Birlinn General strana 4 z 8

New and updated edition. In 1743, according to legend, the last wolf in Scotland was killed by a huntsman near Inverness. Long regarded in folk takes and history as a slayer of babies, a robber of graves, a devourer of battlefield dead, its extinction was widely celebrated. But since then, deer have multiplied, destroying the vegetation on which an array of wildlife depends, and it is clear that the entire Highland ecosystem has been thrown off balance by the elimination of a top predator. Jim Crumley believes the old stories are pure fiction – a distortion of reality which prevents people from thinking rationally about the huge benefits wolves could bring. With reference to wolves in other cultures and places, from the south-west of England to Scandinavia and North America, this is a passionate polemic which argues for the return of the wolf to heal the damaged land.

The most famous living rock musician on the planet, Paul McCartney is now regarded as a slightly cosy figure, an (inter)national treasure. Back in the 1970s, however, McCartney cut a very different figure. He was, literally, a man on the run. Desperately trying to escape the shadow of the Beatles, he became an outlaw hippy millionaire, hiding out on his Scottish farmhouse in Kintyre before travelling the world with makeshift bands and barefoot children. It was a time of numerous drug busts and brilliant, banned and occasionally baffling records. For McCartney, it was an edgy, liberating and sometimes frightening period of his life that has largely been forgotten. Man on the Run paints an illuminating picture: from McCartney's nervous breakdown following the Beatles' split through his apparent victimisation by the authorities to the rude awakening of his imprisonment for marijuana possession in Japan in 1980 and the shocking wake-up call of John Lennon's murder. Ultimately, it poses the question: if you were one quarter of the Beatles, could you really outrun your past?

Sins never stay buried. You may call it a sin; I say it was an act of desperation. Like all pathologists, Cuthbert finds dealing with dead children the hardest part of his job. However, when the body of a young boy is found in the grounds of a church orphanage, Cuthbert not only has to steel himself for the task ahead, he is also forced to revisit his own childhood grief. The boy in his shallow grave has been interred with some ritual, but just how did he die? And why was he kille? orking closely with his assistant and the team at Scotland Yard, Cuthbert slowly and painstakingly reveals the terrible truth.

What if you met the person you were destined to be with? And what if you never saw them again . . . ?There’s a new case for the Perfect Passion Company. After a serendipitous meeting in a supermarket, Clea meets the man of her dreams. But having left suddenly without his phone number, she can’t stop thinking about what might have been. Can apprentice matchmaker Katie, with the help of her enigmatic neighbour William, help orchestrate the forces of Kismet and choreograph another happy unio? nd now that the newly single William’s engagement is off, can Katie seize the moment to tell him how she feels before her chance has gone forever?

Celebrate 150 years of Hibs. Charting the highs, lows and many misadventures of Hibernian FC, and featuring countless characters, from George Best to John McGinn via the Famous Five and the side that became world champions, this is the ultimate celebration of the beloved Edinburgh sporting institution. It sweeps from the founding of the club in 1875 to the triumphs and tribulations of the 21st century. In 150 bitesize helpings, the story of Hibs is served up in delicious fashion. Who could forget the pass of the millennium or the swoon-inducing swagger of sixties heartthrob Peter Marinello? And who wouldn’t recoil at the memory of the wine bar empire entwined in the club’s darkest hour? Written by a lifelong Hibee, Hibs at 150 bridges the generations and peels back the layers of a century and half of Hibsteria.

From the author of the bestselling The King in the North. The story of the lands between the Forth and Humber from the end of the Roman period to the Viking kingdom of York is one of the most richly fascinating in British history. This the age of Lindisfarne and of Bede; of the dramatic hills, valleys and ancient routeways that link the Irish Sea and the North Sea; of names that resonate even now: Edwin, Oswald, Hild, Cuthbert, Wilfrid; of conquest, conversion and the legacies of intellectual giants. This history of Early Medieval Northumbria explores themes of landscape, power, creativity and intellect. Fresh archaeological evidence and research in historical geography shed light on the fascinating story of how land was managed, exploited and deployed as an expression of power by both secular and ecclesiastical forces, and aspects such as the role of élite women in shaping politics and religion is given new focus. Max Adams and Colm O’ Brien show conclusively how Northumbria’s political, cultural and religious elements coalesced to forge a creative powerhouse which shaped the world we have inherited.

