| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Bookworm |
Posted - November 14 2004 : 7:09:14 PM
In another forum Serjeant MacWilliam mentioned that he likes to read about Scotland -- understandably, in his case, and he's probably not the only one, given our interest in Highlander units and Scotch-Irish emigration and such. While I haven't read the books by Thomas Fox Averill that the Serjeant recommended (and I hope he will tell us more about those), I have read, and recommend, the following:
King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett -- a novel based on the life of Thorfinn, Earl of Orkney, a/k/a Macbeth. Yes, there really was a Scottish king by that name, of Norse and Celtic heritage, and a good king too, it's said. The author's style is a little difficult to get used to, but once you get 100 pages or so into the book, it becomes a really fascinating journey through the Scotland of that time. (Spoiler alert: if you don't want to know exactly how the story ends, don't look at the genealogical chart on the inside covers.)
The Camerons by Robert Crichton -- a fictional family saga that centers on life in the coal-mining region of Scotland in the 19th (if I remember correctly) century. It begins with a romance, but this is definitely a non-romantic look at a part of Scottish history that was entirely unfamiliar to me.
Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men: Searching Through Scotland for a Border Collie by Donald McCaig -- the (true) story of a modern-day American sheep farmer who goes to Scotland to buy a border collie. Very enjoyable to read, and very informative about life in modern rural Scotland, with some digressions on Scottish history (e.g., a visit to the Culloden battlefield, and the observation that despite the Scots' legendary tightfistedness, Bonnie Prince Charlie wandered the Highlands for six months with an enormous bounty on his head, and no one turned him in). You don't have to be a dog lover to read this, though you'll probably be one by the time you're done with it.
More recommendations, anyone?
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| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Kate |
Posted - November 12 2005 : 2:39:15 PM
For all those interested in Scottish history, you really can't beat the books of Nigel Tranter!!
Many of them are fiction, as he takes a character out of history and often portrays him/her or event, through the eyes of someone on the sidelines, who is involved but not the main character. In that way, the person/event is depicted in a more unbiased way.
Tranter has very thoroughly done his homework and his research is as complete and as factual as he can get it. And so, though thoughts and words of the character are his own, the actual event or story is as accurate as it's possible to be, given the length of time the characters and events took place.
His books are the type you can't put down until you finish it! Though they can often start 'slowly' - many of the stories involve MANY characters, with many what will be unfamiliar, titles, and you have to get them straight in your head. Once you've done that, I think you'll be so intrigued with the story, you'll forget you took a little while to work out who was who. He takes history, and the excitement and intrigue of the past and turns it into a history lesson that you can't let go of!
I know a one-time poster on this Board, who can't get enough of Tranter and each visit I make to America inevitably includes AT LEAST a half dozen Nigel Tranter books in my luggage! 
He has also written MANY non-fiction books and guides around Scotland. Unfortunately, this superb ambassador for Scotland died about 4 -5 years ago, but... he's left a wealth of information and made Scottish history FUN! |
| Dark Woods |
Posted - October 24 2005 : 2:54:18 PM
I have a Celtic link (well documented by others, I don't have all of the details) through the Livingston line back through the North of Ireland to Scotland.
A possible Celtic link exists through the Hall side. The family tree there can be traced back to the mountains of West Virginia, but no further. As described by James Webb in Born Fighting... It could well be that the Hall line is one of the Scots-Irish lines where folks moved on, with the unmarked family graves and list of names of those who crossed the ocean lost to time... |
| Bookworm |
Posted - October 24 2005 : 08:25:58 AM
I'm reading it, too, Dark Woods, and I agree with you -- it's a very readable and informative book. The author, whose other books I haven't read, is a Vietnam vet and former Secretary of the Navy. He appears to have done a great deal of research on the Scots-Irish (of which he is one), and it shows. Remember James Carville's comment about Pennsylvania consisting of Philly in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle, and wondering why the middle came to be that way? I think this book provides the answer: because the Appalachian Mountain region was settled by the Scots-Irish, from central PA all the way down to northern Alabama. The author's review of "Braveheart" is also interesting -- he describes it as "a stylized but emotionally accurate depiction of [William Wallace's] life." (William Wallace came from the southwest part of Scotland, the area that most of the emigrants we now call Scots-Irish came from.) All in all, highly recommended!
On a personal note, I've never researched the non-German parts of my ancestry, but have always assumed that my forebears named Walker, Coleman, and Mitchell were Scots-Irish. Other Celts here on the Board? |
| Dark Woods |
Posted - October 23 2005 : 2:04:37 PM
I am currently reading  Born Fighting How the Scots-Irish Shaped America by James Webb. I find it fascinating and well-written.
It begins with the development of the Scottish nation. Webb views the construction of Hadrian's Wall as a crucial element in the different histories of the Celtic peoples north of the wall versus south. While both groups interacted with with Scandinavian and Germanic peoples--Roman, then Germanic, then Norman influence was stronger south of the wall.
The book then proceeds with Scots and then Scots-Irish emmigrations, which is where I am at now in it. |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - November 16 2004 : 7:10:03 PM
Some of my favorite works include:
FORBES, Archibald; The Black Watch: The Record of a Historic Regiment
RICHARDS, Fredrick; The Black Watch at Ticonderoga
HARPER, J.R. (Colonel); 78th Fighting Frasers
GRANT, James; The Black Watch: 42nd Royal Highlanders
ADAM, Frank; The Clans, Septs and Regiments of the Scottish Highlands
...Just to name a few.
Your Most Humble Servant,
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| Many Flags |
Posted - November 16 2004 : 12:35:26 PM
There are several coffee table books out there that my cousin the 1st Sjt. enjoys. One is "The Highlanders"....lots of pictures and good information. I know he enjoys books about the Bonnie Prince....there are several good biographies out there about Bonnie Charlie...(sshhhh, don't tell the gov't about this.....that Sjt. MacWm. is a closet Jacobite!!)...Also, some Osprey men at arms issues on Highlanders and Scottish troops and Culloden. Although these are not always the "best" researched, they give good background and again, good pictures.....Scots are colorful folk! Pax Aye! Many Flags |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - November 15 2004 : 1:35:17 PM
Yes, this is another good series. Most entertaining, although the author can get a bit "sensationalistic" with some of the plot happenings in her books. Of all of the series, the first one that Chris mentioned is my favorite, along with the 4th one, "Drums of Autumn."
All in all, a very good read! |
| Chris |
Posted - November 14 2004 : 8:31:40 PM
Try Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. In 1945 an ex-combat nurse is on vacation in Scotland with her husband when she touches one of the boulders in an ancient stone circle and is thrown into the Scotland of 1743. It's definitely a love story, but is fascinating. It's also the first of a series of five books with more to come, I believe.
Chris |
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