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With the widest catchment area of any river in Britain, the Tay drains much of the lower Highlands of Scotland. A vast network of lochs and smaller bodies of water feed the rivers Isla, Garry, Tummel, Almond and Earn, which all in turn flow into this mighty river as it cuts its way through the landscape.Robin Crawford has a very personal connection to this river, and as he walks along its banks, from its source on Ben Lui until it spills into the North Sea at Dundee, we find paralells between his own experience and the broader history of the Tay.Reaching back to a prehistoric fish found near Balruddery in Perthshire, we follow its story through time to the present day, with detours to seek gold, clans, battles, forts, disasters, witches and whisky en route.In amongst this broader sweep of history is Robin’s own story. As he walks, he reminisces and reflects on the small moments of a life on which events turn.

In the early 1820s, Thomas Harvie, a newly rich, arrogant Glasgow distiller, bought Westthorn estate on the eastern edge of the city close to the north bank of the River Clyde. To establish the bounds of his property and keep out intruders, he erected two walls, the larger of which (‘Harvie’s Dyke’) was massive, fortified and blocked a long-established pathway alongside the river. Colliers and other workers from nearby villages (many of whom regularly used the walkway) were outraged. A large crowd gathered on midsummer’s evening in 1823 and set about demolishing the wall. After a cavalry charge put an end to the disturbance, dozens of the rioters were arrested and some imprisoned.But Harvie rebuilt his walls, and a six-year struggle with the people of Glasgow ensued, which resulted in a House of Lords ruling in 1828 in favour of those who had campaigned for ‘the liberties of the banks of the Clyde’. The episode gripped the city and was heralded in poems, song and newspapers for many decades. It also inspired later protests against landowners who attempted to obstruct public rights of way. This book is testimony to a triumphant victory for ordinary Glaswegians over an uncompromising estate proprietor.

It''s a hot Edinburgh summer, and Roisin’s life is stagnating. She spends her days cancelling plans, skipping work and drinking lukewarm wine in the bathtub with her best friend Eve.When their wealthy mutual friend Claire offers Roisin a significant amount of money under the guise of ‘freelance work,’ Roisin thinks her luck might finally be changing. But Claire’s proposal is not all it seems, and soon Roisin finds herself trapped. Paralysed by both her intense infatuation with Eve and her secret arrangement with Claire, Roisin must walk a delicate line to avoid losing what matters to her most.''A spry tale of friendship and desire, best inhaled in a single sitting. Summer Hours is astute, funny, and fizzing with life'' – Malachy Tallack

Since 1945 the world has changed at breakneck speed, and life in post-war Scotland is now entirely different from what it was like when Alistair Moffat grew up in the quiet Border town of Kelso in the 1950s. At that time the rhythms and practicalities of daily life which had remained constant for many generations were about to change in the most unimaginable ways.This is a book about these changes – many of which have been dizzying and disorientating – and how they have affected each and every one of us in all parts of the country. The main themes, such as housing, healthcare, sport, the media, the arts and entertainment, urban and country life, our relationship with the environment, politics, religion and education, are all viewed through the lens of personal experience. Alistair’s own recollections of big events and small, together with other eyewitness accounts, bring these decades alive in a way that no ordinary history can with a directness and poignancy that underlines how much has been gained – and how much lost.

Nature artist Jane Smith has been fascinated by wildlife communities and ecosystems her whole adult life.Starting from her own garden in Argyll, she travels to ten locations in the west of Scotland - from the towering cliffs of St Kilda and the peatlands of Lewis to the Solway estuary and the urban sprawl of Glasgow - to explore the interaction of people and wildlife in a variety of diverse settings. On her journey she discovers a number of communities who are taking on the job of regenerating their own landscapes and meets a host of fascinating people whose lives are inextricably bound up with questions of sustainability, conservation and landownership.Contents Includes: Western Isles (peatlands) * North Uist (machair) * Islay (farmland) * Loch Arkaig (woodland) * Knapdale (wetland) * Dumfries and Galloway (river and estuary) * Jura (coast) * St Kilda archipelago (sea) * Glasgow (urban landscapes) *Eigg (community ownership)

A feel-good, uplifting tale of two women who make a life-changing connection. In Ethiopia, beautiful Sylvie''s successful life is derailed by a disastrous childbirth. With no money and no hope, all seems lost. In London, feisty Juliet is struggling with the many challenges facing a female surgeon as well as inner traumas of her own. Unsure how to balance career, love and life, she escapes to Ethiopia.Under the vast African sky, these two women''s lives are unexpectedly brought together. Can they help each other come to terms with their pasts? And will they be able to see a bright future on the horizo? ublished with the support of global best-selling writer Alexander McCall Smith. Proceeds from this book go to the Uganda Childbirth Injury Fund https://www.ucif.co.uk/

