Books

Cauld Blasts and Clishmaclavers

The Scots language is an ancient and lyrical tongue, one inherently linked to the country's history and identity, its land and culture. It is also a living and vital vernacular, used daily. Yet some of these words are beginning to fade away, their meaning and value disappearing. Robin Crawford has gathered together 1,000 Scots words from his native land - old and new, classical and colloquial, rural and urban - a joyful celebration of their continuing usage. In this rich linguistic tapestry, he reveals their evocative origins and essential character with verve, delight and wit.

Scottish Clans & Tartans

Scottish clans and tartans is a popular topic with both Scottish natives and with the millions of people across the world who have ancestral connections with Scotland. One of the bestselling books on the subject, this title by Ian Grimble is widely regarded as being the authority on Scottish clans and tartans. A comprehensive guide to this ever-popular aspect of Scottish culture, featuring 150 tartans in full colour. Alongside the tartans are histories of the origins of each clan and their plaids.

Double sided combined map featuring the Scotland of Old Map on one side and the Tartans Map on the other. Discover Scotland with this authoritative guide to clans, tartans, and their origins. These popular maps are highly detailed, showing hundreds of arms, official insignia, crests, and tartans of the Scottish clans. This beautifully illustrated map is both decorative and informative.

Scottish Clans & Tartans: Lomond Guide

For many people the clan system is a vague concept, associated perhaps with colourful tartans and tragic battles, and in particular with the defeat of Prince Charles Edward and his gallant Highland army at Culloden in 1746. Bit it was the clan system that provided the economic and social structure of the Highlands for some 500 years. The bond of this kinship was so strong that for those of Highland descent even today, their clan is a worldwide family that engenders a pride in their past and a unique sense of belonging.

So You're Going To Wear The Kilt

This readable and handy booklet on Scottish attire provides a compact guide not only for those starting to wear Scottish dress, but also for those who may have been wearing the kilt for some time.

This generous new selection offers Burns's work as it was first encountered by contemporary readers, presenting the texts in the contexts in which they were originally published. It reproduces the whole of Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect published at Kilmarnock in 1786, the volume which made Burns famous; and it reunites a generous selection of songs from The Scots Musical Museum and A Select Collection of Scottish Airs with their full scores. Comprehensive notes describe the circumstances in which other poems and songs found their way into print, both before and after the poet's death. The edition also includes some important letters, and a full glossary to explain Scots words. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe.

This book takes the reader on a circular tour of the region, beginning at Cairngorm Mountain and then proceeding in an anti-clockwise direction. It aims to represent as much in the way of scenery, places of interest, flora and fauna as possible so as to convey the immense variety of all there is to be explored.

A photographic journey around Scotland's capital city that captures its moods and illustrates the principal landmarks and places of interest. Accompanying text by Colin Nutt and Edinburgh resident Callum Cochrane dips into the city's fascinating past and introduces many parts of the city of which many people may not be aware. 16 extra pages allow the book's coverage to be expanded to include many new views. In addition, further new pictures of classic Edinburgh scenes enhance the quality of its coverage. The book has a total of over 120 pictures, 38 of which are new to this edition.

This book aims to introduce the scenic splendour of Loch Ness and its surroundings. Starting at its northern 'annexe' of Loch Dochfour, it takes a circular tour around the loch in an anti-clockwise direction. This means firstly travelling down its northern shore, via the impressive Urquhart Castle, to Fort Augustus at the southern end of Loch Ness. The return journey goes up the southern side, taking in the sights at locations such as Suidhe Viewpoint and the Falls of Foyers. Here and there along the way there are minor detours calling at places of interest within easy striking distance of Loch Ness.

A vivid, wide-ranging and engrossing account of Scotland's history, composed of eye-witness accounts by those who experienced it first-hand. Contributors range from Tacitus, Mary Queen of Scots and Oliver Cromwell to Adam Smith, David Livingstone and Billy Connolly.These include key historic moments - ranging from Bannockburn and Flodden to the SNP parliamentary victory in 2007 - along with a vast array of wonderfully readable insights into the everyday life of Scotland through the millennia. This is living, accesible history told by crofters, criminals, servants, house-wives, poets, journalists, nurses, politicians, novelists, prisoners, comedians, sportsmen and many more.

Readers can discover all the foul facts about Dark Knights and Dingy Castles, including why one nutty knight chopped off his own finger, the revolting truth about a gong-farmer's job and what went on in gruesome castle garderobes. With a bold look these bestselling titles are sure to be a huge hit with yet another generation of Terry Deary fans.

Irish history isn’t boring ... it’s DEADLY!

And nobody was more DEADLY! than the Vikings who attacked Ireland in the 8th century!

DEADLY! Viking warriors!

DEADLY! Viking ships!

DEADLY! Viking weapons!

But were they really just marauding, murdering maniacs?

