Top 10 Scottish Books

February 2004

'True story of the biggest cocaine bust in British history. Scottish chancers attempt to smuggle in half a ton of finest Columbian nosebag. All the while, super-sleuth customs officials are on their trail, astounded by the smugglers incompetence. The verdict: A great story, chock full of detail and hilarious characters, like the dope-smoking scallop-diver whom disaster follows like a shadow.

'Try if you like: Whiskey Galore with class A's. '
FHM

'the result is a thrilling tale from both the hunted and the hunters.'
Ross-Shire Journal

'What Jack Alexander gives us is an intriguing and often moving history...Alexander's book is full of absorbing stories. He claims that it was 16 years in the writing and I believe him. Judging by the footnotes, appendices, bibliographies and acknowledgements his research was extraordinary.'
Scottish Sunday Herald

'this book is of wider interest than just to Hearts fans or students of Edinburgh's history. Anyone who wants to see how a team of footballers can translate that familiar sporting cliche of "taking the fight to the opposition" into reality should read it. This is, quite simply, the best football-related book of the year.'
Times of London

 

In 1973, Les McKeown became the lead singer of the Bay City Rollers, at that stage a one-hit-wonder pop group on the verge of giving up. His charismatic personality transformed the Rollers into an international super-group and, over the next few years, they consistently reached No. 1 all over the world, selling an estimated 300 million records and gaining a massive following. By 1975 he was the most adored man on the planet. Four years later he was all washed up, homeless and penniless after quitting the band.

'a good read for today's generation.'
Greenock Telegraph

'It's a cracking read, funny, witty and self-deprecating. Les spares no-one, least of all himself.'
The Sunday Post

Rangers entered the new world of sport and big business in April 1986 when they signed Graeme Souness, a man with no previous connections to a club steeped in its own historical traditions. These traditions are ineluctably intertwined with those of their great Glasgow rivals, Celtic, whose origins as an Irish Catholic club set up the rivalry that became known as the Old Firm, once said to be 'a business based on bigotry'.

Celtic were slow to react to the Souness challenge at Ibrox, especially when Souness was joined by a new owner at Rangers, millionaire businessman David Murray, but after years of squabbling at Celtic Park, Celtic's saviour arrived in the form of expatriate millionaire Fergus McCann.

'an honest, yet balanced account'
Scotland on Sunday

'...Craig is a highly enthusiastic and, on occasion, racy writer, and this blood and guts account is as entertaining as it is informative. A great corrective to shortbread tins and Mel Gibson's painted face.'
The Guardian, 8 April 2000

'...a meticulously researched and engaging examination of a neglected topic.'
Scotsman, 29 April 2000

'Tearing the veil from Scottish history..sets the Jacobite record brilliantly straight. Scots women fought to preserve personal freedom and equality. We inherited the repressive culture they lost to - and the genes to dispute it still.'
Sunday Herald

'will delight any movie buff.' Greenock Telegraph

'This concise A-Z guide to Scotland in film is packed with intriguing information, little-known facts, maps and photographs.'
Scotland Magazine

'a wealth of fascinating info on locations, stars and directors..Brian Pendreigh has done a superbly entertaining job.'
Caledonia

'A MUST BUY FOR SCOTS FILM BUFFS...a fascinating book not only for industry insiders and fans, but also for tourists...It is crammed with intriguing information, little known facts, maps and photographs, making it an indispensable guide to Scotland's contribution to cinema.' Northern Ireland Leisure

'...this fascinating and generously illustrated book provides a timely reassessment of the work of one of the group's leading figures, Samuel John Peploe.'
Artists and Illustrators, October 2000

'Director of the Scottish Gallery in Edinburgh and grandson of the artist, the author is ideally suited to write about Peploe and has had access to a wealth of unpublished material....where academic rigour is missing it is more than made up for by quality of the reproductions and the accessibility of the text.'
The Art Book, March 2001

 

Perhaps one of the most popular of Stevenson's works, A CHILD'S GARDEN OF VERSES, first published in 1885, is regarded universally as one of the greatest recollections of childhood in verse.

 

 

 

 

'revealing autobiography'
The Herald

'The real importance of SCOTLAND FIRST - less dramatic than the drama of personal rivalries is the book's genuine contribution to contemporary history - is what McLeish has to say about the early days of devolution...the thoughtful last chapters of SCOTLAND FIRST reveal McLeish as a man of vision as well as a practical politician...SCOTLAND FIRST is a credit both to McLeish and to the country which he has served'
Roy Hattersley, Scotland on Sunday

'In a straightforward manner he deals with the scandal of the spiralling costs of the Holyrood Parliament building and with his own officigate scandal. Finally, he offers his own radical plan for the future of Scottish and UK politics.'
Strathaven Echoes

'Excellent...where McColl excels is in the detail, where all good lessons are learned.'
The Herald

'Well worth a look, especially for Celtic fans.'
Scotland on Sunday

'this is a solid and dispassionate examination of Celtic bosses through the years that benefits from the lack of tabloid-style received wisdom that often blights football.'
Kettering Evening Telegraph

'An ideal stocking filler for that special green and white fan in your life!'
Shoot Monthly

Archive: June 2005 | December 2004 | September 2004 | July 2004 | May 2004 | February 2004

Click here for the Online Top 10 or here for the Sports Top 10