The Islands Book Trust

LATEST PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE FROM THE ISLANDS BOOK TRUST

 

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BOOKS

The full range of books published by the Islands Book Trust is available to purchase online.

ISLAND NOTES

Island Notes are summaries of talks given at events arranged by the Book Trust (already made available to Gold members). The new series is produced in an attractive standard format and is available at a modest price.

SPECIAL PRICED BOOKS

Special Offer books at reduced prices available here.

HISTORIC MAPS

A selection of beautiful old map reproductions covering Western Isles and Skye


Islands Book Trust Books

CÒCO IS CRÙBAGAN by Flora Macdonald

Retail Price £15  (Includes 2 CD's)

A Hebridean ChildhoodCoco is Crubagan - Cocoa and Crabs

 

An evocative account in Gaelic and English of Flora MacDonald’s idyllic childhood memories of growing up in a remote and long-deserted part of eastern Benbecula in the 1940s and ’50s. Includes a map, photographs and drawings, and two CDs of Flora reading her story in Gaelic. Crofting tasks are described in detail, but we also have lyrical accounts of discoveries that delight a child: “the magic of bubbles sparkled and spangled as they danced and fleeted and floated”. Gaelic speakers, learners and school pupils will find it highly enjoyable and educational. It’s a memorable account in both languages.

Flora has written several books and is a Mod prize-winner for poetry. She lives in North Uist, working with community groups which she has established, and giving talks, demonstrations and workshops on traditional textiles and creative writing in local schools.

210 x 148 mm | 111pp | 14 pictures, 4 drawings, 1 Map | 2 audio CD's

ISBN 978-0-9560764-0-3


COCO IS CRUBAGAN
Price: £ 15.00 (Paperback)
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THE VILLAGE NAMES OF LEWIS by Magne Oftedal

A new edition of the classic work on the island's Old Norse place-name heritage.

Retail price £6.00

It is now over 50 years since Magne Oftedal’s classic article on ‘The Village Names of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides’ was published in Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap, Volume 17 (Oslo, 1954). It was an important by-product of research carried out by Oftedal into the Gaelic dialect of the Leurbost district of Lewis (published in 1956), where he lived from 1950 to 1951 This booklet consists of a facsimile copy of the original article, together with the most interesting map which accompanied it. We have added some photographs, concentrating particularly on villages whose names are of Norse origin – at least 99 of the 126 place-names described in the article, as Oftedal notes at the end of the article.

210 x 140 mm | 55pp| 8 pictures | map

ISBN 978-0-9560764-7-2



THE VILLAGE NAMES OF LEWIS
Price: £ 6.00 (Booklet)
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WHALING AND THE HEBRIDES

Retail Price £12Whaling and the Hebrides front cover

Whaling played a part in the subsistence economy of the Outer Hebrides for many centuries and has left a strong cultural legacy.  In August 2007, The Islands Book Trust held a three day conference in Tarbert, Harris, entitled ‘Whaling and the Hebrides’, with the aim of exploring both whaling in and around the Hebrides and the experiences of Hebrideans who worked in the whaling industry in the South Atlantic in the 20th century.  Like all our conferences, this event brought together people from different backgrounds – geographically (from Norway and the Faroes as well as various parts of the Hebrides and Scottish mainland), and occupationally (from academic and scientific experts to those with practical experience of whaling in the South Atlantic). The variety worked well, leading to many friendships and new insights into a shared interest.

 

This volume brings together the various contributions, providing stimulating reading for anyone with an interest in the history of this forgotten industry.

 

215 x 140mm | 170 pp | 32 pictures, colour and black and white

ISBN  978-0-9555420-04-6


WHALING AND THE HEBRIDES
Price: £ 12.00 (Paperback)
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PADRE MAC

 Retail Price £12 Padre Mac Front Cover

A new illustrated and enhanced edition (with a Foreword by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown) of the remarkable autobiography of the late Murdo Ewen MacDonald of Harris – charismatic Church of Scotland Minister in Skye, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and hero of Second World War prisoner of war camp (where he acquired his nickname and took part in the ill-fated initiative later made famous in ‘The Great Escape’ film. As the Prime Minister says, Murdo Ewen was a truly great man – principled, persuasive, humorous – the story of his life and work, from early days in Harris through the adversities of prisoner of war camp to parish ministry and the heights of academia, deserves to be remembered and celebrated

215 x 140 mm | 193 pp | 10 pictures, colour and black and white

ISBN 978-0-955542053


PADRE MAC
Price: £ 12.00 (Paperback)
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ICELAND AND THE HEBRIDES – MY ROOTS by Sally Magnusson

Retail Price £5 Iceland and the Hebrides

In this illustrated booklet based on a talk given to the Book Trust, Sally Magnusson the well-known journalist and broadcaster reflects on her own Icelandic and Hebridean heritage and the strong if neglected historic links – in both directions - between Iceland and the Hebrides.  While it is well known that Lewis and other parts of the Hebrides have many place-names which owe their origin to Norse settlers, the possible influence of Celtic story-telling on the Icelandic sagas and new evidence from DNA analysis suggest that the Hebrides may also have had a profound impact on Icelandic culture.

