The Scottish Radiance Book Shelf

Nigel Tranter is one of the most popular historic novelist in Scotland. You find a very good selection in the following list. We are providing a few summaries of some of his most popular books and a complete list of titles follows.

A Flame for the Fire

Macbeth the King

A welcome re-issue of a paperback edition which has been unavailable for some years

The real story of Macbeth and his struggle to unite Scotland - a very different tale from the Shakespearean fiction which has since blackened his name.

The Mary Stewart Omnibus

Price of a Princess and Lord in Waiting in one volume.
The 15th century story of Mary Stewart, eldest sister of the young James III, who went to Denmark with her husband the Earl of Arran and, at great cost to herself, negotiated the transfer of Orkney and Shetland to Scottish control; and that of John, Lord of Douglas, a man of great conscience, who wished that Mary had succeeded to the throne instead of her weak and ill-advised brother.

High Kings and Vikings Cormac mac Farquhar, newly Thane of Glamis under the reign of Kenneth II in 995, is drawn into a period of national chaos against a background of Viking raids and short lived High Kings who must rule with a heavy hand.
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In a world of treachery and violence, Scotland's most famous hero unites his people in a deadly fight for national survival.

In 1296 Edward Plantagenet, King of England, was determined to bludgeon the freedom - loving Scots into submission. Despite internal clashes and his fierce love for his antagonist's goddaughter, Robert the Bruce, both Norman lord and Celtic earl, took up the challenge of leading his people against the invaders form the South.

After a desperate struggle, Bruce rose finally to face the English at the memorable battle of Bannockburn. But far from bringing peace, his mighty victory was to herald fourteen years of infighting, savagery, heroism and treachery before the English could be brought to sit at a peace table and to acknowledge Bruce as a sovereign kings.

In this best-selling trilogy, Nigel Tranter charts these turbulent years, revealing the flowering of Bruce's character; how, tutored and encouraged by the heroic William Wallace, he determined to continue the fight for an independent Scotland, sustained by a passionate love for his land and devotion to his people.

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The classic story of one of the greatest heroes of the Stuart cause, now in an omnibus edition comprising the "The Young Montrose and Montrose, The captain General. From the initial snub he received from Charles I, the monarch he was to devote his life to serving, James Graham, Marquis of Montrose, remained steadfast and loyal. During the Civil War, he risked everything to save his king. But one man alone could not alter all when intolerance, despotism, and folly held the state and Graham's final reward was to be the ultimate royal betrayal.

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The gallant tale of Thomas Kerr, loyal protector of Mary, Queen of Scots. Only 18 when she returned to Scotland to rule, the beautiful Mary Steward found herself in dire need of protection: from scoundrels in high places, even from her own husbands. While others plotted and schemed against her, loyal young laird Thomas Kerr struggled to protect Mary throughout her trouble reign. But even he could not prevent the tragedy that lay in wait for her.

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The enthralling 13th Century tale of Thomas the Rhymer, Scottish visionary and poet.

During the reign of Scotland's King Alexander II-a time when the sword ruled the land and the treachery' of the powerful earls prevailed-Thomas Learmonth of Ercildoune, "True Thomas," gained renown for his extraordinary gift of prophecy. Nigel Tranter brings this remarkable man and his times vividly to life.

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The turbulent 15th Century tale of James IV, one of Scotland's finest, most beloved kings.

Following the murder of his father at Bannockburn in 1488, 15-year-old James Stewart was crowned James IV. He was to become one of the most popular kings in Scottish history. Bold, vigorous, headstrong, and romantic, he inspired such loyalty that the harvest and best of Scotland's young men finally laid down their lives for him at the tragic Field of Flodden.

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The fascinating 16th-century account of one of Scotland's noblest families in a trilogy featuring Lord and Master, The Courtesan, and Past Master.

