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Shakespeare fed us the myth of the Macbeths as murderous conspirators. But now Val McDermid drags the truth out of the shadows, exposing the patriarchal prejudices of history.A thousand years ago in an ancient Scottish landscape, a woman is on the run with her three companions – a healer, a weaver and a seer. The men hunting her will kill her – because she is the only one who stands between them and their violent ambition. She is no lady: she is the first queen of Scotland, married to a king called Macbeth.As the net closes in, we discover a tale of passion, forced marriage, bloody massacre and the harsh realities of medieval Scotland. At the heart of it is one strong, charismatic woman, who survived loss and jeopardy to outwit the endless plotting of a string of ruthless and power-hungry men. Her struggle won her a country. But now it could cost her life.Part of Polygon''s DARKLAND TALES series.

She was someone’s daughter . . .In 1930, the killing of a Soho prostitute is hardly a priority for Scotland Yard. But when a second, similar murder comes to light, and then a third, everything changes. Cuthbert and his team find themselves in a nightmarish world of people-trafficking, prostitution and drug use amongst the upper classes.Using all his forensic skills, Cuthbert sets out to solve one of the most baffling cases of his career. One final question remains unanswered until a faded photograph reveals its tragic secret.

Names are very important and can unlock vast amounts of information about places and their origins. The placename of Scotland are a goldmine of information about times past and the lives of early inhabitants. The different languages of their origin ? Gaelic, Pictish, Cumbric, Old Norse and Old English ? reflect the many cultures that have been part of Scotland?s story and preserve the memory of those who gave names to the wild and beautiful landscapes in which they lived. Other names date back to prehistoric times and are the only link to a world now lost to us forever.This comprehensive book features more than 500 placenames and is an essential book for all interested in Scottish history and culture.

From the presenter of BBC Radio 4''s Take Four BooksYou scramble up over the dunes of an isolated beach. You climb to the summit of a lonely hill. You pick your way through the eerie hush of a forest. And then you find them. The traces of the past. Perhaps they are marked by a tiny symbol on your map, perhaps not. There are no plaques to explain their fading presence before you, nothing to account for what they once were – who made them, lived in them or abandoned them. Now they are merged with the landscape. They are being reclaimed by nature. They are wild history.In this book acclaimed author and presenter James Crawford introduces many such places all over the country, from the ruins of prehistoric forts and ancient, arcane burial sites, to abandoned bothies and boathouses, and the derelict traces of old, faded industry.Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for April 2025Shortlisted for The Great Outdoors Reader AwardsLonglisted for the Highland Book Prize PRAISE FOR JAMES CRAWFORDThe Edge of the Plain: How Borders Make and Break Our World''Crawford travels widely to make his points in a text reminiscent of those of Barry Lopez or Robert Macfarlane . . . A thoughtful consideration of the imaginary lines that hold meaning for so many'' - Kirkus Reviews''Crawford''s essays, through vivid accounts of historical episodes and contemporary problems, illuminate how the world acquired its current shape . . . Eye-opening'' - Literary ReviewFallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of History’s Greatest Buildings''Conveys superbly these absorbing tales of hubris, power, violence and decay'' - Sunday Times''Witty and memorable . . . moving as well as myth-busting'' - Mary Beard, Times Literary SupplementScotland from the Sky''A stunning combination of aviation adventure and historical detective work'' - Press and Journal''Crawford is a genuine, risk-taking adventurer'' - Daily Express

In Lost Aberdeen, beautifully illustrated and rich in fact and lore, Diane Morgan introduces the history and fate of numerous city buildings which had enormous historic and architectural value, but which now, regrettably, are gone forever.Starting with an odyssey through the early town, from the Green to the Gallowgate, she charts the disappearance of the irreplaceable medieval townscape before moving on to more modern times, tracing the evolution and gradual erosion of the Granite City, whose stylish yet restrained architecture once brought visitors from all over the world. She introduces George Street, originally planned as ‘an elegant entrance to the city’ and Union Street, a marvel of early nineteenth-century engineering with stunning symmetry, elegant terracing and memorable shops.Featuring a large number of archive photographs, many of which are published for the first time, Lost Aberdeen paints a fascinating portrait of the changing face of one of Scotland’s greatest cities.

Deeside, the southern border of the Northeast shires of Aberdeen and Banff, is very much frontier country – its lonely passes through a barely penetrable mountain range were of massive strategic importance for centuries. The legions of Emperor Septimus Severus came in by Elsick Mounth in the early third century ad, and the B974 Fettercairn–Banchory road marks the way taken by Edward I’s army as it withdrew from the North-east in 1296, as well as the route Macbeth took to his doom two and a half centuries before.In this book, Daniel MacCannell looks at the rich and varied lost legacy of this haunting part of Scotland, from castles, houses, and whole villages to hospitals, illicit stills and even a number of lochs. In addition to tangible things, he also considers much else that has been ‘lost’ from the history, landscape and collective memory of the area – such as forgotten astronomers, inventors, roisterers and rebels; the local Gaelic of the area which has now died out; the wolf, which lived freely there until the 1680s; and the ways of life of past generations of Deeside people. The result is a vivid and stimulating insight into the way Deeside has changed over many hundreds of years.

