The following books may assist readers in a better understanding of Scotland's history and culture. They have been suggested by members of the Forum, and by members of SnG as worth reading. They may contain statements with which we do not agree totally, but overall have much to recommend them. They are split into several categories. Publisher, date of publishing and ISBN numbers are given (where known) to assist in tracking copies down. Last updated: 1st January 2003

Scottish History :
Jackson A. - "The Pictish Trail - Traveller's Guide to the old Pictish Kingdoms", 1989
Barrow G.W.S. - "Kingship and Unity : Scotland 1000-1300", 1981
J Marsden - "Alba of the Ravens; In search of the Celtic Kingdom of the Scots", London, 1997
JL Roberts - "Lost Kingdoms: Celtic Scotland and the Middle Ages", Edinburgh, 1997
WJ Watson - "History of Celtic Placenames of Scotland", Irish Academic Press
George MacDonald Fraser - "The Steel Bonnets", Harper Collins, 1971 ISBN 0002727463
Newton, Michael - "A Handbook of the Scottish Gaelic World", Bodmin, 2000
John Macleod - "Highlanders: A History of the Gaels", Sceptre, 1996 ISBN 0340639911
KJ Logue - "Popular Disturbances in Scotland, 1780-1815", Edinburgh, 1979
Marion Campbell - "Argyll, the Enduring Heartland", House of Lochar, 2001 ISBN 1899863826
Marion Campbell - "Alexander III", House of Lochar, 1999 ISBN 1899863559
WGS Barrow - "Robert Bruce", Edinburgh University Press
David R. Ross - "On the trail of William Wallace", Luath Press, 1999 ISBN 0946487472
David R. Ross - "On the trail of Robert the Bruce", Luath Press, 1999 ISBN 0946487529
David R. Ross - "On the trail of Bonnie Prince Charlie", Luath Press, 2000 ISBN 0946487685
David R. Ross - "A Passion for Scotland", Luath Press, 2002 ISBN 1842820192
PH Scott - "1707 - The Union of Scotland and England", Chambers
John Prebble - "The Lion in the North", Penguin, 1971 ISBN 0140056459
John Prebble - "The Highland Clearances", Penguin, 1963 ISBN 0140028374
John Prebble - "Culloden", Penguin, 1961 ISBN 0140025766
John Prebble - "The King's Jaunt", Fontana, 1988 ISBN 0006374670
John Prebble - "Mutiny - Highland Regiments in Revolt 1743-1804", Pimlico, 2001 ISBN 0712667180
TC Smout - "Scotland and Europe 1200-1850", John Donald
TC Smout (Ed) - "Scotland and the Sea", Edinburgh, 1992
TC Smout - "A Century of the Scottish People 1830-1950", Fontana, 1987 ISBN 0006861415
TC Smout - "A History of the Scottish People 1560-1830", Fontana, 1985 ISBN 0006860273
TC Smout - "Scottish Voices 1745-1960", Fontana
Ian Hamilton - "The Taking of the Stone of Destiny", Corgi, 1991 ISBN 0552138983
Pat Gerder - "Stone of Destiny", Canongate, 1997 ISBN 0862416701
Nigel Tranter - "The Story of Scotland", NWP 1987 ISBN 1897784074
Nigel Tranter - "Tales and Traditions of Scottish Castles", Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd, 1993; ISBN: 1897784139
Tom Scott - "Tales of Sir William Wallace", Gordon Wright Publishing, 1997; ISBN: 0903065894
Michael and Alison Pritchard - "Tranter's Terrain", Neil Wilson Publishing Ltd, 1994; ISBN: 1897784236
Andrew Murray Scott and Iain Macleay - "Britain's Secret War", Mainstream Publishing, 1990 ISBN 1851583130
T.M.Devine "The Scottish Nation: A History 1700-2000", Penguin, 2000 ISBN 0140230041
Tom Johnston - "Our Scots Noble Families", Argyll Publishing, 2001 ISBN 1902831012
Jan-Andrew Henderson - "The Town below the Ground", Mainstream, 1999 ISBN 1840182318
BD Osborne & R Armstrong - "Scottish Dates", Birlinn, 1996 ISBN 1874744408
The Saltire Society - "Why Scottish History Matters", The Saltire Society, 1991 ISBN 0854110488
Paul Henderson Scott - "The Boasted Advantages: The consequences of the Union of 1707", The Saltire Society, 1999 ISBN 0854110720
James Hunter - "Last of the Free: A Millenial History of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland", Mainstream, 1999 ISBN 1840183764
I Donnachie & G Hewitt - "Dictionary of Scottish History", Harper Collins 2001 ISBN 0007121857