Tommo has just moved to a prestigious boarding school. A product of the middle class, and with new-found independence thrust upon him, he finds himself invited into fading crumbling country houses.It’s the early nineties and the elite he is now surrounded by is struggling for relevance. Alienated from the mainstream, and running low on inherited wealth, his peers have retreated into snobbery and fatalism. Initially awed by their poise and seduced by their hedonism, Tommo gradually becomes aware of sinister undercurrents and a suppressed rage that threatens to explode into violence.In this world, half-remembered traditions mix with decadence and an awful lot of small dead animals. And sometimes, not just animals. When Tommo’s friend Johnnie’s brother is found dead, a shotgun at his feet, he realises there are secrets that everyone knows, but no one speaks about, or even acknowledges. And those secrets can no longer be hidden.''Keeps the outrageous laughs and twists coming in equal measure'' – Alexander Larman, The Observer

Whisky is a bloody business . . .When a dilapidated distillery comes up for sale in rural Kintyre, Eilidh and her wife Morag jump at the chance. But their ambition to run the first women-owned whisky distillery in Scotland seems to be scuppered when a grisly, decades-old secret is revealed: two dead bodies have been stuffed into barrels, perfectly preserved in single malt.To add to their woes, a TV crew has just arrived and the townsfolk will not leave them alone. Eilidh becomes obsessed with solving the murders while juggling whisky tastings, ceilidhs, protests and scandals – everything you’d expect from a wee Scottish town imprisoned by its own geography. And no matter how hard you try, the locals will always find out your secrets.

Few bands in British musical history have achieved the mythical status of Oasis. Emerging from the streets of 1990s Manchester, their meteoric rise was fuelled by a relentless drive and swagger that left an indelible mark on pop history. Definitely Maybe is a comprehensive account of that journey – from their humble beginnings and label signing in King Tut’s to Britpop jousts with Blur and Knebworth.Bollen explores the Gallagher brothers’ chemistry and rivalry, the backstage fights, their Irish blood and English hearts, the substance abuse and intense media circus that swirled around them. Oasis became the band of the people by giving the people what they wanted: rock ‘n’ roll. They were Artful Dodgers from a housing scheme, who enjoyed their fame and created stadium anthems that connected with millions.

The Isle of Lismore has a long reputation as a holy island, beginning with the foundation of a monastery by St Moluag in the sixth century, when it became a major centre of Christianity. The Roman Catholic Bishopric of Argyll was founded on Lismore in 1200, and the medieval Cathedral Church of St Moluag was completed in 1400, the choir of which forms the basis of the present-day parish church.Robert Hay tells the story of Moluag’s monastery, recently rediscovered by community archaeology, before exploring the rise and fall of the Bishopric of Argyll: the roles of the bishops; the years of prestige when leading families invested in elaborately carved graveslabs; the lean years when finances were strained; the struggles through decades of war, civil unrest, despoliation, famine and plague; and the final withdrawal of the bishop from Lismore to Dunoon in the mid fifteenth century. Even at the physical fringes of Scotland and Europe, the diocese was deeply affected by events on the national and international scene, with a major impact on this site of an unbroken tradition of Christian worship.

''Fascinating and lyrical . . . A beautifully written celebration of a lifelong passion'' – Stephen VenablesThe relationship of people with hills and mountains has been complex, rich and varied – from awe and wonder to fear and loathing, from spiritual longing to peaceful acceptance.As he explores our high places, Ian Crofton conjures up those who have been there before: Neolithic axe-makers, mass trespassers, shepherds, quarrymen, botanists, poets and pioneering cragsmen and women among them. At the same time, he is ever attuned to the present moment – a flash of bright moss in a bog, the swoop of an eagle above a skyline, a winter sun sinking into a sea of cloud.Following an arc from the gentle Downs of southern England to the wild peaks of Scotland’s far north, Upland combines personal experiences with a keen curiosity about the history and nature of mountain landscapes, and the people who once worked and wandered among them. The result is a meditation on the enduring yet ever-changing hills, on the transience of human experience, and on the shifts and twists of time itself.Locations included:Chilterns (following The Ridgeway)MalvernsSnowdonPeak DistrictPenninesLake DistrictBen NevisThe Cuillin, SkyeAssynt (Suilven)Cairngorms

