James Robertson - Author
In James Robertson, Scotland has a writer of the highest literary quality and cultural acuity. He recently served as the Scottish Parliament’s first Writer in Residence and his second novel, Joseph Knight, won the two major Scottish literary prizes in 2003/4 – the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year and the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year. He has published two novels, stories, poetry, anthologies, compiled a Scottish Dictionary of Quotations and is also editor of an educational Scots imprint. James lives in Angus.
Leading Scottish novelist, James Robertson has teamed up with illustrator, Jill Calder to retell the story of Robert the Bruce. It’s bold and colourful, a record of one of the great heroes of Scottish history. Like for Like Reading Robert the Bruce: King of the Scots, Ronald McNair Scott A History of Scotland, Neil Oliver
Reviewed on Richard & Judy on Wednesday 28 March 2007.Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2006. Lyrical writing with a great storyline that takes its starting point from the discovery of an ancient manuscript. It’s a novel that can be read on two levels – firstly, as a compelling, incredibly imaginative and entertaining thriller and secondly, on a deeper level, it’s immensely thought-provoking given the religious implications for the characters. Longlisted for the Booker and deservedly so, this is a novel you’ll dwell on long after you’ve finished it, which for me is the sign of a good book. A real star is born.
In this exciting and visually stunning book, the most talented Scottish novelist of his generation teams up with Jill Calder, whose bold and colourful illustrations are a perfect complement to one of the most dramatic tales in Scottish history. In addition to the big set pieces from the Bruce story - not least of course the Battle of Bannockburn - and the other famous elements - such as the murder of the Red Comyn and Bruce and the spider - book is full of accurate historical detail and imaginative touches which offer a fresh and vital perspective on one of the great heroes of Scottish history.
Originally written in the 1440s by Richard Holland, a Scottish cleric who was chaplain to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, The Buke of the Howlat is one of the great poetic gems of fifteenth-century Scots. Believing himself to be ugly, a young owl (howlat) decides to speak to the most handsome bird of all, the peacock, and ask his help so that Nature can change him. But the peacock isn't sure this should be done - after all, Nature doesn't usually make mistakes - and summons a council of birds to make a decision. A huge feast takes place, and Nature herself appears and orders all the birds present to give the owlone of their feathers. But the result is not what they expect. The howlat's initial joy turns to unbearable arrogance at his new found beauty, and drastic action must be taken ...
Originally written in the 1440s by Richard Holland, a Scottish cleric who was chaplain to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, The Book of the Howlat is one of the great poetic gems of fifteenth-century Scots. Believing himself to be ugly, a young owl (howlat) decides to speak to the most handsome bird of all, the peacock, and ask his help so that Nature can change him. But the peacock isn't sure this should be done - after all, Nature doesn't usually make mistakes - and summons a council of birds to make a decision. A huge feast takes place, and Nature herself appears and orders all the birds present to give the owl one of their feathers. But the result is not what they expect. The howlat's initial joy turns to unbearable arrogance at his new-found beauty, and drastic action must be taken ...
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WODEHOUSE COMIC FICTION PRIZE 2017 An utterly mad, entirely heart-warming Highland adventure from the Man Booker-longlisted author of And the Land lay Still Douglas is fifty years old - he's just lost his job, been kicked out by his girlfriend and moved back into his dad's house. Just when things are starting to look hopeless, he makes a very unexpected new friend: a talking toad. Mungo is a wise-cracking, straight-talking, no-nonsense kind of toad - and he is determined to get Douglas's life back on track. Together, man and beast undertake a madcap quest to the distant Highlands, hot on the trail of a hundred-year-old granny, a beautiful Greek nymph, a split-personality alcoholic/teetotaller, a reluctant whisky-smuggler, and the elusive glimmer of redemption . . .
Originally written in the 1440s by Richard Holland, a Scottish cleric who was chaplain to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, The Buke of the Howlat is one of the great poetic gems of fifteenth-century Scots. Believing himself to be ugly, a young owl (howlat) decides to speak to the most handsome bird of all, the peacock, and ask his help so that Nature can change him. But the peacock isn't sure this should be done - after all, Nature doesn't usually make mistakes - and summons a council of birds to make a decision. A huge feast takes place, and Nature herself appears and orders all the birds present to give the owlone of their feathers. But the result is not what they expect. The howlat's initial joy turns to unbearable arrogance at his new found beauty, and drastic action must be taken ...