210 x 145 mm | 28pp | 10 colour pictures and 1 map

ISBN 978-0-9555420-9-1


ICELAND AND THE HEBRIDES - MY ROOTS
Price: £ 5.00 (Booklet)
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EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN LEWIS – THE NESS CONNECTION

Retail Price £6

Early Christianity in Lewis

It is well-known that the Church in Lewis today is perhaps the strongest in the whole of the UK, dating from the advances made by evangelical Presbyterianism in the first half of the 19th century. But in this new illustrated booklet, Ian Stewart-Hargreaves claims that the island also has some of the earliest Christian sites in Scotland, established several centuries before the Columban church reached Iona in the sixth century. He believes the north of Lewis had pre-Christian ritual significance, that the Pictish Christian church became established there as early as the third century AD, and that Ness was the destination of a medieval pilgrimage route. The booklet also contains a paper by professional archaeologist Rachel Barrowman which looks dispassionately at the archaeological evidence for early Christianity in Ness. Altogether, a most thought-provoking publication, based on the successful Book Trust symposium held in September 2008.

44 pp 9 photos and images black & white

ISBN 978-0-9555420-8-4


EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN LEWIS - THE NESS CONNECTION
Price: £ 6.00 (Booklet)
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REFLECTIONS ON THE HISTORY OF STORNOWAY AND LEWIS

 Retail Price £6

Reflections on the History of Stornoway and Lewis front cover

Sandy Matheson has an unparalleled understanding of the history of his native town and island, based on his distinguished career in a whole succession of top public offices since 1967 and on his leading role in the business and cultural life of Lewis over the last 50 years. In this beautifully illustrated booklet, containing many rare pictures, Sandy reflects on the basic forces which have determined the history of Stornoway and Lewis since the time of the Fife Adventurers, and finishes characteristically by looking forward at the strengths and weaknesses of island life and the lessons we should bear in mind for the future.

32 pp  17 photos and images in colour and black and white

 


REFLECTIONS ON THE HISTORY OF STORNOWAY AND LEWIS
Price: £ 6.00 (Booklet)
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STORNOWAY IN WORLD WAR TWO by Mike Hughes with John Davenport

Retail Price £6

Stornoway played an important and under-rated role both at sea and in the air in the winning of the Battle of the Atlantic and the Second World War. In this lavishly illustrated booklet, containing many pictures not previously published. Mike Hughes describes the achievements and tragedies of those dramatic years, drawing on the personal memories of heroes like John Davenport DFC, who like hundreds of others found himself stationed in Lewis, at the most north-westerly edge of Europe. 

66 pp. 29 black and white photos and images.

 


STORNOWAY IN WORLD WAR TWO
Price: £ 6.00 (Paperback)
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THE FRENCH MACDONALD - JOURNEY OF A MARSHAL OF NAPOLEON IN THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND

Retail Price £10

  The French Macdonald Book Cover

This extraordinary book provides a unique footnote to the momentous events of Jacobite and Napoleonic history.

In 1746 Neil MacEachen left his native South Uist for the last time - in the company of Prince Charles Edward Stuart and hunted by Hanoverian forces on land and sea. Three-quarters of a century later Neil's son, Marshal Alexandre MacDonald, Marshal of France, created Duke of Tarentum by Napoleon, and High Chancellor of the Order of the Legion d'Honneur, returns to Scotland and the islands of his ancestors and is feted as a hero by the British establishment.

Throughout his trip in 1825, Marshal Alexandre MacDonald kept a diary. This fascinating document, ignored for generations and containing some very frank observations on people he met from Sir Walter Scott to his MacDonald forebears in the Hebrides, was found recently in the French National Archives and translated from the original French by Jean-Didier Hache. Giving an intimate account of a vanished society and a unique insight into the fabric of nineteenth century Scotland, this is the very human tale of one man's search for his roots.

 


THE FRENCH MACDONALD
Price: £ 10.00 (paperback)
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THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ALEXANDER CARMICHAEL

Retail Price £15.00

The Life and Legacy of Alexander Carmichael

A ground-breaking collection of essays celebrating the life and legacy of one of the most fascinating and controversial Scots of his time, the folklorist Alexander Carmichael (1832–1912). Carmichael devoted his adult life to collecting the extraordinarily rich oral tradition of the people of his native Highlands, above all in the Outer Hebrides where he spent nearly twenty years. Much of this material was edited and published in the six volumes of Carmina Gadelica (1900–71), a magnificent treasure-trove of Gaelic charms, hymns, poems, songs, and stories which has captivated and intrigued readers worldwide ever since.