In Lost Moray and Nairn, Bruce Bishop traces what has been ''lost'' from the old counties of Moray and Nairn, both architecturally and socially. Packed with illustrations of places, buildings and of aspects of life which are now vanished, and containing a history of various elements of life in the area, Bishop illustrates changes in the way of life of the people of the Burghs of Nairn, Forres and Elgin, and in the smaller towns and villages. The effect of these lost elements on the coastal towns is also discussed, with particular focus placed on the demise of the ports of Findhorn, Nairn and Garmouth, and the more recent decline in the fishing industry.His journey trough the region takes him from prehistory to the present day, and examines everything from geology, architecture, agriculture, industry, to communications. Lost Moray and Nairn is an important, illuminating and compelling account and a worthy addition to the Birlinn series.

Bristol has a rich historical heritage dating back to the city''s beginnings in Anglo-Saxon times. For centuries, it was England''s second city and, as a thriving port, its past is steeped in its involvement in trade, whether of cloth, wine, pottery, glass - or slaves. As there is no commercial shipping now, much of Bristol''s past is hidden within the modern city, just out of sight, but waiting to be discovered. Lost Bristol is an exploration of Bristol''s hidden past, its ways of life, legends, relationship with the sea and its role in English history.The book includes some of the more famous aspects of the city''s past, as well as stories and information unknown even to most locals. In an informed and entertaining style, Victoria Coules uncovers events and episodes such as the 1793 bridge toll riots, the jurisdiction of the Knights Templar over certain areas in Bristol and the creation of the Floating Harbour. Lost Bristol also reveals how a 13th century quay became a traffic roundabout, what happened to Bristol''s own hot water spa and why Bristol cod merchants were also intrepid explorers.Many more surprising and remarkable stories about Bristol''s past, accompanied by maps, engravings and photographs, make this book essential reading for all those curious about the city''s hidden history.

This, the final volume in Diane Morgan’s acclaimed Lost Aberdeen trilogy, is a fascinating, ground-breaking account of the west side of the city. The Stocket Lands and the adjoining Lands of Rubislaw, both Crown grants dating from the fourteenth century, form the greatest part of the urban section of the Freedom Lands, stretching in a vast semi-circle from the Low Stocket (Westburn Road) in the north to the South parks of Rubislaw (Great Western Road) in the south.We discover not only land improvement and great mansions, but the unexpected, from Turkish baths to aircraft manufacture, and a bevy of Scottish Enlightenment polymaths – Dr Hamilton, Professor Copland, and the Rev Skene Keith, the cultured Sheriff Dauney, his near neighbour, Francis Peacock, doyen of the performing arts, and that dilettante par excellence James Skene, who south to metamorphose his unpromising Lands of Rubislaw into an Edinburgh of the North and in so doing set in train the development of Aberdeen’s golden West end.Featuring period photographs, illustrations and maps, Lost Aberdeen: The Freedom Lands uncovers the forgotten hamlets and communities that make up this large area of the modern city.

Featuring many images which have never before been published, this book explores the lost architectural heritage of the capital of the Highlands. The list of vanished buildings and streets is a long one. The medieval town was gutted by our mid-Victorian ancestors in a frenzy of redevelopment, but in the process many fine public buildings were created.Sadly, the post-war ‘improvements’ in the town centre, especially in the 1960s, have left an unfortunate legacy of architectural blight. However many fascinating old photographs and drawings survive, allowing us to celebrate much of what has been lost. This book draws on the resources of Highland archives, libraries and museums to create a memorable record of a missing urban landscape, from the speculative sites of Pictish forts and Macbeth’s castle, to Queen Mary’s House and the old suspension bridge below Inverness Castle, itself blown up by the Jacobites in 1746 and replaced by the 1830s prison and courthouse.

Cornwall''s spectacular shoreline, with its brutal cliffs, desolate moors and pre-historic coastal settlements, has long held a source of fascination for those who cross the Duchy''s boundary line. Yet despite the endurance of seascapes and ancient landscapes, which remain hidden from mainstream tourist routes, there are, throughout Cornwall, stories of change. Patterns of life have adapted to a shifting world, and whole communities have been affected as traditions are gradually subsumed in the struggle for ''progress''. However, remnants of recent history are still evident in Cornwall''s architecture, its redundant transport systems and its cultural relics.This book is an exploration of some of the region''s hidden facets and lesser known places which are testament to a way of life experienced just a couple of generations ago.