Originally written in the 1440s by Richard Holland, a Scottish cleric who was chaplain to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Moray, The Book of the Howlat is one of the great poetic gems of fifteenth-century Scots. Believing himself to be ugly, a young owl (howlat) decides to speak to the most handsome bird of all, the peacock, and ask his help so that Nature can change him. But the peacock isn't sure this should be done - after all, Nature doesn't usually make mistakes - and summons a council of birds to make a decision. A huge feast takes place, and Nature herself appears and orders all the birds present to give the owl one of their feathers. But the result is not what they expect. The howlat's initial joy turns to unbearable arrogance at his new-found beauty, and drastic action must be taken ...
A madcap Highland adventure from the Booker-longlisted author of And The Land Lay Still and The Testament of Gideon Mack Douglas Findhorn Elder is in a sorry state. He's just turned fifty, split up from his girlfriend and been pushed out of his job in an ailing national newspaper. On the night of his birthday, he makes an unexpected new friend: a talking toad. So begins a wild goose chase that will lead Douglas out of his cosy house in Edinburgh and across the country - all the way to crumbling Glentaragar House in the distant West Highlands. Awaiting him along the journey are a semi-criminal hearse driver, a hundred-year-old political firebrand grandmother, a split-personality alcoholic/teetotaller, an elaborate whisky-smuggling conspiracy, a mysterious woman with a rather enchanting Greek nose, and maybe even a shot at redemption... In this gloriously surreal romp, James Robertson proves once and for all that the important things in life - friendship, romance, a very fine malt whisky - come when you least expect them.
In the chaotic days following Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Washington and the world struggled to come to terms with the loss of the figure who symbolized America's Union. Best-selling author James Robertson brings readers back to 1865, exploring the critical years following the Civil War, and focusing on 75 key figures who would come to shape America during Reconstruction and beyond. We meet Edwin Stanton, the dour secretary of war who would attempt to seize political power amid the chaos of post-assassination Washington and avenge the Union with harsh punishments for Confederate president Jefferson Davis. We meet the Old Soldiers such as Winfield Scott, the general who was older than the city of Washington, D.C. when he took command of the Union Army in 1861, and William Tecumseh Sherman, an enigma of a man who would revolutionize modern warfare. And we meet the people whose lives marked shifts in everyday life in the United States, from Edwin Holmes, who would revolutionize the funeral industry, to Clara Barton, who would found the modern Red Cross. Together their stories tell the complex and fast-paced history of America as the country struggled to reunite and adapt to the inevitable changes wrought by war. The Greatest Generation of their day, the 75 figures in this book would forever change - and be hanged by - the Civil War.
Returning to the turbulent days of a nation divided, bestselling author and acclaimed historian James Robertson explores seventy fascinating figures who shaped America during Reconstruction and beyond.Relentless politicians, intrepid fighters, cunning innovators-the times called for bold moves, and this resilient generation would not disappoint. From William Tecumseh Sherman, a fierce leader who would revolutionize modern warfare, to Thomas Nast, whose undefeatable weapon was his stirring cartoons, these are the people who weathered the turmoil to see a nation reborn.Following these extraordinary legends from the battle lines to the White House, from budding metropolises to the wooly west, we rediscover the foundation of this great country.
365 is James Robertson's innovative collection of 365 stories, each 365 words long. In 2013, James Robertson wrote a story every day. Each was exactly 365 words long. A year later, on a daily basis, the stories were published on the Five Dials website. Now the 365 stories are gathered together in one volume. Some draw on elements of ancient myth and legend, others are outtakes from Scottish history and folklore; there are squibs and satires, songs and ballads in disguise, fairytales, stories inspired by dreams or in the form of interviews, and personal memories and observations. Underpinning all of them are vital questions: Who are we? What are we doing here? What happens next? 'Wow. James Robertson wrote a 365-word short story each day in 2013. They'll be posted throughout 2014' Ian Rankin, via Twitter 'A great storyteller' The Times 'One of Britain's best contemporary novelists' Irvine Welsh, Guardian James Robertson is the author of five novels, The Professor of Truth, And the Land Lay Still, The Testament of Gideon Mack, Joseph Knight and The Fanatic. The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the 2006 Man Booker Prize and selected for Richard and Judy's Book Club the following year. Joseph Knight was the Saltire Scottish Book of the Year in 2003 and And the Land Lay Still was recipient of the same prize in 2010.