The Life and Legacy of Alexander Carmichael presents the fruits of a four-day conference held in the Island of Benbecula in July 2006 under the auspices of The Islands Book Trust. Bringing together contributions from academic and local Hebridean scholars alike, it allows us for the first time to appreciate and evaluate the astonishing range and influence of Carmichael’s work. Alexander Carmichael is famous today as the inspirer of the ‘Celtic Christianity’ movement, and the cause of one of the most bitterly fought scholarly controversies in Scotland for a generation. This collection reminds us that he was also perhaps the greatest folklore collector of his age, the editor and creator of one of the most remarkable art books of the twentieth century, a figurehead for the Scottish Celtic Revival, and a man who dedicated his life to upholding and promoting the culture, traditions, and interests of his own people.


THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ALEXANDER CARMICHAEL
Price: £ 15.00
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CROSSING THE MINCH

Exploring the Links between Skye and the Outer Hebrides

Crossing the Minch - Book Cover

On a good day, the mountains of Skye and the long chain of the Western Isles are clearly visible from each other, and their history has been interwoven over the centuries through a common Norse and Gaelic cultural heritage, land ownership links, the movement of people in both directions, and more recent economic and social pressures.

In May 2007, The Islands Book Trust held a two day conference entitled Crossing the Minch, to consider these many links, similarities and differences. Set in the magnificent surroundings of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre forGaelic Language and Culture, the contributors included Cailean Maclean, Aonghas MacCoinnich, Anne Frater, Iain Mac an Tailleir, Roger Hutchinson, and Bill Lawson.

This volume brings together the various contributions, providing essential reading for anyone with an interest in the history of these islands.

ISBN : 978-0-9555420-3-9


CROSSING THE MINCH
Price: £ 5.00 (Paperback)
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THE SPORTING ESTATES OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES - PAST AND PRESENT

AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY

by David S D Jones

Retail Price £12.99

The Sporting Estates of the Outer Hebrides

Over 125 period photographs and illustrations of sporting activities on the islands of Lewis, Harris and the Uists taken between 1865 and 2007. Includes chapters detailing the history of the following sporting estates: Morsgail, Scaliscro, Grimersta, Uig, The Uig Lodge Fishery, The Garynahine Hotel, Garynahine, Eishken, Aline, Soval, The Lews Castle Home Shootings, Gress, Barvas, Galson, Amhuinnsuidhe and North Harris, The Harris Hotel, Borve, Horsaclett Lodge, North Uist, Barra, South Uist and Benbecula.

210 x 150 mm |144pp | 113 photographs |15 illustrations  | 2 maps

 


THE SPORTING ESTATES OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES - PAST AND PRESENT
Price: £ 12.99 (Paperback)
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GAME ON LEWIS AND HARRIS - PAST AND PRESENT

by David S D JonesGame on Lewis and Harris - Past and Present

Retail price £6

 

In this attractively illustrated booklet, David Jones looks at the changing wildlife of Lewis and Harris over the centuries as seen through estate and game records. He charts the rise and fall of particular species, often heavily influenced by the management policies of the estates, and gives a tantalising insight into changing attitudes and the world of sporting estates.

 

By drawing on sources not hitherto widely used, David Jones's research, based on his impressive Western Isles Countrysports Archive, allows a glimpse of a different world, which will be of absorbing interest to those fascinated by both the natural and social history of the islands.

64pp with 40 illustrations in colour and B and W,

ISBN 978-0-9555420-2-2

GAME ON LEWIS AND HARRIS - PAST AND PRESENT
Price: £ 6.00 (paperback)
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ST KILDA, MYTH AND REALITY

Retail Price £5

  St Kilda, Myth and Reality Book Cover

This book is based on a discussion session entitled, Writing about St Kilda: Myth and Reality, which took place at the inaugural Hebridean Book Festival in Stornoway in August 2006.

 

Millions of people all over the world are fascinated by St Kilda and their impressions are inevitably based on previous writings, pictures, or the views of others. What these images are, how they have arisen and the influences that are at work in building myths, are as interesting a subject as the reality of the history of St Kilda itself - and the two concepts are now difficult, perhaps impossible to differentiate from each other. This book aims to examine how far writing about St Kilda over the centuries has built up particular images about the island, which may or may not reflect the reality of life there.

 

To achieve this, John Randall introduces the concept of myth-making and the main themes evident in myths about St Kilda; Bill Lawson looks at views of the human history of the island and John Love considers impressions of its natural history. In addition, there are some notes by Lewis historian Michael Robson.


ST. KILDA: MYTH AND REALITY
Price: £ 5.00 (paperback)
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SPEAK TO US CATRIONA - by DONALD S MURRAY

Retail Price £5.Speak To Us Catriona - Book Cover

In this new collection of haunting and memorable poems, Donald S Murray takes his inspiration from 'Tales and Traditions of the Lews', the posthumously published work of the celebrated amateur folklorist and historian Dr Donald Macdonald of Gisla (Dolly Doctor). Murray 's poetry follows the same pattern of bringing together material from many different sources. The resulting poems celebrate the richness of the past and present of Lewis, focussing not only on its complexity but also on the diverse and dramatic lives of the island's inhabitants.

