Miss Cranston is a wonder 24-page book in the Scots' Lives series from the Royal Museum in Edinburgh. The author is Perilla Kinchin who has written several books on Charles Rennie Mackintosh and on the Glasgow Tearooms. It is the story of Catherine (Kate) Cranston born in 1849 in a hotel in George Square in Glasgow. Her claim to fame was the establishment of the first tearooms in Glasgow. This sounds like a profession, which would not make a major impact on a city the size of Glasgow, but Kate Cranston was no ordinary woman.

Through her tearooms she became an astute and faithful patron of the 'Glasgow Style.' Her use in her tearooms of Charles Ronnie Mackintosh's designs gave him a beginning. Mackintosh is now known as one of the world's best architect for his time.

Kate set the pace for the 'Glasgow Style.' This enthusiastic and cheerful lady was committed to hard work, quality of service, and loved with a huge passion everything new. This book is a fun read telling about a unique person and the dynamic city of Glasgow. Her tearoom were at their height when Glasgow found its identity and most success in the middle of the nineteenth century and she retired as Glasgow began its decline after World War I.

I have given it a four-thistle rating because it tells in an enjoyable fashion the story of a wonderful lady and a dynamic cities past.