New from Itchy Coo! KATIE'S A tae Z is the eighth in the KATIE series, following the bestselling success of KATIE'S COO, KATIE'S MOOSE, KATIE'S FERM, KATIE'S BEASTIES, KATIE'S YEAR, KATIE'S ZOO and KATIE'S PAIRTY. This new book is aimed at very young children and is the simplest and easiest introduction to Scots words with Karen Sutherland's cheerful and engaging pictures to go with them. On each of the thirteen spreads KATIE introduces two things or animals: one word and one image for each. For example, A is AIPPLE, D is DUG, M is MOOSE, P is PUDDOCK. KATIE'S A tae Z should prove a brilliant introduction to all the other KATIE books.
The Professor of Truth is James Robertson's acclaimed novel about grief, truth and justice. Twenty-one years after his wife and daughter were murdered in the bombing of a plane over Scotland, Alan Tealing, a university lecturer, still doubts the official version of events surrounding that terrible night. Obsessed by the details of what he has come to call The Case, he is sure that the man convicted of the atrocity was not responsible, and that he himself has thus been deprived not only of justice but also of any chance of escape from his enduring grief. When a terminally ill American intelligence officer arrives on his doorstep with information about a key witness in the trial, Alan decides to act. Will this lead to the truth for which he has waited so long? 'Superb. A mystery thriller, a haunting evocation of grief' Daily Mail 'A great storyteller. It is a tense and gripping read, beautifully imagined' The Times 'Powered by action and mystery, and profoundly invested in the lives of its characters' Scotsman James Robertson is the author of four previous novels, The Fanatic, Joseph Knight, The Testament of Gideon Mack and And the Land Lay Still. The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, picked by Richard and Judy's Book Club, and shortlisted for the Saltire Book of the Year award. And the Land Lay Still was the winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award 2010.
Leading Scottish novelist, James Robertson has teamed up with illustrator, Jill Calder to retell the story of Robert the Bruce. It’s bold and colourful, a record of one of the great heroes of Scottish history. Like for Like Reading Robert the Bruce: King of the Scots, Ronald McNair Scott A History of Scotland, Neil Oliver
Katie's Pairty is the seventh in the bestselling Katie series of board books from Itchy Coo and Black & White Publishing. In this new book Katie invites all her best friends round for a pairty. Lots of her usual friends are there and a few new ones. And, of course it wouldn't be a Katie book if her wee moose wasn't hiding somewhere on every page! Each KATIE book is unique, and in this one the story is told in short, easy sentences containing simple Scots words. Katie is as cheery and inquisitive as ever, and there are lots of things to look at and point to in Karen Sutherland's wonderful illustrations. Katie's Pairty should prove just as popular as its predecessors.
This brand new edition of short stories comprises the best of James Robertson's work, collected together here for the first time. They range in setting from a dysfunctional safari park to a dentist's surgery, from the poverty of hope of a reservation in South Dakota to the nightmare vision of a future Scotland riven by ethnic cleansing, from friendships strong in adversity to marriages heading for the rocks. Nothing is quite what it seems in these stories. Running through them is an undercurrent of optimism tinged with despair, as the personal meets the political and individual men and women make choices that will change their lives forever. Surreal, realistic, angry, philosophical, funny and humane, Robertson's shorter fiction explores the lives of his characters with the same deftness of touch that has brought critical acclaim for novels such as And the Land Lay Still and The Testament of Gideon Mack .
