Top 10 Scottish Books

July 2004

'An exhilarating, evocative and often hilarious stroll through the Scottish game past and present.'
Football Trader

'it's an exhilarating, sentimental and often hilarious stroll through the Scottish game past and present.'
The Sunday Post

'It is an exhilarating, sentimental and often hilarious stroll through the Scottish game past and present.'
Greenock Telegraph

'full of intriguing details, some humorous, some tragic...Burrowes has written a good, solid, lively piece of popular history.'
Sunday Herald

'Making extensive use of contemporary documents, he attempts to explain the very complex social, political and cultural tensions which still thrive in Glasgow today and shows how the "Irish" acted as a catalyst for issues of Scottish identity and nationhood itself. An enthralling read and an absolute must for anyone in Ulster doomed from birth to supporting either Celtic or Rangers.'
The Belfast Telegraph

'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

Providing an invaluable guide to the surnames of Scotland each entry in this book covers the history, areas of family lands, castles and tartans (ancient and modern) associated with the powerful clans of the Highlands - and the great families of the Lowlands.

 

 

 

THE HIGHLAND HIGH WAY is a magnificent high-level route through some of Scotland's most dramatic scenery and across its finest hills.

Running for 105 miles from Loch Lomond to Fort William, the route includes Black Mount, one of the greatest hill walks in the country; an exhilarating ridge walk along the Aonah Eagach; and a Munro extravaganza in the Mamores. The grand finale is Ben Nevis, approached along the spectacular Carn Mor Dearg arete.

The eight-day route described in this book takes in at least 14 Munros, among them Ben Lomond, Ben Lui and Beinn Dorain.

'David Stenhouse's book traces the tartan takeover not just in the media but in medicine, law, literature, the Church, the City and, above all, Whitehall. It's a dizzying list..This entertaining and feisty book is enough to start a campaign demanding an English regional parliament.'
FT Magazine

'Intelligent and sprightly..this book is wider, and more interesting, than an expose of alliances. The chapters on fiction, anti-Scottish prejudice and the haphazard state of English nationalism are all keenly observed and articulately argued.'
Scotland on Sunday

Turned down by all the major film companies, The Quiet Man brought together John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara for only the second time on screen, won two Oscars and was showered with both critical and popular praise on both sides of the Atlantic.

'It is one of the classics of the 'silver screen' and to this day worldwide video and DVD sales are quite remarkable...filmed on location in some of the loveliest parts of the west of Ireland with the full hearted cooperation of all and sundry and winning two Oscars to boot...It could not fail and it didn't. Full of on and off screen detail and illustrated with some rare photographs.
Ireland of the Welcomes

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

'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

'Balfour digs a little deeper than your average new age Celtic obsessive in an eclectic collection of anecdotes and histories of Celts, Picts and much more besides...his heartfelt earnestness goes some distance in retrieving your interest in the deeper mysteries of our wee country.'
The Herald

'a compelling guide, and the author's enthusiasm is incredibly infectious.'
The List

'Wow! This book is a veritable cabinet of curiosities full of interesting stuff...thoroughly mixed together to form a fascinating pot pouri of a book.'
Fortean Time

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