 

 

"Donald S. Murray's poetry, with its distinctive Hebridean accent and its universal themes, is a delight: characters, images and ideas rise off the page to meet you. This is a rich, humorous, profound and moving collection that really does travel 'from Lewis to Patagonia ' and deserves to be read as widely." James Robertson, author of The Testament of Gideon Mack


SPEAK TO US CATRIONA
Price: £ 5.00 (paperback)
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THE DECLINE AND FALL OF ST KILDA

- new retail price £10.00

The Decline and Fall of St Kilda

This thought provoking volume is based on the very successful conference held in Great Bernera, Lewis in August 2005 to mark the 75th anniversary of the evacuation of St Kilda. It examines the background to the island's dramatic history in the context of the struggles for survival of other remote islands in the Western Isles, Shetland, Ireland, and the Faroes. The authors shed new light on the oft-told story of St Kilda's decline and fall, and challenge the many myths which have grown up over the centuries.

ISBN  0-9546238-7-8

 

 


THE DECLINE AND FALL OF ST KILDA
Price: £ 10.00 (Paperback)
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Crofter Book Cover

BACK TO THE WIND, FRONT TO THE SUN The Traditional Croft House by Caroline Hirst

Retail price Paperback £12 Hardback £21

195pp with 140 photographs based on the collections of the late Angus Macleod of Calbost. An authentic and evocative account of traditional crofting housing. The house of a crofter was much more than simply the stones with which it was constructed. The house was the centre of family and community life, and it is the memory of a past way of life, involving hard work, but also strong social bonds, and informal friendships and entertainment, which help to explain the deep interest of so many people in the crofting communities in the houses of yesteryear.


BACK TO THE WIND FRONT TO THE SUN
Price: £ 12.00 (paperback)
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BACK TO THE WIND FRONT TO THE SUN
Price: £ 21.00 (hardback)
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TRADITIONS OF SEA-BIRD FOWLING IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC REGION

215pp with illustrations, retail price £12.

An attractively produced book based on an international conference held in Ness in September 2004, with contributions from Ireland, Faroes, Iceland, Norway and Finland (as well as Scotland) - putting the annual guga-hunt in a wider context.

 

 

 


TRADITIONS OF SEABIRD FOWLING IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC REGION
Price: £ 12.00
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THE ANGUS MACLEOD ARCHIVE - AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION

56pp with illustrations, retail price £5.


An illustrated introduction to the remarkable life and collection of historical material left by the late Angus 'Ease' Macleod of South Lochs, Lewis.

 

 

 

 

 


THE ANGUS MACLEOD ARCHIVE: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLECTION
Price: £ 5.00
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   SPECIAL BOOK OFFERS AT REDUCED PRICES


CURIOSITIES OF ART AND NATURE - NEW ANNOTATED AND ILLUSTRATED EDITION OF MARTIN MARTIN'S CLASSIC BOOKCuriosities of Art and Nature Cover

'A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland', first published in 1703, 318pp with many colour photographs, special retail price £7.50.


This beautifully produced book contains a facsimile of Martin's first edition, the first detailed account of the islands written 300 years ago, together with extensive notes and a new introduction by Michael Robson.

240 x 170 mm 318pp many b/w and colour photos

ISBN 0-9546238-1-9

CURIOSITIES OF ART AND NATURE

Original Retail Price £16.00
Reduced Retail Price: £ 7.50

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ST KILDA - CHURCH, VISITORS AND 'NATIVES'

758 PP with illustrations - special retail price £20.

Described as the most thoroughly researched book ever written on St Kilda, a detailed and dispassionate account written by Michael Robson, of the history of the island using hitherto unused records.

The new book, which contains over 750 pages of text and many early photographs and illustrations, challenges many of the myths which have arisen in earlier writings.

For example, Michael Robson queries popular views about the detrimental role played by the Free Church in the 19th century, and highlights the part played by journalist John Sands in creating well-known 'facts' about St Kilda such as the St Kilda Parliament and the St Kilda mailboat. He emphasises that our views of St Kilda come mainly from visitors, many of whom spent little time there, and most of whom had their own agenda or pre-conceived ideas about life on the island.

240 x 160 mm 756 pp b/w photos - Hardback

ISBN 0-9546238-4-3


ST KILDA - CHURCH, VISITORS AND NATIVES

Original Retail Price £35.00

Reduced Retail Price: £ 20.00

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‘An Isle Called Hirte’ by Mary Harman

 SPECIAL RETAIL PRICE £20

A classic and vivid overview of the history and culture of St Kilda up to the time of the evacuation in 1930. Includes detailed treatment of the population and families, their homes, shielings, bothies and storehouses, domestic life, pastoral and arable farming, fowling and fishing, customs and beliefs, stories and songs, religion, education and health, and communications. 338pp hardback, including many diagrams and illustrations.