Hodges Figgis Book of the Year for 2025Shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards History Book of the YearMaps allow us to see how the world is organised spatially and show us relationships which cannot be understood from simply reading a text. This magnificent book highlights a vast selection of maps that range across the centuries and cover every part of the island, shedding light on the history and development of Ireland. The themes are many and varied, from conquest and colonisation, the management of the landscape, natural resources, meeting the needs of tourists, transport, the growth of urban centres as well as exploring how others saw Ireland, and much more besides.  Carefully selected by two noted map experts, this highly visual book tells the story of Ireland in a unique and stimulating way.

On the 9th of July 1857, a twenty-five-year-old labourer named Angus MacPhee bludgeoned to death his parents and aunt in the crofting community on the remote Hebridean island of Benbecula.Five years later, Angus''s older brother Malcolm recounts the events leading up to the murders while trying to keep a grip on his own sanity. Malcolm is ostracised by the community and haunted by this gruesome episode in his past, but is he as innocent as he seem? rom Graeme Macrae Burnet, the Booker-shortlisted author of His Bloody Project, comes a tale of darkness, violence and madness, leavened by moments of black humour and absurdity.

'If you think you know everything there is to know about Hearts owner Wallace Mercer's bid to buy Hibs, think again. Stunning new light is cast on one of Scottish football's biggest-ever stories' – Alan PattulloDavid Duff was Chairman of Hibernian at the most extraordinary time in its history. In 1990, Heart of Midlothian chief Wallace Mercer pushed for a merger of the two Edinburgh clubs. But instead of creating one united Edinburgh team capable of challenging the Old Firm, it became abundantly clear that these machinations would see Hearts flourish and Hibs destroyed. With internal shareholders wanting to sell out, the end seemed inevitable. David Duff had other ideas. Joining forces with outraged fans he spearheaded boardroom resistance against this takeover, which would have meant the end of the club they loved. For the first time, Duff tells the explosive inside story of the plot to destroy Hibernian and the real motivations of those behind it. Featuring some of the best-known names in Scottish business and football, it is a riveting tale of double-dealing, greed and betrayal.

Featured on BBC Radio 4's Take Four BooksSix friends. One city. The time of their lives. It’s 1988, and on the verge of a reunion with friends she hasn’t seen since graduation, Julie recalls her halcyon student days of 1984 and the strange tumultuous time they lived through. The friends – each from a very different background – are living in a gorgeous terraced flat in their Edinburgh idyll. As they navigate relationships and the unspoken rules of flat sharing, the troubled world all around them seems rather distant. But in the nearby hometown of one of the flatmates, the Miners' Strike is bringing about a huge political shift. Despite their differences, can these six strangers help each other see the world from a different perspective? Is there such a thing as being too close? And what are the limits of love between friends?

Shortlisted for the James Tait Black Prize. The first biography of one of the twentieth century's foremost champions of Hebridean culture. The American-born folklorist and musician Margaret Fay Shaw’s passion for the Hebrides led her to the island of South Uist in 1929 and then to Canna in 1935 as the wife of the eminent folklorist John Lorne Campbell. Her extraordinary work in documenting and preserving traditional Gaelic songs and customs remains a vital resource for understanding Hebridean music, and the Campbells’ house on Canna is a unique collection of priceless material celebrating the Hebridean world. This vast archive also includes Margarets collection of still and film photography, which capture the essence of island life at a time when old traditions were vanishing. This book celebrates the legacy and life of a remarkable woman, who herself wrote with such wit and flair of her travels and adventures and which took her from turn of-the-century Pennsylvania to 1920s New York, Paris, Nova Scotia and the Hebrides, where she lived until her death in 2004. Fiona J. Mackenzie has been named as one of The List's Hot 100 Arts and Culture Contributors in Scotland for 2025.