Future Money explains in plain language and convincing detail how our money system is propelling us toward the self-destruction of our species - and what we should do about it. Our present money system frustrates the well-meaning efforts of active citizens, NGOs and governments to deal with our present ills and problems - including worldwide poverty, environmental destruction, social injustice, economic inefficiency and political unrest and violence within and between nations. Failure to reform the world's money system urgently and radically - that is, from its roots up - could bring disaster for human civilisation before the end of this century. Future Money shows clearly how our money system operates and how it could be reformed so that it acts for the benefit of people and society rather than the opposite, and describes the obstacles that currently prevent that reform. The world's financial experts and leaders in politics, government and business, and most mainstream academic and media commentators, have demonstrated that they are not yet able or willing to diagnose and treat the profound and pervasive problems that are directly caused by the money system. Future Money speaks explicitly to active, independent-minded citizens, including young people, with the hope that it will help them to understand why people committed to careers in almost every important walk of life today find it difficult to recognise the problem and grasp the nettle. It shows why we have to take the initiative now, and urgently, to get the issue on to mainstream agendas worldwide.
Dramatically illustrated with archival images and objects and compelling contemporary photography, this book delivers a surprise on every page: from precious personal mementos to forgotten battle sites; from newly recovered glass-plate negatives that reveal long-obscured photographic details to long-lost documents
Due to massive demand Itchy Coo is proud to publish this miniature edition collecting the work of Scotland's National Bard. This board book is in the format of the hugely successful Katie series. Wee Rabbie's Rhymes is unique in bringing the best-loved lines of the poet to the very youngest readers. A simple, funny, colourful introduction to Burns, Wee Rabbie's Rhymes will entertain the bairns and encourage parents and teachers not only to recite the lines from the poems but perhaps also to sing the tunes to songs like Ca the Yowes and Ye Banks and Braes , A Red, Red Rose and, as a grand finale, Auld Lang Syne .
And the Land Lay Still is the sweeping Scottish epic by James Robertson And the Land Lay Still is nothing less than the story of a nation. James Robertson's breathtaking novel is a portrait of modern Scotland as seen through the eyes of natives and immigrants, journalists and politicians, drop-outs and spooks, all trying to make their way through a country in the throes of great and rapid change. It is a moving, sweeping story of family, friendship, struggle and hope - epic in every sense. The winner of the Saltire Society Scottish Book of the Year Award 2010, And the Land Lay Still is a masterful insight into Scotland's history in the twentieth century and a moving, beautifully written novel of intertwined stories. 'Toweringly ambitious, virtually flawlessly realized, a masterpiece and, without a doubt, my book of the year' Daily Mail 'A jam-packed, dizzying piece of fiction' Scotland on Sunday 'Gripping, vivid, beautifully realized' The Times 'Engrossing' Daily Telegraph 'Powerful and moving. A brilliant and multifaceted saga of Scottish life in the second half of the twentieth century' Sunday Times 'Brilliant and thoughtful. Eminently readable, subtle and profound' Independent on Sunday 'Bold, discursive and deep, Robertson's sweeping history of life and politics in 20th-century Scotland should not be ignored' Ian Rankin, Observer Books of the Year James Robertson is the author of three previous novels: The Fanatic, Joseph Knight and The Testament of Gideon Mack, which is available in Penguin. Joseph Knight was awarded the two major Scottish literary awards in 2003/4 - the Saltire Book of the Year and the Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year - and The Testament of Gideon Mack was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, picked by Richard and Judy's Book Club, and shortlisted for the Saltire Book of the Year award.
Katie's Zoo is the sixth in the Katie -series, following the bestselling success of Katie's Coo , Katie's Moose , Katie's Ferm , Katie's Beasties and Katie's Year . In this new book, Katie spends a day at the zoo, meeting some of the bonnie, braw animals and birds that stay there, among them the tiger 'in his strippit coat', the koalas with 'hairy lugs', and an array of bright and beautiful birds and reptiles. But Katie's favourite animals are kept till last...Who could that be bringing up the rear of the penguin parade? Each Katie book is slightly different, and in this one the story is told in short, easy sentences containing simple Scots words. Katie is as cheery and inquisitive as ever, and there are lots of things to look at and point to in Karen Sutherland's wonderful illustrations. Katie's Zoo should prove just as popular as its predecessors.
