.
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Forth to Farne Way: North Berwick to Lindisfarne by John Henderson and Jacquetta Megarry (1 December 2020). (Amazon paid link.) This inspiring 70-mile pilgrim route starts from North Berwick east of Edinburgh, and continues via Whitekirk's 12th century church to Dunbar. It follows the North Sea coastline to St Abb's Head and visits Coldingham Priory. Enjoy impressive cliffs and dramatic sea stacks between visits to historic fishing villages. After Berwick, the route culminates with a barefoot crossing of the Holy Island sands to Lindisfarne, where St Aidan founded a monastery in AD 635.
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This Road is Red by Alison Irvine (1 March 2011). (Amazon paid link.) It is 1964. Red Road is rising out of the fields. To the families who move in, it is a dream and a shining future. It is 2010. The Red Road Flats are scheduled for demolition. Inhabited only by intrepid asylum seekers and a few stubborn locals, the once vibrant scheme is tired and out of time. Between these dates are the people who filled the flats with laughter, life and drama.
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Edinburgh History Tour by Liz Hanson (15 August 2018). (Amazon paid link.) The profile of Edinburgh was born of a marriage between nature’s sculpture and man’s architecture. Edinburgh History Tour is a fascinating insight into the illustrious history of Scotland’s capital, its well-known streets and famous faces, and explains what they meant to local people throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. Readers are invited to follow a timeline of events and watch the changing face of Edinburgh as author Liz Hanson guides us through its streets.
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Calton Hill: And the plans for Edinburgh's Third New Town by Kirsten Carter McKee (6 September 2018). (Amazon paid link.) Calton Hill stands on the eastern edge of Edinburgh's centre. Development began in the late eighteenth century with the intention of changing the rural periphery into the new urban core of the city. This book considers how the architectural expression of Calton Hill has been perceived, accepted and rejected as ideas surrounding cultural identity, governance and nationalism have changed over the last 200 years.
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The Silent Traveller in Edinburgh by Chiang Yee (6 June 2019). (Amazon paid link.) Chiang Yee was, in his own words, 'dazzled' by the Scottish capital. From the Meadows to Princes Street, from Arthur's Seat to Calton Hill and Edinburgh Castle, he paints an unforgettable picture of the city and its people in the 1940s. Writing with wry humour, he broadens our perspective of familiar sights and customs, introduces us to Confucian philosophy and Chinese poetry, corrects cultural misconceptions, and encourages us to appreciate life.
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Phillimore's Edinburgh by Jan Bondeson (15 July 2018). (Amazon paid link.) In his day, Reginald P. Phillimore (1855–1941) was one of Britain’s leading postcard artists. Although some of his Edinburgh postcards are easy to come by, others are exceedingly rare. Phillimore’s Edinburgh makes use of his ninety-five Edinburgh postcards, with explanatory text and a few supplementary illustrations. It presents a unique picture of the great city and will appeal both to those who know and love Edinburgh and to postcard collectors.
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Glasgow Smells Better by Michael Meighan (25 February 2011). (Amazon paid link.) Recalling the successful Glasgow Smiles Better campaign of the 1980s, Michael Meighan restarts his journey begun in his previous book Glasgow Smells. He takes us on a new trip through Glasgow of the 1970s and 80s and revisits it in present times.
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Edinburgh in the 1950s: Ten Years the Changed a City by Jack Gillon, David McLean & Fraser Parkinson (28 April 2014). (Amazon paid link.) Beautifully illustrated with many previously unpublished photographs, Edinburgh in the 1950s provides an exceptional insight into a time now acknowledged as the end of an era in Edinburgh for good and for bad, and a turning point that has led to the city we see today.
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Kilmarnock The Postcard Collection by Frank Beattie (15 July 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Located in the heart of Ayrshire, Kilmarnock was once considered its industrial powerhouse. In 1812 Kilmarnock was linked to the new harbour at Troon by railway. This established Kilmarnock as an engineering centre, which led to new companies being formed from the old cottage industries. In this book local journalist, historian and author Frank Beattie explores the town’s past through a collection of vintage and modern postcards that help to tell the story of his home town.