 

240 x 162 mm 352pp 32 b/w plates

ISBN 978 1 899272 03 7


AN ISLE CALLED HIRTE
Original Retail Price: £ 35.00 Reduced Retail Price £20.00
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‘Expeditions to the Hebrides’ by George Clayton Atkinson in 1831 and 1833

SPECIAL RETAIL PRICE £15 

Edited by David Quine, this is a lavishly illustrated and beautifully produced book including extensive extracts from the journals of the naturalist George Clayton Atkinson, covering his explorations of the Western Isles and St Kilda, and his subsequent expedition to Skye, the Shiants and Lewis. An intriguing insight into both the natural and human history of these islands at a crucial stage in their transition from traditional societies to the modern world. Including many colour illustrations.

 

 240 x 160 mm | 190 pp | Hardback

ISBN 978 1 899272 06 8


EXPEDITIONS TO THE HEBRIDES
Original Retail Price: £ 25.00

Reduced Retail Price £15.00

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‘Travels in the Western Hebrides from 1782 to 1790’ by Rev. John Lane Buchanan

 SPECIAL RETAIL PRICE £5

In 1793, the Reverend Buchanan published a searchingly full and controversial account of his time spent in Harris and other parts of the Outer Hebrides, including St Kilda, as Missionary Minister. Including many first-hand descriptions of the fauna and flora, perhaps his most interesting observations are on the people, their housing, social behaviour and customs, their talents, religious and educational prospects, and their harsh experiences in making a livelihood in an unfavourable climate and social structure. This is a new publication of the original book, with an introduction by Dr Alasdair Maclean.

240 x 165 mm | 112 pp| paperback with illustrations

ISBN 978 1 899272 04 4


TRAVELS IN THE WESTERN HEBRIDES
Original Retail Price: £ 8.50 Reduced Retail Price £5.00
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‘The Summer of ‘89’ by Bob Charnley

SPECIAL RETAIL PRICE £12

 

Following the chance discovery of a photograph album chronicling the journey of a late Victorian photographer around Scotland, Bob Charnley set out to retrace his journey and recover information about the people and places portrayed in these evocative images. The quality of the photographs stand alongside those of George Washington Wilson and D O Hill, and ‘The Summer of ‘89’ is now widely regarded as a classicVictorian record of Highland life, and of the west coast in particular.

240 x 190 mm | 132 pp | Hardback including the original photographs in black and white throughout

ISBN 978 0 8516022 1 8


THE SUMMER OF '89
Original Retail Price: £ 14.95

Reduced Retail Price £12.00

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‘The Highland Clan MacNeacail (MacNicol)’ by David Sellar and Alasdair Maclean

 SPECIAL RETAIL PRICE £10

An entirely new account of the history of one of the oldest Hebridean clans, the Nicolsons of Scorrybreac in Skye, from their origin in a remote Scandinavian past to their dispersal around the globe in modern times. This book is a remarkable synthesis of sound scholarship and living oral tradition. Historical texts, myths, traditions, story and poetry are critically examined to produce a fascinating history. 80pp hardback, including colour pictures.

 

240 x 162 mm | 96 pp | Hardback, including colour pictures

ISBN 978 1 899272 02 0


THE HIGHLAND CLAN MACNEACAIL (MACNICOL)

Original Retail Price £12.95
Reduced Retail Price: £ 10.00

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‘Sgeulachd A’Choire (The Tale of the Cauldron) by J G McKay

SPECIAL RETAIL PRICE £5

This is a facsimile reprint of a classic Gaelic folk tale, first published in 1927. The story is narrated in Gaelic, with English translation, and is accompanied by a series of remarkably fine illustrations by Gordon Browne, R I. The book will be particularly valuable for young readers and Gaelic learners.

Normal price £8.95, now available at special price of £5.

245 x 165 mm | 44 pp | Hardback, with colour photographs throughout

ISBN 0 9516022 8 4


SGEULACHD A'CHOIRE (THE TALE OF THE CAULDRON)
Original Retail Price: £ 8.95  Reduced Retail Price £ 5.00
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‘Scotland’s Forgotten Valour’ by Graham Ross

 SPECIAL RETAIL PRICE £5

As the backbone of the British Army, Scots have played a significant role in every major campaign within the last three hundred years. His book contains the heroic stories of the Scottish-born soldiers who have won the Victoria Cross since it was established in 1856, covering the Crimean War and subsequent campaigns. Five of the first ten medals were awarded to Scots, and in total 158 of the 1351 VCs awarded have gone to Scottish-born soldiers.