Katie's Year is the fifth in the best-selling Katie series of board books. In this new book, Katie makes her way through the months of the year, experiencing the changing seasons and some of the key events of the calendar - from wind and snow to rain and sunshine, from spring days with new lambs and bright flowers to summer days on the beach and in the garden. Winter celebrations include Halloween, Bonfire Night and of course Christmas. Simple Scots words in rhyming couplets guide the reader through the months of the year, and Katie is as cheery and inquisitive as ever. Her Granda and some of her animal pals from previous books also make an appearance, and there are some new friends too. With lots of things to look at and point to in Karen Sutherland's bright and cheery illustrations, Katie's Year should prove just as popular as its predecessors.
Katie Bairdie had a coo, Black and white aboot the mou. Wasna that a dainty coo? Dance, Katie Bairdie. Mini Katie's Coo is the compact format of Itchy Coo's popular first publication specially for babies and very young children, Katie's Coo, a delightful board book illustrated in full colour throughout and containing some much-loved traditional Scots rhymes along with a few that are less well known.Parents and grandparents will enjoy singing or chanting the words to babies and toddlers while the bairns will love the combination of Scots words and sounds with the bright and simple illustrations by award-winning artist Karen Sutherland ( Animal ABC , A Moose in the Hoose , Eck the Bee ). Rhymes featured include favourites like The Three Craws , Katie Bairdie , Wee Willie Winkie and Ally Bally Bee .Developed in consultation with Craigmillar Books for Babies and the Scottish Book Trust, Mini Katie's Coo is a safe, fun introduction for young children to easy Scots rhymes.
Spanish Town is an old town. As Jamaica's capital for nearly 350 years and subsequently as a major urban centre, its streets and squares witnessed key political and social transitions. But although the once proud city has lost all its ancient glory, Spanish Town has a rich and textured legacy. James Robertson guides the reader through the landmarks, identifying sites and scenes long lost and showing what is still there to be appreciated. His account of Spanish Town's long history is firmly rooted in the streets and lances of the town, its nooks and niches, sounds and smells. The urban landscape he presents is a peopled landscape, inhabited by rich and poor, enslaved and free, notables and eccentrics, Africans and Europeans. He shows convincingly that the colonial capital provided both a cultural and political counterpoise to the colony's merchants and plantations and that its diverse in habitants had created a `creole town' as early as 1750 when they were still preparing to build Spanish Town's splendid Georgian square in the midst of its multiplying yards. The work is based on extensive research in scattered archives and is illustrated by a variety of rare and wonderful images.
Katie visits her grandparents' farm and goes in search of the mischievous cat Tam, who keeps one step ahead of her all the way. Katie asks all the animals if they have seen Tam.
Originally published in 2000 by Polygon to mark the 250th anniversary of Fergusson's birth, this new edition contains all Fergusson's finest poems in both Scots and English, and features a new introductory essay, revised orthography, a substantial section of notes and a glossary. Acknowledged as a crucial influence on Burns, Robert Fergusson was a remarkable poet in his own right. All his work was produced during a few brief years, delighting readers with its vigour and power. Although he wrote much verse in the then fashionable style of Augustan English, it is his Scots verse which, in its great warmth, humanity, satire, and hilarious comedy, is his enduring legacy. His work covers the whole gamut of human emotions and experience and his subject matter ranges from drunken encounters with the notorious City Guard to quieter reflections on pastoral themes. Fergusson died in 1774 at the age of only 24.
Reviewed on Richard & Judy on Wednesday 28 March 2007.Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2006. Lyrical writing with a great storyline that takes its starting point from the discovery of an ancient manuscript. It’s a novel that can be read on two levels – firstly, as a compelling, incredibly imaginative and entertaining thriller and secondly, on a deeper level, it’s immensely thought-provoking given the religious implications for the characters. Longlisted for the Booker and deservedly so, this is a novel you’ll dwell on long after you’ve finished it, which for me is the sign of a good book. A real star is born.
