The Scottish Radiance Book Shelf

Scotland's First Settlers
by Caroline Wickham-Jones

The earliest people of Scotland arrived during the stone age, some nine thousand years ago, after the last glaciation, once the land was freed from ice and the climate had warmed. They were nomads who hunted, fished and gathered from the coasts, rivers, forests and moorlands, and their way of life persisted for a least four millennia before the establishment of settled farming. Caroline Wickham-Jones discusses the evidence that exists for this distant remains is put together with environmental and geomorpholocial evidence to look at such things as: the contemporary landscape of Scotland, the origins of the early settlers, how people used the resources of the environment, and what remains have survived.

She shows what can still be seen today, what the early sites might have looked like, and how they are found and studies. She uses all the evidence to reconstruct the lives of these ancient people - the houses they lived in, the tools they used, the clothes they wore, what they believed in and how they buried their dead. The result is a popular account of the current knowledge of Scotland's early settlers.

History/People * 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 * pb * 128 pp * b/w illustrations * ISBN 0 7134 737 1 1

Price £15.99 plus shipping and handling

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Scotch Whisky: Its Past and Present
by David Daiches

David Daiches combines a social and economic history with personal tasting notes as she delves into the histories of distilleries and questions stillmen, maltmen and brewers on the history of our national drink.

History/People * 192 pp * ISBN 1 874744 36 X

Price $14.95
This book is out of print. If you are interested in our looking for a used copy you can notify us here.

The Scots and Their Fish & The Scots and Their Oats

Two hugely popular books, now in their fifth reprinting. Each takes a funny yet informative look at the history and culture of the Scots - The Scots and Their Oats through food, and Scots and Their Fish through one of the oldest industries.

Richly illustrated throughout and containing many delicious recipes, these are truly charming books.

History/ People * 196 x 126 mm * b/w illustrations * 128 pp

ISBN 1 874744 81 5 (Fish)
Price £ 5.99
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ISBN 1 874744 80 7 (Oats)
Price £ 5.99
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The Scots in America 1540 - 1940
by Jim Hewistson

"There can be no doubt that the stelly determination of the Scots helped give shape and form to the most powerful nation on arth with all its contradictions where, it has been said, when things are good they're very good and when they're bad they'r diabolical. - The Herald

In 1540 Tam Blake, mercenary and adventurer, became the first Scot in the New World. Since then, American-Scots have played central roles in all areas of American history. Three became indian chiefs. Presidents of Scottish descent includ Jackson, Grant, Roosevelt and Reagan. Imported Scottish innovatin appear in Alexaner Graham Bell's telephone, Samuel Morse's telegraph and code. John Muir "invented" conservation. Dumferline-born Andrew Carnegie used his industrial empire to create a legacy of libraries and charities.

Jim Hewiston documents the lives of settlers and their descendents; transported prisoners, refugees from clearances, poverty and repression, emigrants in search of land, fame or fortune, or those just trying to avoid having to milk the cows.

History/People * 288 pp * pb * ISBN 0 86241 559 4

Price $16.95 plus shipping and handling
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Scottish Customs
by Sheila Livingstone

A compendium of customs observed by our forefathers and the origins of these customs where known. "a mine of information ... well researched and supported by illustrative quotations from contemporary sources..."

History/People * pb * 160 pp * ISBN 1 874744 41 6

Price £ 6.99
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This book is currently out of print.

Scottish Endings:
Writings on Death

Edited by Andrew Martin
Introduction by James Robertson

Ghosts, murders, epitaphs and executions! From prehistoric times to the present day, from Greyfriars Bobby to Burke and Hare, a wealth of information, history and anecdotes on the fascinating topics of Death. Tales of princes and paupers, in Scotland and in foreign field, stories of funeral feasts and customs, extraordinary burial arrangements. Contributions from Burns, Scot, Stevenson, and many others, with famous last words and epitaphs - such as this tragic one from Edinburgh graveyard: Erected to the Memory of John Mcfarlane Drown'd in the Water of Leith by a few affectionate friends.

A more detailed review can be found here.

History/People * 230 c 178 mm * pb * 128 pp 15 colour 30 b/w * ISBN 0 948636 86 6

Price $15.95 plus shipping and handling

Scottish Folklore
By Raymond Lamont-Brown

Scotland has some of the riches and most varied folklore in the world, influenced by the Celts, Picts, the Scots, the Vikings and the Anglo-Saxons. This book provides an A - Z of locations throughout the Scotland and folklore associated with each place.