Historic Scotland do a couple of excellent series of books, some of which are listed below :
The Making of Scotland series - excellent short books ideal for older children.
"Wild Harvesters" - The first people in Scotland
"Farmers, Temples and Tombs" - Scotland in the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age
"Settlement and Sacrifice" - The later Prehistoric people of Scotland
"Surviving in Symbols" - A visit to the Pictish Nation
"A Gathering of Eagles" - Scenes from Roman Scotland
"The Sea Road" - A Viking voyage through Scotland
"Saints and Sea-Kings" - The first Kingdom of the Scots
"Angels, Fools and Tyrants" - Britons and Anglo-Saxons in Southern Scotland AD 450-750

Scottish Culture:
Margaret Bennet - "Scottish Customs from the Cradle to the Grave", Polygon, 1992 ISBN 0748661182
Colin Walker - "Scottish Proverbs", Birlinn, 2000 ISBN 1841580570
David Ross - "Scottish Place-names", Birlinn, 2001 ISBN 1841581739
Ferguson, William - "The Identity of the Scottish Nation", Edinburgh, 1999
James G. Leyburn - "Scotch-Irish: A Social History", North Carolina University Press
Freire Paolo - "Cultural Action for Freedom", Harvard Educational Review
Freire Paolo - "Pedagogy of the Oppressed", Penguin
Freire Paolo - "Education - The Practice of Freedom", Writers & Readers Publishing Co-op
Osborne and Armstrong - "Scotch Obsessions", Birlinn, 1996 ISBN 1874744688
K Ralls-Macleod & I Robertson - "The Quest for the Celtic Key", Luath Press, 2002 ISBN 0946487731
IF Grant - "Highland Folk Ways", RKP
Alexander Warrack - "The Scots Dialect Dictionary", Waverly Books, 2000 ISBN 1902407091
Murdo Macdonald - "Scottish Art", Thames and Hudson, 2000 ISBN 0500203334
David Dorward - "The Glens of Angus", Pinkfoot Press, 2001 ISBN 1874012253
Duncan A. Bruce - "The Mark of the Scots", Citadel Press, 1998 ISBN 0806520604
C Beveridge & R Turnbull - "The Eclipse of Scottish Culture", Polygon
Murray G.H. Pittock - "Celtic Identity and the British Image", Manchester University Press, 1999 ISBN 0719058260
P.H.Scott - "Scotland - an Unwon Cause", Canongate, 1997 ISBN 0862417007
Jan-Andrew Henderson - "The Emperor's New Kilt: the two secret histories of Scotland", Mainstream, 2000 ISBN 1840183780
George Bain - "Celtic Art - The Methods of Construction", Constable, London

Poetry and Poets:
John Barbour - "The Brus". Can be downloaded in Word format from the SFI site.
William Hamilton of Gilbertfield - "Blind Harry's Wallace", Luath Press, 1998 ISBN 0946487332
Alan Bold - "MacDiarmid", Paladin, 1988 ISBN 0586089128
Hugh MacDiarmid - "A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle", Scottish Academic Press, 1987 ISBN 0707305411
Hugh MacDiarmid - ’Selected Prose’, Ed. Alan Riach, Carcanet, 1992
Hugh MacDiarmid - ’Selected Poetry’, Ed. Alan Riach and Michael Grieve, Carcanet, 1992
We should also remember the Scottish poets who give us insights into the views from their times in history. We must not stop at Burns , but go on to such others as Duncan Ban MacIntyre, Mairi Nic Leoid, et al. Also, any copy of any of the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness is worth its weight in gold. Each volume represents the research and lectures of a two-year period, and are filled with valuable information re. customs, dialects, local histories, etc.

Scotland - the Land:
Ralph Storer - "Exploring Scottish Hill Tracks", Warner, 1991 ISBN 075150355X
Ian Mitchell - "Second Man on the Rope", Mercat Press, 1992 ISBN 1873644019
D Brown & I Mitchell - "Mountain Days and Bothy Nights", Luath, ISBN 0946487154
Brown, McOwan and Mearns - "Scotland - Walker's Companion", Ward Lock1994 ISBN 070637254X
Andrew Dempster - "The Munro Phenomenon", Mainstream Publishing, 1995 ISBN 1851586989
M & A Pritchard - "Tranter's Terrain", NWP, 1994 ISBN 1897784236
J McCarthy - "Scotland, Land and People: an Inhabited Solitude", Luath ISBN 094648757X
Peter McNab - "Mull and Iona: Highways and Byways", Luath, rev 1999 ISBN 0946487588
Tom Atkinson - "South West Scotland", Luath, rev 1999 ISBN 0946487049
Tom Atkinson - "The North West Highlands: Roads to the Isles", Luath, rev 1999 ISBN 0946487545
Tom Atkinson - "The West Highlands: the Lonely Lands", Luath, rev 1999 ISBN 0946487561
Tom Atkinson - "The Northern Highlands: the Empty Lands", Luath, rev 1999, ISBN 0946487553