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Edinburgh's Leith Docks 1970-80: The Transition Years by Malcolm Fife (15 May 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Leith has been Edinburgh’s main port since the Middle Ages. It dates back to the twelfth century. Modern Leith docks took shape in the nineteenth century with the construction of stone quays and breakwaters. The port was transformed in 1969 when a large state-of-the-art sea lock was installed, transforming the tidal harbour into a deep-water docks. Its fortunes were further boosted with the discovery of oil in the southern North Sea.
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Glasgow: The Autobiography by Alan Taylor (1 September 2016). (Amazon paid link.) This book tells the story of the fabled, former Second City of the British Empire from its origins as a bucolic village on the rivers Kelvin and Clyde, through the Industrial Revolution to the dawning of the current millennium. Arranged chronologically and introduced by journalist and Glasgowphile Alan Taylor, the book includes extracts from an astonishing array of writers..
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Edinburgh in 50 Buildings by Jack Gillon (15 September 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Edinburgh has a proud and distinctive identity. Its extraordinary history is embodied in the many fine buildings that have shaped it. This book explores the history of the city through a selection of its greatest architectural treasures. From the elegance of the Georgian New Town to the controversial Parliament building, this unique study celebrates the city’s architectural heritage. Jack Gillon guides the reader around the city’s historic buildings and modern architectural marvels.
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The Crinan Canal by Marian Pallister (16 June 2016). (Amazon paid link.) Known as 'Britain's most beautiful shortcut', the Crinal Canal runs from Ardrishaig on Loch Fyne nine miles across the Kintyre peninsula to the west coast of Scotland. This boo tells the story of the canal from its origins to the present day, discussing how it was built, who built it, how it changed life in the surrounding areas, and how it has been used.
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Edinburgh Through Time by Liz Hanson (16 October 2012). (Amazon paid link.) The unique profile of Edinburgh was born of a marriage between rock and architecture. The epicentre is Castle Rock which constantly draws the eye from all parts of the city. Sloping down from it is a jagged outline of impossibly high medieval tenements lining the Royal Mile. This volume has a fascinating collection of new and old photographs showing how the city has changed.
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Glasgow The Postcard Collection by Adam Smith (15 June 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Once a relatively small rural settlement on the River Clyde, Glasgow expanded dramatically over the centuries to become the largest city in Scotland. In Victorian times Glasgow was recognised as the ‘Second City of the British Empire’, while today it is one of the top ten financial centres in Europe. Glasgow: The Postcard Collection takes the reader on a nostalgic journey back through Glasgow’s past in a vibrant selection of old picture postcards, offering a pictorial history of this great city.
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Carstairs: Hospital for Horrors by David Leslie (5 October 2015). (Amazon paid link.) Carstairs is a hospital like no other. Effectively a prison for some of the most violent and insane criminals in our society, it houses men who have committed the most horrific and frightening crimes imaginable. David Leslie examines the history of the institution, the crimes that have led patients to be sent there and highlights the risks of the brave and dedicated staff who work there.
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Edinburgh Street Furniture by David Brandon (1 June 2011). (Amazon paid link.) Edinburgh is now and indeed has for long been a city of stark juxtapositions and piquant contrasts. Historically it was a place of outstanding learning and culture, and yet it has on occasions witnessed uncontrolled mob violence and savagery and the commission of crimes of such a bizarre nature that they pushed back the boundaries of what was known or thought possible.
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Glasgow: The Real Mean City by Malcolm Archibald (11 April 2013). (Amazon paid link.) There cannot be many cities where crime could mean anything from stealing a ship to singing a seditious song, but 19th century Glasgow was a unique place. Immigrants poured in from Ireland and the Highlands while the factories and shipyards buzzed with innovation. However, underneath the bustle a diverse criminal class worked with total disregard for the law.