Commemorating the seven hundredth anniversary of the enthronement of Robert I of Scotland, this book is intended as an everyman's guide to Scotland's famous hero king. The life of Bruce is one of the greatest comeback stories in history. Heir and magnate, shrewd politician, briefly 'king of summer' and then a desperate fugitive who nevertheless returned from exile to recover the kingdom he claimed, Bruce became a gifted military leader and a wise statesman, a leader with vision and energy. Colm McNamee combines the most up to date scholarship on this crucial figure in the history of the British Isles with lucid explanation of the medieval context, so that readers of all backgrounds can appreciate Bruce's enormous contribution to the historical impact not just on Scotland, but on England and Ireland too. It is designed to encourage popular reassessment of Bruce as politician, warrior, monarch and saviour of Scottish identity from extinction at the hands of the Edwardian superstate. Peeling back the layers of misconception and propaganda, the author paints an accurate, sympathetic but balanced portrait of a much beloved national hero who has fallen out of fashion of late for no good reason.
Katie Bairdie had a coo, Black and white aboot the mou. Wasna that a dainty coo? Dance, Katie Bairdie. Itchy Coo's first publication specifically for babies and very young children, Katie's Coo is a delightful board book. Illustrated in full colour throughout, the book contains some much-loved traditional Scots rhymes, along with a few that are less well known. Parents, grandparents, aunties, uncles, big brothers and sisters, they'll all enjoy singing or chanting the words in Katie's Coo to babies and toddlers. And the bairns will love the combination of Scots words and sounds with the bright and simple illustrations by award-winning artist Karen Sutherland (Animal ABC, A Moose in the Hoose, Eck the Bee). Rhymes featured include favourites like 'The Three Craws', 'Katie Bairdie', 'Wee Willie Winkie' and 'Ally Bally Bee'. Developed in consultation with Craigmillar Books for Babies and the Scottish Book Trust, Katie's Coo is a fun introduction for young children to easy Scots rhymes.
`A book of such quality as to persuade you that historical novels are the true business of the writer.' Daily Telegraph A gripping, shocking story of history, enlightement and slavery from the bestselling author of THE FANATIC. JOSPEH KNIGHT confirms James Robertson as one of our foremost novelists. Exiled to Jamaica after the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Sir John Wedderburn made a fortune, alongside his three brothers, as a faux surgeon and sugar planter. In the 1770s, he returned to Scotland to marry and re-establish the family name. He brought with him Joseph Knight, a black slave and a token of his years in the Caribbean. Now, in 1802, Sir John Wedderburn is settling his estate, and has hired a solicitor's agent, Archibald Jamieson, to search for his former slave. The past has haunted Wedderburn ever since Culloden, and ever since he last saw Knight, in court twenty-four years ago, in a case that went to the heart of Scottish society, pitting master against slave, white against black, and rich against poor. As long as Knight is missing, Wedderburn will never be able to escape the past. Yet what will he do if Jamieson's search is successful? And what effect will this re-opening of old wounds have on those around him? Meanwhile, as Jamieson tries to unravel the true story of Joseph Knight he begins to question his own motivation. How can he possibly find a man who does not want to be found? James Robertson's second novel is a tour de force, the gripping story of a search for a life that stretches over sixty years and moves from battlefields to the plantations of Jamaica, from Enlightenment Edinburgh to the back streets of Dundee. It is a moving narrative of history, identity and ideas, that dramatically retells a fascinating but forgotten episode of Scottish history.
This book is a comprehensive introduction to the Scottish Parliament, both past and present, written in accessible, straightforward modern Scots. Part One describes the modern institution, re-established in 1999 after nearly a 300-year absence: its functions, powers, activities, buildings and personnel, and its relevance to the everyday lives of Scots. A brief history of the politics of post-Union Scotland, the establishment of the Scottish Office and the growing demand for devolved government in the 20th century, is also given. Part Two describes the historical Parliament, from its medieval origins to its fully-fledged development as an arm of government under the Stewarts, through to the Act of Union in 1707. The main events of this period, together with descriptions of incidents and individuals associated with the Parliament, and extracts from some of the many interesting pieces of legislation it passed, are given.