History/People * pb* 154 pp * ISBN 1 874744 58 0

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Scottish Forenames
by Donald Whyte

The most detailed book available on Scottish forenames, giving origins and meanings for hundreds of names. From Alexander the Great and Marie Antoinette to Agatha Christie and Sean Connery, this book details the famous and infamous men and women who have given names popularity or notoriety in Scotland through the centuries.

History/People * pb * 206 pp * ISBN 1 874744 72 6

Price £ 6.99

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Scottish Highlanders
by James Hunter

Right across the world there are people who think of themselves as Scottish Highlanders, people who, though they may be separated from Scotland's hills and glens by many thousands of miles and several generations still identify with this unique locality on the western edge of Europe.

Examining their roots, their contribution to Scotland evolutions, their dispersal across the globe and they myths surrounding them, James Hunter sets out to explore and explain the passions and emotions surrounding the Scottish Highlanders.

Ranging far and wide, his search for Highland origins begins nearly two thousand years ago in Ireland. It deals with the monks who brought Christianity from the Hebrides to much of Britain, with Viking warriors who so terrorised Scotland's islands, with the Lordship of the Isles which, in the Middle Ages, was a Gaelic kingdom in its own right.

Here you will find the story of how the Gaels, the Scottish Highlanders, came to be marginalised in he country they had made; the history of their many risings and rebellions; the tragedy of their final defeat at Culloden; the tale of their betrayal by those chieftains who, in the nineteenth century, expelled thier own clansfolk to make way for sheep.

James Hunter's "Scottish Highlanders" is a challenging and evocative perspective on a classic theme.

History/People * 8 x 11 * 192 page * 18 b/w, 36 color photos * ISBN 1851584439

This paper back book is available for £14.99 plus shipping/handling (Notice: cost is in pound sterling not US dollars like most of our other books). Order If you want to pay with cash or call in the order go here.

The Scottish Home
Edited by Annette Carruthers

"A fascinating foray through the keyhole of history" - Dundee Courier
"The nearest literary establishment has to The Home Show" - The Herald

Thatched croft, baronial castle, Glasgow's Gorbals, Edinburgh's New Town: familiar images of the Scottish home. This book reveals the diversity of Scottish houses and the ways Scots have lived in them. The story is supplemented by paintings, inventories and oral history, to explore a subject never fully examined before. This splendidly - illustrated never room by room account shows the home as a place of shelter, for sleeping and eating, for birth and death, and a focus for the expression of social status, personal values and creativity.

Our homes are a consuming interest for most of us. This is a book full of intriguing insights, shedding new light on a territory we thought we knew well.

History/People * 280 x 216 mm * 30 colour illustrations, 170 b/w

pb * ISBN 0 948636 85 8 Price £14.99 plus shipping and handling

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Scottish Journey
by Edwin Muir

First published in 1935 "Scottish Journey" is a preceptive, subtle and beautifully written account by one of Scotland's greatest modern writers of prose and poetry. Edwin Muir's journey took him form Edinburgh to the lowlands, to Glasgow and the Highlands, and the book, while a masterpiece of travel writing is alos a guest for the real nature of Scottish identity. I.C. Simon writes in his introduction to this edition. "Edwin Muir's "Scottish Journey" has the clarity and impact of a brillant photograph. As s traveller's account it belongs to a genre familiar in writing about Scotland for centuries, and comprehending such master pieces as the Dr. Johnson and the Wordsworth. For writing of this land it has no rival. Muir held up a mirror to the faces of Scotland all those years ago. It is frightening to see so many recognisable features lingering in its glass.

Life/Travel * 5 x 8 * pb * 250 pp * ISBN 1 85158 841 8

Price $17.95

This paper back book is available for £5.99 plus shipping/handling (Notice: cost is in pound sterling not US dollars like most of our other books). Order If you want to pay with cash or call in the order go here.

Scotch Obsessions
Brian D. Osborne & Ronald Armstrong

An original, witty and occasionally controversial investigation into the beliefs, passions and phobias which have formed and influenced the Scottish character throughout the centuries.