Land Reform :
Tom Johnston - "Our Scots Noble Families", 1909 Forward Publishing Co. Glasgow (Reprinted by Argyle Publishing, 1999)
John McEwen - "Who owns Scotland?", EUSPB, Edinburgh 1977 (out of print)
DE Meek (Ed) - "Tuath is Tighearna : Tenants and Landlords", Edinburgh, 1995
Andy Wightman - "Who owns Scotland", 1996 Canongate Books, Edinburgh
Auslan Cramb - "Who Owns Scotland Now? The use and abuse of private land", Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh 1996 ISBN 1840183217
Robin F. Callender - "How Scotland is Owned", 1998 Canongate Books, Edinburgh
Andy Wightman - "Scotland: Land and Power - The Agenda for Land Reform", 1999, Luath Press ISBN 0946487707

Gaelic :
Dr Kenneth MacKinnon - "The Lion's Tongue", Club Leabhar, 1974
Dr Kenneth MacKinnon - "Scottish Opinion on Gaelic", Hatfield Polytechnic, 1981
Roibeard O Maolalaigh - "Scottish Gaelic in 3 months", Dorling Kindersley, 1999 ISBN 0852853696
VE Durkacz - "The Decline of the Celtic Languages", John Donald, 1983
Charles WJ Withers - "Gaelic in Scotland", John Donald, 1984
R MacKinnon - "A Complete Course for Beginners in Scottish Gaelic", Teach Yourself Books
M MacNeill - "Everyday Gaelic", Gairm
D Thomson - "Gaelic Learners Handbook", Gairm
D Thomson (Ed) - "Gaelic in Scotland / Gaidhlig ann an Alba", Gairm
Angus Watson - "The Essential Gaelic-English Dictionary", Birlinn, 2001 ISBN 1874744920
"Gael - The Story of the First Scots", An Comunn Gaidhealach

Scottish Fiction:
I think we should remember an author who did far more for Scotland besides write books. Nigel Tranter from Aberlady Bay (via Glasgow), by his writing of Scottish fiction based on fact, was responsible for turning more Scots to nationalism than any other single individual. Although we all realise the importance of getting our "facts" right, history books can in the main be rather similar and a bit tedious, a bloody good read is another thing altogether. Tranter's "Wallace" made the blood boil, The Bruce Trilogy made us proud of our King's accomplishments culminating in Bannockburn, and his novel of Mary Queen of Scots made us understand the unforgiving nature of the English. Although not a political nationalist, Nigel Tranter spent most of his life working for the betterment of Scotland and led or was involved in practically every campaign for Scotland and the Scots. This guy has a special place in my heart and I suspect in the hearts of many other nationalists, let's not forget him when we think of Scottish literature. Jackie Stokes

Classic:
Sir David Lindsay - "Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaitis", Canongate 1989 ISBN 0862411912
Fionn MacColla - "The Albannach", Souvenir Press, 1932/1971 ISBN 0285626744
Fionn MacColla - "And the Cock Crew", Canongate, 1945/1995 ISBN 0862415365
James Kennaway - "Tunes of Glory", Canongate, 1933/1988 ISBN 0862412234
James Barke - "Land of the Leal", Canongate, 1939/1987 ISBN 0862411424
Neil Munro - "Para Handy", Birlinn, 1992 ISBN 1874744025
Lewis Grassic Gibbon - "A Scots Quair", Penguin, 1932/1986 ISBN 0140180915
Neil M. Gunn - "A Highland River", Canongate, 1937/1991 ISBN 0862413583
Neil M. Gunn - "The Silver Darlings", Faber, 1941/1969 ISBN 0571090419
Neil M. Gunn - "The Other Landscape", House of Lochar, 1954/1998 ISBN 1899863265

The above authors are the webmaster's personal choice of modern Scottish writing, and as such may not appeal to everyone's tastes. I like them... You may note the exclusion of anything by Irving Welsh and James Kelman. If you like narratives peppered with 'swearie' at every opportunity then these authors may be to your taste. Jackie Stokes was a master of 'swearie' and frankly, told much better stories. Unfortunately none were ever published (or publishable...!)

You may have noticed in the above lists several published by Luath Press, NWP and Birlinn. Siol nan Gaidheal have no connection whatsoever with any of these publishers but fully support them as Scottish ventures with an excellent record of publishing worthwhile books by home-grown talent. They are also on-line, at Luath Press(worth a look, their Guides are superb and should be purchased before any trip into the areas described), NWP and Birlinn respectively.