The Derek Cooper was born in 1925, and became a well-known writer, journalist, and broadcaster with a close interest in the Highlands and Islands, particularly the Outer Hebrides (where his maternal grandmother was born – in Leurbost, Lochs, Lewis) and Skye. His main writings were island history, land issues, food, and whisky.

In 2010, Derek and his family kindly donated his library of books and memorabilia (including awards he had won and his typewriter dating from the 1960s, to the Islands Book Trust to be made available free of charge to the public at the Ravenspoint Centre, Kershader, South Lochs, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9QA. For details, please phone 01951 880737 or 01851 880236.

A catalogue of the Derek Copper Collection is available here Derek Cooper Archive Catalogue v2