"A detailed account of Scottish Highland history from the earliest times to now."
Anyone who has climbed Scotland’s highest peak, Ben Nevis, will have come across a ruin at the top of it. This old weather station is where Alistair Moffat chooses to begin this enormous journey through the geographical and cultural history of Scotland. It’s an appropriate spot, since climate has been such a defining factor in the shaping of this land. No where else in Great Britain has glacial activity so influenced the future, carving out great lochs and valleys, providing grand natural partitions between settlements in which clans grew and saints and outlaws roamed.
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland is an extraordinary achievement from a writer who has now published something like twelve books on Scottish history, although none of them with such breadth and depth as this. Tectonic plates and the Ice Age through to the establishing of a people and then their many tribes and visitors. Then on to the wars of the last century and up to the present day. Picts, Vikings, Romans, Jacobites .. this small country on the edge of Europe has been the final destination for some, and for others a unique landscape on which to farm and feud.
Moffat is a kilt-weaver - he has mastered the craft of being able to draw threads through time and connect everything to what we see today, presenting it neatly and colourfully. It’s incredible to think that there were once polar bears roaming where campervans now lurch around the lofty bends of the north west. In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in the more distant reaches of Scotland, thanks in no small part by the creation of the North Coast 500. Travellers taking this route will discover a sense of large scale which is not available anywhere else in the UK. In order to do it justice Moffat’s book is also considerable in scale and scope, but with great skill he manages to provide immense detail, but not once did I feel that he (or I) had bitten off more than he could chew.
Over the centuries Scotland has managed to impress its cultural heritage around the world; you might say boxing above its weight. It is the birthplace of countless individuals who have made their mark in all disciplines. You name it - leaders, scientists, historians, writers. In these last two categories Alistair Moffat is certainly one of them. It’s a wonderful book.
| Primary Genre | History |
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Alistair Moffat tells the extraordinary story of the Highlands in the most detailed book ever written about this remarkable part of Scotland.
The chronicle begins millions of years ago, with the dramatic geological events that formed the awe-inspiring yet beloved landscapes, followed by the arrival of hunter gatherers and the monumental achievements of prehistoric peoples in places like Skara Brae in Orkney. The story continues with the mysterious Picts; the arrival of the Romans as they expanded the boundaries of their huge empire; the coming of Christianity and the Gaelic language from Ireland; the Viking invasion and the establishment of the great Lordship of the Isles that lasted for three hundred years.
The Highlands are perhaps best known as the key battleground in Bonnie Prince Charlie's doomed attempt to restore the Stuart monarchy and its dreadful aftermath, which saw the suppression of the clans and the whole of Highland culture. This situation was exacerbated by the terrible Clearances of the nineteenth century which saw tens of thousands evicted from their native lands and forced to emigrate. But, after centuries of decline, the Highlands are being renewed, the land is coming alive once more, and the story ends on an upbeat note as the Highlands look forward to a future full of possibilities.
While this is an epic history of a fascinating subject, Moffat also features the stories of individuals, the telling moments and the crucial details which enrich the human story and add context and colour to the saga of Scotland.
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland features in the following genres: Non-Fiction Books of the Month, Recommendations, Star Books, Gift Books, History, Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure, Travel, History and Archaeology, Social and cultural history, European history, Travel writing, History: specific events and topics, Stationery and miscellaneous items
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland is available in Paperback, Hardback, Digital download
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland was written by Alistair Moffat and published by Birlinn an imprint of Birlinn Ltd
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland has 496 pages
£13.49
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