History/People * pb * 208 pp * ISBN 1 874744 68 8

Price £ 6.99

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Scottish Placenames
by Iain Taylor

A dictionary of over 5000 Scottish placenames including the meaning and origin of each name. This is the only book available to emphasize and detail the Gaelic origins of many Scottish placenames.

History/Places * 198 x 129 mm * pb * 160 pp * ISBN 1 874744 52 1

Price $18.95

Price $13.95 plus shipping and handling. You can order this book from them by going to here. If you would like to use cash or call in your oder please go here.

Scottish Prehistory
by Richard Oram

The most up to date book available on the archaeology of prehistoric Scotland, from the seventh millennium B. C., through the Neolithic period and the Bronze age, the emergence of the early historic kingdoms after the Celtic Iron Age.

History/Places * 198 x 129 mm * 16 b/w plates, maps and site plans * 256 pp * ISBN 1 874744 69 6

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Scottish Proverbs
Edited by Colin S. Walker

As essential reference book for all those interested in Scottish language and culture. This collection contains proverbs from modern every day conversation and others from generations past giving a fascinating glimpse into the traditional Scottish way of life.

History/People * pb * 128 pp * ISBN 1 874744 30 0

Price £ 5.99 This paper back book is available for £9.99 plus shipping/handling (Notice: cost is in pound sterling not US dollars like most of our other books). Order If you want to pay with cash or call in the order go here.

Scottish Surnames and Families
by Donald Whyte

A dictionary of over 280 of the most popular surnames of Scotland. This easy to use reference or general interest book lists entries alphabetically, giving information regarding the historical and geographical origins of the surnames listed.

History/People * pb * 288 pp * ISBN 1 874744 39 4

This paper back book is available for £12.99 plus shipping/handling (Notice: cost is in pound sterling not US dollars like most of our other books). Order If you want to pay with cash or call in the order go here.

Sporting Scotland
by John Burnett

"An excellent resume of sport in Scotland in years gone by" - Press & Journal

John Burnett charts Scotland's sporting life, from country sports to Highland games, the effects of patronage and competition, and the rise of the professional. Fascinating stories to enhance this lively account.

History/People * 178 x 125 m * 96 pp * 12 colour & 43 b/w illustrations * ISBN 0 948636 66 1

Price £2.99 plus shipping and handling

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A Shilling for Your Scowl
by James Shaw Grant

A fascinating insight into the legal and social structure of Victorian Lewis as personified by Donald Muno, notorious Chamberlain of Lewis at the time

History/People * 217 mm x 138 * 212 pp * pb * illustrated b/w * ISBN 0 86152 898 0

Price. £9.95 plus shipping and handling

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Spinning and Weaving
by Enid Gauldie

‘A meaty little book' - Costume Society of Scotland

The story of textile production from earliest times through handlooms and water powered machines, to full scale industrial production.

History/People * 178 x 125 mm * 84 pp * 9 colour & 43 b/w illustrations * ISBN 0 948636 68 8

Price £4.99 plus shipping and handling

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Summer Hunting a Prince
The Escape of Charles Edward Stuart
by Alasdair Maclean & John S. Gibson

An account of six attempts by the French and Irish to rescue Charles Edward Stuart from the Highlands after Culloden.

History/People * 216 mm x 138 mm * 96 pp * illustrated b/w * ISBN 0 86152 973 5

Price £5.95 plus shipping and handling

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Surnames of Scotland
by George Black

This book is now firmly established as one of the great classics on the origin, meaning and history of Scottish surnames.

The core of the book is a remarkable listing of 8000 names, each with a concise history and cross references. The book was assembled with such care and ability that, over 50 years after it was first published, it remains an accessible and indispensable tool for genealogists, historian or indeed anyone with a general interest in Scotland.

History/People * 216 x 138 mm * 840 pp * hb * ISBN 0871041723

Price $50.00 plus shipping and handling

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There Goes the Island
Edited by Ian Stephen

Gaelic and English poems by established and lesser known writers, including Murdo MacFarlane, Sorley Maclean, Norman MacCaig and John Murray. Photographers include Sam Maynard, Murdo Macleod and John Mackinnon.

History/People * 210 mm x 148 mm * 168 pp * pb * bilingual Gaelic/English * illustrated b/w * ISBN 0 86152 903 0

Price £8.99 plus shipping and handling

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