The true story of a small fishing village in 19th century Scotland and the deadly storm that left tragedy in its wake is recounted in this "gripping read" ( Scotsman, UK).On October 14th, 1881, a severe windstorm struck the southeastern coast of Scotland, devastating fishing communities throughout the region. In all, 189 fishermen were lost in a single afternoon. 129 of them hailed from the village of Eyemouth. In Black Friday, Scottish historian P...

The forced removal of family farmers across the Scottish Lowlands in the 18th and 19th centuries is chronicled in this enlightening social history.The Scottish Agricultural Revolution came at great cost to the poor cottars and tenant farmers who were driven from their homes to make way for livestock and crops. The process of forced evictions through the Highlands known as the Highland Clearances is a well-documented episode of Scottish history. But the process actua...

An enlightening illustrated overview of Gaelic culture and history in Scotland.Words have always held great power in the Gaelic traditions of the Scottish Highlands: Bardic poems bought immortality for their subjects; satires threatened to ruin reputations and cause physical injury; clan sagas recounted family origins and struggles for power; incantations invoked blessings and curses. Even in the present, Gaels strive to counteract centuries of misrepresentation of ...

An oral history by "Scotland's forgotten folklorist" whose tale inspired the Neil Gaiman novella The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains ( The Spooky Isles).This is a fabulous treasury of legend and wonder—tales of monsters who dwell in lakes; of small people who trap humans in earthen mounds where time stands still; of dark, shapeshifting spirits whose cloak of human form is betrayed by the sand and shells which fall from their hair. In the ab...

A history of English from the age of Beowulf to the rap of Eminem, "written with real authority, enthusiasm and love for our unruly and exquisite language" ( The Washington Post).Many have written about the evolution of grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary, but only Seth Lerer situates these developments within the larger history of English, America, and literature. This edition of his "remarkable linguistic investigation" ( Booklist) features a...

**From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author, a research expedition to an alien planet takes a treacherous turn for married scientists in this sci-fi fantasy.As the first humans granted permission to explore Tslamaina, Etienne and Lyra Redowl should have been ecstatic. The planet's massive river valley is like no other in the known universe, with three intelligent species living along its waters—a dream expedition for the geologist–anthropologist duo. But the into...

"A very readable account of the protracted and ultimately unsuccessful efforts of the Song, Xia, and Jin dynasties to defend China from the Mongols."— StrategyPageDefending Heaven brings together, for the first time in one volume, the complete histories of the wars the Jin, Song, Xia, and Ming dynasties fought against the Mongols. Lasting nearly two centuries, these wars, fought to defend Chinese civilization against a brutal and unrelenting foe, ...

"Packed with joyful food writing, each recipe complemented by its history and stunning photography." — Appetite MagazineWith over one hundred iconic recipes, The British Baking Book tells the wonderfully evocative story of baking in Britain—and how this internationally cherished tradition has evolved from its rich heritage to today's immense popularity of The Great British Bake Off. With lavish imagery and evocative narrative, the expert-b...

A medieval historian examines what we really know about the man who was "Merlin the Magician" and his impact on Britain.Merlin has remained an enthralling and curious individual since he was first introduced in the twelfth century in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae. But although the Merlin of literature and Arthurian myth is well known, his "historical" figure and his relation to medieval magic are less familiar. In this book Anne Lawrence-...

Longlisted for The Highland Book Prize 2020Fourteen centuries ago, Irish saints brought the Word of God to the Hebrides and Scotland's Atlantic shore. These 'white martyrs' sought solitude, remoteness, even harshness, in places apart from the world where they could fast, pray and move closer to an understanding of God: places where they could see angels. Columba, who founded the famous monastery at Iona, was the most well-known of these courageous men who rowed the...

"Kolovou . . . rescues Anna from the talons of misogynist historians and places her where she belongs as an extraordinary, but very human, woman." —Beating TsundokuA woman of extraordinary education and intellect, Anna Komnene was the only Byzantine female historian and one of the first and foremost historians in medieval Europe. Yet few people know of her and her extraordinary story. Subsequent historians and scholars have skewed the picture of Anna as an intellect...

An "enlightening and fascinating" exploration of Scotland's royal women, from Lady Macbeth to Mary Queen of Scots and beyond ( Booklist).The lives of the Scottish queens, both those who ruled in their own right and the consorts, have largely been neglected in conventional history books. One of the earliest known Scottish queens was none other than the notorious Lady Macbeth. Was she really the wicked woman depicted in Shakespeare's famous play? Was St Marga...