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The Faded Map: The Story of the Lost Kingdoms of Scotland by Alistair Moffat (1 August 2010). (Amazon paid link.) The book brings to vivid life the this little known period of Scottish history: the half-forgotten kings and kingdoms of southern and central Scotland, from the time of the Romans to the Dark Ages and into the early medieval period.
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Castle Douglas Through Time by Mary Smith & Allan Devlin (15 March 2017). (Amazon paid link.) The market town of Castle Douglas is relatively new, though the area has been inhabited from prehistoric times and the Romans had a military base close by. In the fourteenth century, Archibald the Grim, the 3rd Earl of Douglas, built Threave Castle nearby. Industries and the railways came and went. All these changes are recorded in this series of new and old photographs of Castle Douglas.
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The Barlinnie Story by Robert Jeffrey (4 August 2011). (Amazon paid link.) Barlinnie is one of the most notorious prisons in the world and for a hundred years it has held Glasgow's toughest and most violent men, swept up from the city streets. Ten men died on its gallows in the infamous Hanging Shed. It has sparked rooftop protests and cell block riots, and been home to godfathers of crime: and was the scene of the controverisal Special Unit.
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Selkirk & Melrose Through Time by Jack Gillon (15 September 2017). (Amazon paid link.) Selkirk obtained its original charter in the twelfth century and it is one of the oldest burghs in Scotland. The town’s development was based around the woollen industry. The picturesque town of Melrose is the location of Melrose Abbey, one of the most beautiful monastic ruins in Britain. It is also the site of the burial of the heart of Scottish King Robert the Bruce. Sir Walter Scott also has close associations with the Melrose area and his home at Abbotsford is a much-visited tourist attraction.
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Hawick & District From Old Photographs by Alistair Redpath (15 June 2015). (Amazon paid link.) For a place of its size, Hawick has been home to an extraordinary wealth of talented photographers. Up to the current digital age, the 'grey auld toon' has been the subject of many fine snapshots - each capturing a unique moment in local history. This book aims to provide an insight into the past, by uncovering history through old photographs.
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Edinburgh Murders and Misdemeanours by David Brandon & Alan Brooke (1 March 2010). (Amazon paid link.) A look at the dark side of life, Victorian-style. Murderers, poachers, thieves, pickpockets and vagabonds all went about their business with impunity. Crime took place on the streets, on public transport, in homes, pubs, prisons, asylums, workhouses and brothels: it was all part of everyday life in Edinburgh in the late 1800s.
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The Waverley Route Through Time by Roy Perkins & Iain Macintosh (14 November 2012). (Amazon paid link.) The Waverley Route ran from Edinburgh, through the Scottish Borders to Carlisle. Opening in 1862, the line was closed in 1969. However part of the line is due to re-open from Edinburgh to Galashiels. This book sets out a collection of old and new photographs, showing how the route of the line has changed over time.
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Glasgow Central Station Through Time by Michael Meighan (16 April 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Originally opened in August 1879, Central Station became a Glasgow landmark and one of Scotland's great buildings following a rebuild between 1901 and 1905 supervised by engineer Donald Matheson. The Edwardian ticket offices and information building still survive, as does the Central Hotel.
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The Pentland Hills: The Definitive Guide to High and Low Level Walks in the Pentland Hills by Rab Anderson (April 2011). (Amazon paid link.) This is a highly detailed and superbly illustrated guidebook to walking in the splendid Pentland Hills. 60 varied walks have been carefully selected and described ranging from low level strolls to lengthier, more challenging hill walks.
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Picturing Scotland: Arran & Ayrshire: From Scotland in Miniature to Burns' Country and Beyond by Colin Nutt (27 April 2012). (Amazon paid link.) This book takes the reader on a photograhpic journey around Arran and Ayrshire in a new collection of 84 pictures, most of which have been taken especially for the purpose. The first half of the book looks at Arran, while the rest covers Ayrshire.