 


240 x 165 mm | 189 pp | Paperback including many illustrations

ISBN : 0 9516022 8 4


SCOTLANDS FORGOTTEN VALOUR
Original Retail Price: £ 7.95 Reduced Retail Price £ 5.00
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HISTORICAL MAPS


Historical Map of Skye

A beautiful full-scale reproduction of John Thomson's classic map of Skye and the adjoining islands (including the Small Isles) and west coast mainland, surveyed by William Johnstone in the 1820s and first published in 1824. This is a most informative map, with hundreds of place-names showing a pre-improvement age when Skye was heavily populated and before many of the clearances had taken place, with places such as Knoydart having a much larger population than the Mallaig area.

 

720mm x 530mm

Price : £5.00  


HISTORICAL MAP OF SKYE
Price: £ 5.00 (Heavy Paper Print)
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Martin Martin's Map of the Western Isles circa 1703

A beautiful reproduction of Martin Martin's map of the Hebrides which first appeared in his classic book 'A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland' published in 1703. The map was engraved by Herman Moll and is one of the earliest maps of the Hebrides.

 

 

470mm x 380mm

Price : £7.50 

 


MARTIN MARTIN MAP OF W. ISLES
Price: £ 7.50 (Heavy Paper Print)
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ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE OUTER HEBRIDES


The Hebrides Archaeological Interpretation Programme of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, with support from the HISTP programme of the European Union, has produced three guide books to the archaeology of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

 

ANCIENT LEWIS AND HARRIS

Retail Price  £7.95 Ancient Lewis and Harris cover

This colourful guide presents the story of life in Lewis and Harris from the appearance of the first stone age hunter-gatherers up to 10,000 years ago, to the crofters of the last century. It offers a vivid account of the development of the islands, suggesting some of the most rewarding places to visit and providing clear descriptions of each site.

Dr Christopher Burgess has been County Archaeologist at Northumberland County Council since 2002, but for many years has led campaigns of archaeological survey and investigation in the Outer Hebrides and especially in Lewis, leading to significant advances in our understanding of the human landscape of the islands.

 

210 x 210 mm | 96 pp | 111 colour photos/images, 12 B&W drawings| 5 maps

 ISBN 978-0-9519490-2-3


ANCIENT LEWIS AND HARRIS
Price: £ 7.95 (Paperback)
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ANCIENT UISTS

Retail Price £7.95Ancient Uists cover

This colourful guide presents the story of life in the Uists from the appearance of the first stone age hunter-gatherers up to 10,000 years ago, to the crofters of the last century. It offers a vivid account of the development of the islands, suggesting some of the most rewarding places to visit and providing clear descriptions of each site.

Mike Parker Pearson is Professor of Archaeology at the University of Sheffield, Niall Sharples is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at Cardiff University, Jim Symonds and Anna Badcock are Director and Assistant Director of Sheffield's archaeological consultancy ARCUS, and Heidi Robbins is a freelance archaeological writer and editor. The pioneering work of this team in a major campaign of archaeological excavation and investigation since the 1990s has made possible our understanding of ancient Uist

210 x 210 mm |

ISBN 978-09519490-1-6

 


ANCIENT UISTS
Price: £ 7.95 (Paperback)
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ANCIENT BARRA

Retail price £7.95 Ancient Barra cover

This colourful guide presents the story of life in the Uists from the appearance of the first stone age hunter-gatherers up to 10,000 years ago, to the crofters of the last century. It offers a vivid account of the development of the islands, suggesting some of the most rewarding places to visit and providing clear descriptions of each site.

Keith Branigan, as Professor of Archaeology and Prehistory at the University of Sheffield, led a major campaign of archaeological investigation and excavation in Barra in the 1990s, discovering and recording hundreds of previously unknown sites.  This pioneering work has made possible our understanding of ancient Barra.

210 x 210 mm|

ISBN 978-0-9519490-0-9


ANCIENT BARRA
Price: £ 7.95 (Paperback)
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MEMORIAL LECTURE PUBLICATIONS


PARK - A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE

30 pages with 8 photographs - retail price £5.00

Park - A Personal Perspective

The resoundingly-successful fifth Angus Macleod memorial lecture entitled 'A'Phairc - Sealladh Pearsanta' ('Park - A personal Perspective'), given in October 2008 by Kristine Kennedy, the well-known Gaelic singer and broadcaster, and available in both Gaelic and in English versions. Looking back at her own childhood in rural Lewis, Kristine's lecture is in turns very humorous and very profound as she examines the changing community and cultural scene in A'Phairc (the Park). Kristine believes she was privileged to grow up in such a rich Gaelic-speaking culture, absorbing songs and traditions from her family and neighbours in a natural and almost unconscious way. Hers is perhaps the last generation for which this could be said to be true.