Neolithic farmers, iron age settlers, clan dynasties and, in the 20th century, the infrastructure of war all left their mark on Islay, but the way the island looks and works today stems primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries.Starting with the Campbells of Shawfield, who bought much of Islay in 1726, the impact of Georgian and Victorian ambition was of exceptional significance. Their story, along with those of other landowners, is one of grand ideas, some realised, some thwarted. Other significant influences on island life during this time came from national and international developments.  Changing attitudes to religion, education, agriculture and industry all left their imprint and contributed to a legacy that remains in both buildings and landscapes.This book vividly records the island’s built heritage as well as the stunning physical beauty of its landscape, and is informed by history and local memory freely given by the islanders themselves.

Witches – whether broomstick-riding spell-casters or Wiccan earth-worshippers – have been culturally relevant for centuries. For centuries, too, belief in the potency of witchcraft has been debated, accused witches have been hunted and punished, and film and TV productions have brought the witch and the witch-hunter to big and small screens.But where did our perception of witches – good and bad – come from? What motivated wide-scale panics about witchcraft during certain periods? How were alleged witches identified, accused, and variously tortured and punishe? teven Veerapen traces witches, witchcraft, and witch-hunters from the explosion of mass-trials under King James VI and I in the late sixteenth century to the death of the witch-hunting phenomenon in the early eighteenth century. Based on documents and the latest historical research, he explores what motivated widespread belief in demonic witchcraft throughout Britain as well as in continental Europe, what caused mass panics about alleged witches, and what led, ultimately, to the relegation of the witch – and the witch-hunter – to the realm of fantasy and the fringes of society.

Edinburgh, 1930, and the world is on the brink of change. Leading the charge is the glamorous, free-spirited Miss Jean Brodie, schoolteacher at the Marcia Blaine Academy, whose guiding principle is ‘Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she’ll be mine for life. I am dedicated to you in my prime.’ While Miss Brodie manipulates and charms ‘her girls’ – known as the Brodie Set – with notions of romance and heroism, tragedy and a cruel betrayal beckon.This is one of the 22 novels written by Muriel Spark in her lifetime.

This is the charming and poignant account of twenty-five years spent in Orkney. After her marriage to an islander, Christine Muir went to live on the tiny island of North Ronaldsay, where she and her husband brought up their four children and ran a small croft.Following the seasons though the year, Orkney Days is full of observations of the natural world at their doorstep. Beautiful descriptions of the island and its flora and fauna – from wildflowers and medicinal herbs to seals and seabirds – are mingled with memories of a young family growing up and the rhythms of daily life far from the bustle of the modern world. There is much too about the work involved in running their croft and the cattle and sheep that are its mainstay, about the traditions and lore of the island which stretch back over countless generations, and about the modern developments which changed it forever.

Drawing upon historical research and archaeological discoveries, Daphne Brooke brings to life the events and personalities of the ancient realm of Galloway from Roman times until the fifteenth century. This mysterious region of south-west Scotland has for centuries attracted pilgrims to its holy places, especially Whithorn, ever since St Ninian founded Candida Casa (now known as Whithorn) in the early Christian era. Galloway’s troubles began in Roman times, when the territory was occupied by Britons who had little in common with their northern neighbours, the Picts and the Scots. A few centuries later, the rulers of Northumbria held sway over Galloway, binding the two provinces in culture. But Galloway’s sense of identity was stronger than its recognition of shared interests. The region stubbornly resisted Anglo-Norman domination and assimilation into the Kingdom of Scotland.Oram’s new introduction appraises the significance of Wild Men and Holy Places in the new historiography of Scotland that emerged at the close of the twentieth century and its place in the radical revision of our understanding of conversion and state-building in the Early Historic and medieval eras. It explores how Brooke’s interdisciplinary approach to the poorly documented history of Galloway set a new benchmark for accessible history: she stimulated wider research of this under-studied region, and her enduring impact still shapes public understanding of the role of St Ninian, the Northumbrians, Gall Gaidhil and the kings and lords of Galloway in the story of Scotland’s making.