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Bloody Scottish History: Edinburgh by Geoff Holder (1 October 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Did you know that Lord Drumlanrig once roasted a servant on a spit; that Station Road used to be called 'Cut-Throat Lane'; that one Edinburgh hangman was a murderer in his spare time? Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with one of the darkest histories on record. Riots, murders, sieges and the bull's head that sparked a clan massacre, read it if you dare!
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Not a Guide to Edinburgh by Bruce Durie & Carolyn Becket (1 June 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Home to more festivals than any city could reasonably handle, Edinburgh manages to be at once stylish and raffish, historic and bang up-to-date. There is architecture, history, castles, palaces, museums, art galleries, theatre, great shopping, countryside and beaches...But there is even more to Edinburgh than that. This book tells all!
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Northern Argyll, a Pictorial Souvenir (Hardback) by Colin Nutt (30 April 2010). (Amazon paid link.) This lovely little book is part of the Pictorial Souvenir series from Ness Publishing. The photographs that make up Northern Argyll, A Pictorial Souvenir are very good, and the care that has clearly gone into selecting a set that are varied in approach and which show off the best that the area has to offer is impressive.
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Round Eyemouth, A Guide for Visitors and Locals (Paperback) by Alan Dearling and Oliver Carfrae (30 Mar 2010) A charming book whose focus is very much on the fishing port of Eyemouth, but whose coverage extends well beyond, making it a useful guide for anyone interested in, or visiting, a chunk of the east coast of Scotland and England.
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Edinburgh Airport Through Time by Peter C. Brown (22 October 2013). (Amazon paid link.) The land around Turnhouse Farm was converted to a military airfield in 1916. The site served as a base for fighter squadrons defending Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth in WW2. Edinburgh Corporation first expressed interest in February 1944 in operating civilian flights from Turnhouse and it is now a hugely successful international airport.
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Lost Edinburgh by Hamish Coghill (November 2004). (Amazon paid link.) Over the centuries many of Edinburgh's fine buildings have gone. Invasion and civil strife played their part. Some simply collapsed of old age and neglect, others were swept away in the 'improvements' of the nineteenth century. Yet more fell to the developer...
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Portobello and the Great War by Archie Foley and Margaret Munro (6 September 2013). (Amazon paid link.) The story of wartime Portobello makes for fascinating reading. This book documents the impact of the First World War on day-to-day life in Portobello, including old photographs to show how the conflict left its mark on the people and places around the area, and personal diary entries from the era.
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Kilmarnock Through Time by Frank Beattie (3 April 2012). (Amazon paid link.) For centuries Kilmarnock was little more than a large village, a market town for a large rural area. It was an area rich in resources and the enterprising people of the town made the best of what they had. Kilmarnock Through Time takes an affectionate and nostalgic look at the people and events which have made the town what it is today.
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Borders: Buildings of Scotland: Pevsner Buildings of Scotland (7 Feb 2006). (Amazon paid link.) This is the ninth volume of the Pevsner Architectural Guides to the Buildings of Scotland, and it makes a fascinating addition to the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in Scotland's buildings or in the Borders.
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Peebles Through Time by Liz Hanson (26 July 2011). (Amazon paid link.) Peebles has much to offer both tourists and residents. Some remnants of its past are easily seen such as the thirteenth century Neidpath Castle; others remain only as traces, like the east port of the sixteenth-century town wall. This collection of photographs portrays some of the changes that have taken place to Peebles and its environs as the town has developed and grown.
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The Kilmarnock Fact Book by Frank Beattie (18 February 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Frank Beattie has tapped into the rich history of history of his native Kilmarnock and has brought together a wide selection of fantastic facts, which cover not just the nationally important events such as one of the world's first timetabled railway passenger services, but the quirky as well: like the town's odd timing of Halloween.
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Hawick Through Time by Alistair Redpath (28 May 2014). (Amazon paid link.) Nestled in the rolling Border hills, at the meeting of the River Teviot and Slitrig Water, Hawick was founded as a settlement in Norman times, it has survived English invasions, the lawlessness of the Border Reivers and the advent of the Industrial Revolution. This rich and vibrant heritage is shown to great effect in this "then and now" photographic book.