An impressive debut from an exciting new Scottish voice - a stunning novel about history, identity and redemption. A no. 2 best-seller in Scotland. It is Spring 1997 and Hugh Hardie needs a ghost for his Tours of Old Edinburgh. Andrew Carlin is the perfect candidate. So, with cape, stick and a plastic rat, Carlin is paid to pretend to be the spirit of Colonel Weir and to scare the tourists. But who is Colonel Weir, executed for witchcraft in 1670. In his research, Carlin is drawn into the past, in particular to James Mitchel, the fanatic and co-congregationist of Weir's, who was tried in 1676 for the attempted assassination of the Archbishop of St Andrews, James Sharp. Through the story of two moments in history, `The Fanatic' is an extraordinary history of Scotland. It is also the story of betrayals, witch hunts, Puritan exiles, stolen meetings, lost memories, smuggled journeys and talking mirrors which will confirm James Robertson as a distinctive and original Scottish writer.
This anthology brings together 28 stories by living writers, from traditional folktales to stories dealing with domestic violence and poverty. The book's introduction defines Scots in the widest possible terms, and argues that this anthology is a sign of the vigour of the language.
This collection of short stories is laced with a mixture of expectation and menace, hope and fear. Men and women, strangers and lovers, the old and the young, test and joust with each other, unsure of the ground yet rooted to it. In 1991 James Robertson won the Sloan Prize.
Communism has collapsed and socialism is discredited. Is this the end of history? No, James Robertson argues, precisely the opposite. 20th century capitalism and socialism propped each other up. Both belonged to the modern industrialized period of human history, when the powerful interest groups of business and state dominated people, and Euro-American culture and power dominated the world. An emerging post-modern worldview foreshadows possibilities for a new path of progress, more deeply concerned for people and nature. Based on articles and lectures, this collection explores what this new path of progress could mean for politics, work, welfare, health, energy, the life of families and neighborhoods, the world role of today's rich countries, and other aspects of the human predicament today. Important reading for concerned citizens and policymakers alike.
Communism has collapsed and socialism is discredited. Is this the end of history? No, James Robertson argues, precisely the opposite. 20th century capitalism and socialism propped each other up. Both belonged to the modern industrialized period of human history, when the powerful interest groups of business and state dominated people, and Euro-American culture and power dominated the world. An emerging post-modern worldview foreshadows possibilities for a new path of progress, more deeply concerned for people and nature. Based on articles and lectures, this collection explores what this new path of progress could mean for politics, work, welfare, health, energy, the life of families and neighborhoods, the world role of today's rich countries, and other aspects of the human predicament today. Important reading for concerned citizens and policymakers alike.
With its rich folklore and diverse cultural and religious heritage, Scotland has been a notoriously fertile haunting ground for the recording and transmission of ghost stories down the centuries, those of both well-documented lineage and accumulated legend. Inheriting the tradition of Hugh Miller, the nineteenth century folklorist and stonemason (whose own haunted life is the subject of the opening chapter), James Robertson has, where possible, researched the original or oldest written source and visited the site of each story to compile the most comprehensive and authoritative collection of the Scottish supernatural. Some of the stories gathered here are deservedly famous, such as those associated with Glamis Castle or the tale of Major Weir, while others ('The Deil of Littledean' and 'The Drummer of Cortachy') are less familiar or even contemporary accounts related to the author personally - but all are equally intriguing and fascinating reflections of the culture and period to which they belong. Neither a wary sceptic nor a fanatical believer, but an advocate of the validity of individual experience of the strange and unexplainable, James Robertson's Scottish Ghost Stories is an imaginative and chilling recasting of an established Scottish ghost-hunting and story-telling tradition - a homage to the particular mystery and character of a land which continues to produce ghosts whether from den to glen, Highlands to Lowlands, Catholic to Protestant.
This book is for everyone who is in any way concerned about the present state of the world. It is for those interested in environmental issues, in public health, in poverty, in Third World development. It is for professionals, planners, economists, academics, business people, managers and politicians who are interested in economic and social change and the future.
How can we reshape our economic system so that it will meet the needs of people and the Earth in the 21st century? In this Briefing, James Robertson outlines measures for building a healthier and more equal world. He identifies key ways in which people can work together to transform the economics of food and farming, work and livelihoods, local development, travel and transport, energy, technology and international trade.
In this account of their research, the authors describe the anxiety, loneliness and despair of young children in hospital, foster homes and institutions in Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. This is a history of a couple in the field of child health, who pioneered research into the effects of separation from the mother when a child went into hospital.
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