Dashing and intelligent, Patrick, Master of Gray, was the most successful Scottish adventurer of his era. Involved in a daring plot to free Mary, Queen of Scots, as well as court intrigues and the bloody conflicts of war-torn Scotland, he strode imperiously across the turbulent stage of 16th century European history. Even his own daughter was to fall under his savage games of power and politics.

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BALEFIRE Order
BLACK DOUGLAS Order
BRIDAL PATH Order
CAPTIVE CROWNOrder
CHILDREN OF THE MIST Order
CLANSMAN The second volume of the MacGregor Trilogy Order
COLUMBAOrder
CRUSADEROrder
DAVID THE PRINCE Order
DRUID SACRIFICE Order
FAST AND LOOSE - The turbulent story of clan MacColl. Set in 1704 Order
THE FLOCKMASTERS -The adventures of a hero of the peninsular wars, returning to his home in Wester Ross in 1806. Order
FLOWERS OF CHIVALRY Order
FOLLY OF PRINCES - The second half of the house of Stewart Trilogy Order
FOOTBRIDGE TO ENCHANTMENT: NIGEL TRANTER'S COUNTRY NOTEBOOK Order
THE FREEBOOTERS- Set just after the 2nd World War, it concerns an ex-soldier who fought behind enemy lines, who is unable to settle into civilian life and becomes involved in the Scottish Nationalist cause. Originally published in 1950 it is considered by some to have inspired the removal of the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey Order
GILDED FLEECE - Set in 1809 against the backdrop of the notorious Highland Clearances. Order
GOLD FOR PRINCE CHARLIE -The third volume in the MacGregor Trilogy Order
HARSH HERITAGE - Beginning against the background of the Highland Clearances, the story of the Neil family - cursed for a barbarous act of cruelty. Order
HIGHNESS IN HIDING - Bonnie Prince Charlie's wanderings and eventual escape after the defeat at Culloden Order
HONOURS EVENOrder
ISLAND TWILIGHT - Set in the Inner Hebrides in Napoleonic times Order
JAMES V TRILOGY Order
JAMES, BY THE GRACE OF GOD $25.95 hard 0825303168
KETTLE OF FISH - A story of salmon fishing & poaching after the 1857 Tweed Fisheries Act banned fishing in the mouth of the river. Order
KENNETH $17.00 paper, 340 56638 8
LION LET LOOSE Order
THE LION'S WHELP - The story of the child king James II, who in 1437 inherited the throne at the age of seven following the murder of his father. It is also the story of Alexander Lyon (an ancestor the the present Queen Mother) who became James' friend and protector. Order
LORD IN WAITING Order
LORD OF THE ISLES Order
LORDS OF MISRULE Order
MACGREGOR TRILOGY Order
MACGREGOR'S GATHERING Order
MAIL ROYAL Order
MARGARET THE QUEEN Order
THE MARCHMAN - John Maxwell, Warden of the West March in the Borders area between Scotland and England, had the difficult task of keeping some sort of order in that wild and individual district. He also found himself drawn into the affairs of Mary Queen of Scots at the same time as Elizabeth ascended to the throne of England. Order
PATRIOT Order
Poetic JusticeOrder
PRICE OF A PRINCESS Order
RAGE OF REGENTS Order
RIVEN REALM Order
SCOTLAND Order
STAKE IN THE KINGDOM Order
THE STONE -The Story of the Stone of Destiny Order
TALES AND TRADITIONS OF SCOTTISH CASTLES Order
TAPESTRY OF THE BOAR $17.00 paper, 34060105 1
TINKER TESS Order
TINKER'S PRIDE - A battle between landed privilege and an old way of travelling life on a pre-WWII Highland estate. Order
TO THE RESCUE Order
TRAVELLER'S GUIDE TO THE SCOTLAND OF ROBERT THE BRUCE Order
TRUE THOMAS Order
UNICORN RAMPANT Order
WALLACE Order
WISEST FOOL Order
YOUNG MONTROSEOrder