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Border Reiver 1513-1603 by Keith Durham and Gerry Embleton (10 March 2011). (Amazon paid link.) Stretching from the North Sea to the Solway Firth, the Border region has a sharply diverse landscape and was a battleground for over 300 years as the English and Scottish monarchs did little to discourage their subjects to conduct raids across their respective borders.
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Glasgow A History by Michael Meighan (17 December 2013). (Amazon paid link.) The story of Glasgow, from its drumlin days in the Ice Age to the growth of the Church, its industries, its people and the phenomenal expansion of the Victorian era to become the second city of the Empire, producing ships, locomotives, cars and heavy engineering for the world. And the legacy it has left in the modern vibrant city we find today.
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Cramond Through Time by John Dods & William Scholes (21 September 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Cramond is situated in the north-west of Edinburgh, where the River Almond flows into the Firth of Forth. Here, at the close of the last ice age, hunter-gatherers frequented the raised beach, and man has left his mark ever since. This fascinating visual journey through time will surprise and delight anyone who knows and loves the area.
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Not a Guide to Glasgow by Bruce Durie (1 August 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Did you know? Glasgow is Scotland's largest urban economy and one of the fastest growing cities in the UK. This engaging little book is packed full of insider knowledge, facts, figures and the secrets of a city which boasts more comedians than Liverpool, more engineers than Birmingham, better education than Oxford and fabulous Victorian and Georgian architecture.
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The Little Book of Glasgow by Geoff Holder (1 October 2011). (Amazon paid link.) An intriguing fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no one will want to be without. Here we find out about the city's most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts.
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Lost Glasgow (Paperback) by Carol Foreman (May 2003). (Amazon paid link.) In this informative and book, Carol Foreman traces Glasgow's history primarily though buildings which have been demolished, but which played a central part in the city's story.
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A Look Back at Cumnock by Dane Love (16 December 2010). (Amazon paid link.) The changes taking place in Cumnock over the years have meant that much of the heritage and history of the town has been lost, and in many cases almost forgotten. This little book takes a fond look back at the town and its parish, with a variety of old pictures and views of streets and places.
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Lost Ayrshire (Paperback) by Dane Love (21 Sep 2006). (Amazon paid link.) Over the centuries countless buildings have been erected and demolished, and this informative and beautifully illustrated book looks at a wide selection of these, from castles that have been destroyed or replaced to country houses that have succumbed due to dry rot or lack of funds.
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Mair Weegie Wan-Liners by Ian Black (3 October 2013). (Amazon paid link.) Mair Weegie Wan-Liners is yet another culling by Ian Black, he of the casual insults, slanders and outright naked threats repeated in his native city. You will laugh, you may well cry, you will repeat them, you will also learn to do a quick sidestep, or you may well find yourself the recipient of a faceful of dandruff. Use these words with care.
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Glasgow with a Flourish by Michael Meighan (12 October 2011). (Amazon paid link.) Glasgow is a great city. Struck by the large number of Glaswegians who have contributed to this greatness but are no longer remembered, Michael Meighan set out to correct this by producing short biographies of a few of these great people, hugely famous in their time and now all but forgotten.
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Scotland's Countryside Parks: Volume 2: Edinburgh & East by Tom Prentice (20 May 2013). (Amazon paid link.) 60 varied walks of 2 to 7 miles, mostly accessible by public transport and close to urban centres such as Edinburgh, Dundee & Aberdeen. Among the parks included are Beecraigs, Almondell & Calderwood, John Muir, Pentland Hills and Lomond Hills Regional Parks, Lochore Meadows, Camperdown & Clatto, Crathes Castle, Haddo House and Aden.
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Scotland's Countryside Parks: Volume 1: West by Tom Prentice (30 April 2012). (Amazon paid link.) Subtitled "60 Walks in Scotland's Country Parks, Country Estates & Regional Parks" this book sets out 60 varied walks varying in length from 2 to 7 miles in countryside parks mostly accessible by public transport and close to urban centres across the western side of Scotland.
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