In Lost Aberdeen: The Outskirts, Diane Morgan embarks on a fascinating and highly readable journey into the environmental and architectural heritage of those familiar parts of Aberdeen that began life on the fringes of the city.Covering Gilcomston (originally a ''wretched and rather remote suburb'') Berryden (famous for its pleasure garden and the Northern Co-op), Kittybrewster (the marts and the railway), Torry (trawling) and Ferryhill (leafy and elegant), and illustrated with period photographs and maps, Lost Aberdeen: The Outskirts is a goldmine of information about one of Scotland''s most historic cities.

In Lost Argyll, Marian Pallister looks not only at the lost architectural heritage of Argyll but also at its lost industries, ferries, roads, bridges and archaeological monuments. Poltalloch House, for example, built in the 1840s as a monument to commerce and investment, lies ruinous, its owners having stripped it of its roof to avoid paying crippling rates; Campbeltown once bristled with distilleries until a cocktail of economic factors left it with only two whilst others have been subsumed into the modern townscape; little remains of even the jetties at Loch Awe and West Loch Tarbert, two of the busiest waterways in times past.This largely rural county has seen its fair share of forts, castles and mansions rise and fall. Some were destroyed in battle; others simply lost the financial battle to remain standing in the face of increasing taxation. Vernacular architecture has also disappeared: the houses of the fishermen and those in agricultural settlements crumbled in the wake of depredations, clearances, afforestation and government demands on landlords to house tenants in fitting conditions.In this fascinating yet poignant study, Marian Pallister introduces the many varied aspects of lost Argyll, showing how ancient and even relatively modern landscapes have changed inexorably, often with little thought for conservation or preservation.

Lost Dundee brings the second city of renaissance Scotland back to life showing, through previously undiscovered photographs and drawings, the life and the maritime quarter of this great port. It illustrates Dundee''s transformation into a major Georgian town at the centre of the flax trade between St Petersburg and the USA, with the development of major public buildings a result of the influx of wealth into the region. This book goes on to examine Dundee''s next transformation into the jute capital of the world. Its identity was transformed by the arrival of railways, which separated the town from the sea, and by the great mills and factories which engulfed it on both sides. The pressures upon medieval Dundee proved so great that in 1871 the process of replacing it with grandiose Victorian boulevards began.The final section illustrates the changes wrought in the twentieth century with the death of jute and its replacement as the city''s major employer by tertiary education.This book draws particularly upon the rich visual history sources of Charles Lawson''s drawings of old Dundee in the Central Library, the DC Thomson photographic collection, and the University of Dundee Archives. Essential to the understanding of this constantly re-generating city, this book contains 150 drawings, photographs and plans of Dundee.

Devon’s colourful past may still be visible in its street names and pub signs, but in fact much of the region’s history has been obliterated – through necessity, social change and the demands of the outside world. The traditional occupations of farming, fishing, pottery, copper and tin mining, wool production and quarrying have all seen change over the past several hundred years. Many of these industries are now lost, replaced instead by ever-expanding tourism.Although many historic buildings have been preserved and are now protected properties, a large number of houses, ecclesiastical ruins and settlements such as Hope Cove, a coastal village once renowned for its tough fisherwomen, have tragically vanished. The county’s coast is also peppered with ruined pillboxes once manned by the Home Guard to watch for invaders; Devon has played a significant military role in the past, from acting as a mooring place for prison hulks in the Napoleonic wars to being the location of a training camp for spies in the Second World War.Superbly illustrated with photographs, paintings, maps and etchings from the county’s museums and art collections, Lost Devon provides a fascinating insight into Devon’s history, as Felicity Goodall explores what little remains of the past and discusses the events which have formed the county as it is today.

Badenoch and Strathspey is a land of many contrasts, and in modern times a land of many uses. Not always has it been the playground of winter sports enthusiasts and a mecca for tourists - for centuries the mountains which protected the province of Moray to the north and the Highland glens to the west were an obstacle to travel and a haven for cattle thieves and reivers.In this fascinating book, illustrated with over 100 period photographs, Bruce B. Bishop explores the changing face of the area over millennia, from the Ice Age, Pictish and Celtic times through the coming of Christianity, the Jacobite rebellions, the more leisured Victorian age, and the twentieth century. Being a rural part of the country, Lost Badenoch and Strathspey covers not only lost buildings - churches, castles and other structures in the main settlements of Badenoch and Strathspey, Aberlour, Tomintoul, Grantown-on-Spey, Aviemore, Kingussie, Newtonmore and Dallwhinnie - but also lost ways of life and industry, from droving and fishing to milling, transportation.