The first book in a new series 'Deadly Irish History', The Vikings is jam-packed with all kinds of interesting facts and stories about Viking life. Highly illustrated with cartoons and comic strips as well as illustrating how vikings ships and houses were made, it's also full of things to make and do, quizzes and puzzles.

The world of the Vikings in Ireland is an endlessly fascinating one, so

be like them and go out and EXPLORE!

Cabers & Ceilidhs by Johns Stinson and Donald Gordon

150 years of the Caledonian Society of Otago. Tossing the caber is a traditional Highland Games event believed to have developed from the practice of tossing logs across streams in order to bridge them. A standard caber is 5.94m tall and weights 79KGs.
Ceilidh (pronounced 'caley') is a Gaelic word for a traditional social gathering.

The first and only travel guide written for New Zealand visitors to Britain that features places and things in the United Kingdom that have special historical, sporting and cultural interest for New Zealanders. It contains a fund of fascinating and meaningful information, including places associated with Captain Cook, ports from which the early settlers sailed, war cemeteries of the Anzacs, famous sporting grounds where New Zealand teams have played, church windows, statues and other works of art, pubs and plantations of New Zealand trees. These and other features - all part of the New Zealand story - are listed and vividly described in this ground breaking guide.

This guide comprises instructions to over 150 Irish dances, bringing together for the first time in a single volume, ceili, set, and two-handed country dances. It includes all dances commonly featured in classes, summer schools and feiseanna.

Formed from the merger of the Inverness & Aberdeen Junction and the Inverness & Perth Junction railways in 1865, the Highland ran from Perth in Central Scotland north to Inverness and then on up to Wick and Thurso. From Dingwall it ran west to Kyle of Lochalsh to serve Skye and the Western Isles. Another line ran east from Inverness to Keith, where it connected with the line to Aberdeen. Several branches were built to serve nearby towns. In addition to inheriting several locomotives from its constituent companies, the Highland Railway was renowned for its distinctive stable of locomotives. Many of these were built at the company's works at Lochgorm, Inverness. Locomotive superintendents for the HR were William Barclay, William Stroudley, David Jones, Peter Drummond, F. G. Smith and Christopher Cumming. Jones and Cumming in particular produced some outstanding designs such as the F 'Bruce', Strath, Jones Goods, the Small and Large Ben (mountain), the K 'Barney' classes, not to mention the Snaigows and the Clans. They included not only the large named trains for passenger services, but also the humble shunters. A fascinating new archive of the Highland Railway's locomotives featuring over 150 photographs and images.

Tartan is an enormously popular pattern in modern fashion and Scottish National Dress is recognised around the world. This book reveals the origin and development of tartans and Scottish national costume. Beginning as Highland dress, it was originally peculiar to certain areas of Scotland but is now generally accepted as its national costume.

What was once ordinary working clothing of a distinctive local style has been formalised and embellished to turn it into a ceremonial dress suitable for days of celebration, while tartans once woven according to the fancy of those who wore them, have also become fixed with certain patterns prescribed for different families, areas or institutions. This process was not, as is popularly thought, a phenomenon begun by the romantic novels of Sir Walter Scott, but began long before as a reaction to the Union with England in 1707. This book not only traces its evolution from earliest time, but the process by which it became Scottish National Dress.

TOC: Chapter I: The Highland Clans /Chapter II: Early Highland Dress /Chapter III: Rebels and Kilts /Chapter IV: Invention of Scottish National Dress /Chapter V: Tartan - a national dress /Chapter VI Scottish National Dress today /Appendix: Major Tartans

Whether you are opting for the full white Wedding or a quick trip to the Blacksmith's shop at Gretna Green, The Scottish Wedding Book is for you. Discover the history behind the traditions, while ensuring that your day is carried out with true Scots precision. The Scottish Wedding Book offers advice on all aspects of a true Scottish Wedding, from food to photography, and from "the dress" to the Wedding Cake. A valuable aide for the soon-to-be-wed, and an interesting read for those simply interested in one of Scotland's liveliest and most famous traditions.

Contains information about what every modern bride needs to know for her Scottish wedding. From engagement to honeymoon, the author comes up with practical information, unique ideas and count down lists. She urges the reader to leave nothing to chance - always a have contingency - so that by the big day the Bride knows she has done everything.

Song and dance are at the very centre of any nation's culture and are said to represent the innermost character of a people. The whirling, dashing and spinning of the classic Scottish reels are no exception. Here, Roddy Martine and Andrew Campell provide a lighthearted guide to the basic steps of Scottish reels and country dances, all broken down into bullet points and illustrated with easy-to-follow diagrams. With further, indisposable hints on the social niceties of reeling, the conventions of the dance and the timetable of the Scottish social season, "The Swinging Sporran" is a hilarious companion to anyone who ventures into the social world north of the border.