Birlinn: 208 books

On 31 December 1918, hours from the first New Year of peace, hundreds of Royal Naval Reservists from the Isle of Lewis poured off successive trains onto the quayside at Kyle of Lochalsh. A chaotic Admiralty had made no adequate arrangements for their safe journey home. Corners were cut, an elderly...

On an island like no other, populated by writers, the annual Brilliant & Forever Festival is a much anticipated event; its participants a story away from either glory or infamy. This year, three best friends - two human, one alpaca - are chosen to compete, so victory is not only about reward....

SCAPA FLOW, ONE of the greatest naval bases in history, resonates through the annals of the Royal Navy during the two great wars of the twentieth century. It was from there that the Grand Fleet sailed to Jutland in 1916; from there that Russian convoys set off; and it was in that beautiful, bleak...

This is the inspiring and charming true story of one of the Second World War's most unusual combatants - a 500-pound cigarettesmoking, beer-drinking brown bear. Originally adopted as a mascot by the Polish Army in Iran, Wojtek soon took on a more practical role, carrying heavy mortar rounds for the...

Tom Pow's beautiful, powerful poems examine the remarkable life of Thomas Watling. Watling was born in Dumfries in September 1762 and raised by a long-suffering maiden aunt. Convicted of forging Bank of Scotland one-guinea notes he was sentenced to fourteen years in the recently founded colony of...

What happened to Edinburgh's once notorious but picturesque Tolbooth Prison? Where was the Black Turnpike, once a dominant building in the town? Why has one of the New Town designer's major layouts been all but obliterated? What else has been lost in Edinburgh? From Edinburgh's mean beginnings - 'wretched...

Gary Smailes explores the darker side of Scottish history in this entertaining and informative book, written for children from 9-12. Featuring 25 true stories from the sixteenth century to the present day, Scottish Criminals introduces a motley crew of Scots (as well as a couple of heroes who might...

Who Pays the Ferryman is an informative and critical analysis of Scotland's ferry services. It describes the 'glory days' of how, from modest beginnings, Scotland once led the world in maritime development. It contrasts the achievements of the past with the failures, waste and inadequacy of much of...

In 1938 John Lorne Campbell bought the Hebridean isle of Canna. He wanted to prevent it becoming a rich man's playground (like so many other islands and Highland estates), to preserve a part of traditional Gaelic culture and show that efficient farming methods could be compatible with wildlife conservation...

Peaks and Troughs is the story of a naive young man who is initiated into adulthood through the harsh reality of having to survive in the material world. Despite the hardships, he never loses his belief that there is an alternative way to farm that is sympathetic to the earth and the animals in his...

The descendants of the Gaels are scattered far and wide across the world - a diaspora that is at once cherished and overlooked. This unique, heartfelt book brings vividly to life through raps, secular psalms, love poems and aphorisms the Gaelic experience as it was, as it is and as it might be. Shore...

Hamish Henderson lived one of the great lives of twentieth-century Scotland, a dramatic life of epic European scale, a life of major artistic, political and spiritual achievement. Well-known as a songwriter, a poet and a pioneer in the field of Scottish folksong, Henderson was also a highly original...

Hamish Henderson lived one of the great lives of twentieth-century Scotland, a dramatic life of epic European scale, a life of major artistic, political and spiritual achievement. Well-known as a songwriter, a poet and a pioneer in the field of Scottish folksong, Henderson was also a highly original...