PARK - A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
Price: £ 5.00 (Booklet)
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A 'PHAIRC - SEALLADH PEARSANTA

38 pages with 8 photographs - retail price £5.00

A'Phairc- Sealladh Pearsanta cover

Gaelic version

The resoundingly-successful fifth Angus Macleod memorial lecture entitled 'A'Phairc - Sealladh Pearsanta' ('Park - A personal Perspective'), given in October 2008 by Kristine Kennedy, the well-known Gaelic singer and broadcaster, and available in both Gaelic and in English versions. Looking back at her own childhood in rural Lewis, Kristine's lecture is in turns very humorous and very profound as she examines the changing community and cultural scene in A'Phairc (the Park). Kristine believes she was privileged to grow up in such a rich Gaelic-speaking culture, absorbing songs and traditions from her family and neighbours in a natural and almost unconscious way. Hers is perhaps the last generation for which this could be said to be true.


A 'PHAIRC - SEALLADH PEARSANTA
Price: £ 5.00 (Booklet)
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THE FUTURE OF CROFTING - THE CASE FOR CROFTING REFORM

Future of Crofting - Brian Wilson Memorial Lecture

20 pages with photographs - Retail Price £5.00

An attractively illustrated booklet giving the text of Brian Wilson's thought-provoking lecture on 'The Future of Crofting - The Case for Crofting Tenure'. This was the 4th Angus Macleod Memorial Lecture, delivered on 25 October 2007, the fifth anniversary of Angus's death, and an important contribution to the current debate and the Shucksmith Committee Inquiry.

In his talk, Brian argues that proper regulation of the crofting system is essential to retain population and cultural continuity in remote areas, and that this is best carried out at very local level.


THE FUTURE OF CROFTING - THE CASE FOR CROFTING TENURE
Price: £ 5.00 (booklet)
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THE CLEARANCES IN LEWIS - TRUTH OR MYTH?

24 pp with photographs, retail price £5.

 

A commemorative booklet including the text of Bill Lawson's controversial view questioning the Clearances in Lewis to a packed audience in Pairc School , Gravir in October 2006 in memory of Angus Macleod.

Bill Lawson argues that, while there were clearances in several parts of Lewis, notably Pairc and Uig, the number of people affected was relatively less than in other parts of the Outer Hebrides, and that a higher proportion of those who were cleared re-settled in other areas of Lewis.

 

 


THE CLEARANCES IN LEWIS: TRUTH OR MYTH?
Price: £ 5.00 (paperback)
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MOORLAND WITHOUT CROFTERS

THE SECOND ANGUS MACLEOD MEMORIAL LECTURE BY PROFESSOR JAMES HUNTER 20 pp with photographs, retail price £5.

A commemorative booklet including the full text of James Hunters thought provoking address in October 2005 in memory of Angus Macleod.

 

 

 


MOORLAND WITHOUT CROFTERS
Price: £ 5.00
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PASSION AND PARADOX - THE FIRST ANGUS MACLEOD MEMORIAL LECTURE

BY PROFESSOR DONALD MACLEOD,

16pp with illustrations, retail price £5.


The text of Donald Macleod's inspirational address in October 2004 about the life of the late Angus 'Ease' Macleod of South Lochs, Lewis.

 

 

 

 


PASSION AND PARADOX
Price: £ 5.00
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You can purchase items from our list online using the Add to Basket buttons above, or you can download our order form and send your order by post.


ISLAND NOTES

The TrustIsland Notes is a series of Book Trust publications. These are summaries of talks given at events arranged by the Book Trust (already made available to Gold members).

The series is produced in an attractive A4 format and is available at a modest price.

Details of the ‘Island Notes’ currently available are shown below.

SPECIAL OFFER
Order a set of the complete 26 Island Notes series for the reduced price of £34


ISLAND NOTES - COMPLETE SERIES
Price: £ 34.00
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  1. St Kilda and Foula - survival and decline John Randall Michael Robson Isobel Holborn

    ISLAND NOTES - ST. KILDA AND FOULA
    Price: £ 2.00
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  2. Place names of Barra & Lewis Michael Robson Anke-Beate Stahl