Once common across most of the country, beavers were hunted to extinction in the sixteenth century, but returned to Scottish waters in the early 2000s both through authorised and accidental releases. The deadwood wetlands they create benefit a huge numbers of species, but their activities can also cause havoc with land management, and for this reason their reintroduction is a controversial topic.In November 2021 a family of beavers was relocated to Argaty, Perthshire. Never before had beavers in conflict sites been relocated to new areas of Scotland instead of being culled. It paved the way for a new era in human/beaver relations.In this deeply personal account, Argaty’s Tom Bowser tells of his attempts to save these incredible animals, of the support and opposition received and of the unimaginable gains that beavers ultimately brought to his family farm. Tom also traces the history of these animals and tells the stories of the people who brought them back and fought for their right to remain. In doing so he also explores the wider themes of rewilding and nature conservation in Scotland, meeting some of the leading lights of this exciting and movement, highlighting the work that they do and showing why ecological restoration is so important for the future of our planet.

''A call to arms for a better society'' – BBC Radio 4Often a small and seemingly insignificant event can change the course of our lives.Not long after starting a new job, Neil meets Chrissie. Romance soon blossoms and together they move to a lavish flat in Edinburgh. Everything seems to be falling into place perfectly.But an innocuous, throw-away comment unintentionally causes Neil’s career to collapse, and, at the same time, a cruel betrayal shatters the life he thought he knew.His only option is to escape to the secluded, remote beauty of a breathtaking Hebridean island. Here, he finds a different way of life, and new friendships develop. But he can’t escape the past forever, and soon he must confront a life-changing decision once more.From the world''s favourite author of The No. 1 Ladies'' Detective Agency, this novel is about chance encounters; it is richly atmospheric and packed with compassion and humour. Praise for Alexander McCall Smith''s writing: ''The author''s prose has the merits of simplicity, euphony and precision. This is art that conceals art'' – Sunday Telegraph''Bags of warmth and wisdom and easy, accomplished writing that begs for a comfy chair'' – The Times''Charming, delightful, feel-good stuff'' – Daily Express

A Croft in the Hills, first published in 1960, is now acknowledged as a classic among Highland books. It captures, in simple, moving descriptions, what it was really like trying to make a living out of a hill croft near Loch Ness fifty years ago. A couple and their young daughter, fresh from city life, immerse themselves in the practicalities of looking after sheep, cattle and hens, mending fences, baking bread and surviving the worst that Scottish winters can throw at them.Their neighbours are few, but among them they find the generosity and community spirit that has survived in the Highlands for generations. Working as a tight family unit, they learn to cope, and in time grow to love their little croft.

In the early 18th century, Edinburgh was a filthy backwater town synonymous with poverty and disease. Yet by century''s end, it had become the marvel of modern Europe, home to the finest minds of the day and their breathtaking innovations in architecture, politics, science, the arts, and economies - all of which continues to echo loudly today. Adam Smith penned "The Wealth of Nations". James Boswell produced "The Life of Samuel Johnson". Alongside them, pioneers such as David Hume, Robert Burns, James Hutton, and Sir Walter Scott transformed the way we understand our perceptions and feelings, sickness and health, relations between the sexes, the natural world, and the purpose of existence.James Buchan beautifully reconstructs the intimate geographic scale and boundless intellectual milieu of Enlightenment Edinburgh. With the scholarship of an historian and the elegance of a novelist, he tells the story of the triumph of this unlikely town and the men whose vision brought it into being.

Today the Northeast of Scotland is the picture of peace and tranquillity. Some of the highest quality agricultural land is to be found here. But it was not always like this. Although the area lacks the scenic grandeur and dramatic mountains found elsewhere in Scotland, the record of the rocks here bear witness to countless apocalyptic geological events that helped to shape the landscape we see today.The area is bounded to the south by The Highland Line, which played a key role in the assembly of Scotland from a collection of previously unrelated continental fragments 420 million years ago. In more recent times, the land that became Northeast Scotland was covered by desert sands. Primitive lizard-like reptiles roamed the parched plains, leaving their footprints in the sand and impressions of their bones as trace fossils embedded in the rock. The landscape was shaped into its current distinctive form in more recent geological times by the passage of ice.Written for the non-expert and including stunning photographs and diagrams, this is the essential introduction to the geology and landforms of this fascinating part of Scotland.