    ISLAND NOTES - PLACE NAMES OF BARRA AND LEWIS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  3. History of Port of Ness Harbour - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - HISTORY OF PORT OF NESS HARBOUR
    Price: £ 1.00
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  4. A background to shielings - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - A BACKGROUND TO SHEILINGS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  5. Beehive shieling structures in Uig, Lewis - Dave Roberts
    ISLAND NOTES - BEEHIVE SHEILING STRUCTURES
    Price: £ 2.00
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  6. Travellers to the Hebrides - Elizabeth Bray
    ISLAND NOTES - TRAVELLERS TO THE HEBRIDES
    Price: £ 2.00
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  7. The Flannan Isles - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - THE FLANNAN ISLES
    Price: £ 1.50
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  8. Some Collectors of Gaelic Song - Morag Macleod
    ISLAND NOTES - SOME COLLECTORS OF GAELIC SONG
    Price: £ 1.50
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  9. Looking at monuments – the work of Historic Scotland in Lewis Chris Barrowman
    ISLAND NOTES - LOOKING AT MONUMENTS
    Price: £ 1.00
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  10. Troubles over Rona - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - TROUBLES OVER RONA
    Price: £ 1.00
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  11. Rum – a landscape without figures - John Love
    ISLAND NOTES - RUM - A LANDSCAPE WITHOUT FIGURES
    Price: £ 1.00
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  12. Writing about islands - Mairi Hedderwick
    ISLAND NOTES - WRITING ABOUT ISLANDS
    Price: £ 1.00
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  13. St Kilda and the 'outside world' - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - ST KILDA AND THE OUTSIDE WORLD
    Price: £ 1.50
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  14. J A Harvie-Brown in the Outer Hebrides - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - HARVIE-BROWN IN THE OUTER HEBRIDES
    Price: £ 1.50
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  15. A Head for Heights-Investigating the Archaeology of Sea-Stacks in Lewis Chris Barrowman et al
    ISLAND NOTES - SEA STACKS
    Price: £ 1.50
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  16. The Deserted Settlement of Stiemreway - John Randall
    ISLAND NOTES - STIEMREWAY
    Price: £ 2.00
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  17. Martin Martin on Uist - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - MARTIN MARTIN ON UIST
    Price: £ 1.50
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  18. The Island of Scarp - Calum John Mackay
    ISLAND NOTES - THE ISLAND OF SCARP
    Price: £ 2.00
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  19. The Great Forest on the Other Side of Loch Shell - Michael Robson
    ISLAND NOTES - THE GREAT FOREST
    Price: £ 1.50
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  20. A Grand Tour of Scotland's Inhabited Islands - Cairns Aitken
    ISLAND NOTES - A GRAND TOUR OF SCOTLANDS ISLANDS
    Price: £ 1.50
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  21. Tory Island - the island that nearly died - Alasdair MacEachan
    ISLAND NOTES - Tory Island
    Price: £ 1.50
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  22. The Decline and Fall of Mingulay - Ben Buxton
    ISLAND NOTES - THE DECLINE AND FALL OF MINGULAY
    Price: £ 2.00
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  23. The Early History of Ness.- Donald William Stewart
    ISLAND NOTES - THE EARLY HISTORY OF NESS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  24. Singers and Tradition Bearers in Lewis and Harris I have known. - Morag Macleod
    ISLAND NOTES - SINGERS AND TRADITION BEARERS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  25. Tristan da Cunha - Paul Tyler
    ISLAND NOTES - TRISTAN DA CUNHA
    Price: £ 2.00
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  26. The Shiants - Adam Nicolson
    ISLAND NOTES - THE SHIANTS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  27. World War Two in the Hebrides - Mike Hughes
    WORLD WAR 2 IN THE HEBRIDES
    Price: £ 2.00
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  28. Breaking down the Barriers - Lesley Riddoch
    ISLAND NOTES - BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  29. The Archaeology of the Shiants - Dr Mary Macleod
    ISLAND NOTES - THE ARCHAELOGY OF THE SHIANTS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  30. Cultural changes in Quebec since the Gaelic Settlers - Margaret Bennett
    CULTURAL CHANGES IN QUEBEC SINCE THE GAELIC SETTLERS
    Price: £ 2.00
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  31. Three centuries of natural history in the Highlands - John Love
    THREE CENTURIES OF NATURAL HISTORY IN THE HIGHLANDS
    Price: £ 2.00
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The Islands Book Trust
NEWS

CHARLES KENNEDY TO GIVE ANGUS MACLEOD MEMORIAL LECTURE

The next annual lecture in honour of the late Angus ‘Ease’ Macleod will be given on Thursday 22 October in Gravir, South Lochs, Lewis, by the Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP, it was announced today.The title of the lecture will be ‘Crofting and a European Future’ and Mr Kennedy will look at current and anticipated developments for crofting in the context of wider political and policy changes within the EU.

Commenting on the announcement, John Randall, chairman of The Islands Book Trust, which in conjunction with Comunn Eachdraidh na Pairc organises the annual event, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted that Charles Kennedy has agreed to give this year’s memorial lecture. The event has become established as one of the highlights of the historical and cultural calendar in the Western Isles, and there can be no doubt that a speaker of Mr Kennedy’s stature will be a great attraction. His subject is particularly appropriate, given Angus Macleod’s leading role in setting up the Scottish Crofters Union in the 1980s, and we look forward to a great occasion in South Lochs.’

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MACLEAN PRESS  

The Book Trust is pleased to announce that it has purchased the Skye-based publishing company Maclean Press, including the stock of several important and attractive books on island themes which complement our own titles. We are offering many of these books, along with some of our own, at greatly reduced prices - for details see Publications - Special Prices   more

 

 

 

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The Islands Book Trust