Search results for ""luath press ltd""

macCLOUD FALLS is both an exploration of early Scottish colonisation of B.C. and its ongoing impact, and a road-trip romance full of humour, rich characters and incident in the shadow of impending death, played out against the backdrop of the Vancouver Canucks’ vainglorious Stanley Cup run.

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The collection includes alphabet, calendar, list and found poems, as well as a sequence conceived as a ‘variable construction’, with one of many possible versions presented here. Many of the poems were written as collaborations with visual artists, and have appeared in booklets and exhibitions, and as public art works. Some were written as commissions, from organisations including The National Trust for Scotland and The Wordsworth Trust, or for occasions such as UNESCO World Heritage Day. Floating the Woods collects these poems at last into a single volume.

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‘Scotland as I saw it on this journey is vibrant and exciting and very much alive, a tartan patchwork of the past, present and future of the country woven together by all those people who have ever called it ‘home’ and all the others who will.’ James McEnaney sees Scotland as a ‘complicated and conflicted place’ that needs a disruption of the status quo. He presents the country as he found it on his journey – struggling with contemporary mistakes and historic wrongs, but also bustling with energy and expectation, ultimately offering glimpses of the better, brighter future which might just be on the way.

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Illustrated with 167 full colour images, this landmark book charts Alexander Moffat’s career from student days at Edinburgh College of Art in the 1960s to the recent Scotland’s Voices. Iconic portraits of major figures in literature and the other arts are represented. The cultural significance of the visual chronicle Moffat has created lies in his approach to portraiture. He aims not only to capture a sitter’s appearance but also to convey something of their inner character, reaching ‘a balance between emotional expression and compositional order’.

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Thali Katori brings together two words that celebrate difference, acknowledge the need for the sensitive appreciation of difference, the virtues of complementarity and the nourishment that poetry and the arts, as vitally as savoury and sweet dishes, dal and other vegetables, gives us, to keep us alive, to refuse, in Hugh MacDiarmid’s phrase, ‘a life deprived of its salt.’Thali Katori is a feast of many flavours. Thali, literally means a plate on which a selection of many dishes is served. Katori signifies the bowls which accompany the thali. Together, the dishes are all different, but they complement each other, bringing out each other’s flavours and unique identities.Featuring poems and extracts from writers such as Sir Walter Scott, Vikram Seth and Hugh MacDiarmid, Thali Katori is a collection of poetry and prose that celebrates the difference and the diversity of the Indian sub-continent and Scotland. Through a diverse collection of poetry that explores the unique history of the relationship between India and Scotland and the ways in which it has affected the lives of many since, both Scottish and Indian writers alike are brought together in this anthology to create a feast of appreciation for the diversity of culture and identity of the two nations.Thali Katori provides a platform for a multitude of voices… if one is searching for a synergy then it surely must be that of the experience of the Diaspora and the formation of attachments to the Motherland. – Amrit Khan

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The culture of all nations is rooted in past experience, individual and communal. In Scotland’s Future History McHardy looked at the misrepresentation of so much of Scotland’s political and social history. In this new volume he takes a wider look at aspects of Scotland’s culture that have been at the heart of how we have developed into who we are in today’s world. Topics include literature, religion, history and story, the Radical 1790s, the remarkable Douglas Young and an introduction to Geomythography, a new way of melding prehistory and history to present a new and refreshing way seeing our past. Understanding our past is vital to the process of building a new Scotland in the years ahead. As Scotland moves towards reclaiming her status among the nations of the world it is important that we understand just how culturally distinctive we are. Being Scottish is no better than having any other nationality, but is is certainly no worse, and as this work hopefully shows, it is something worth celebrating.

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Phil Gribbon’s decades of mountain exploration include over 100 first ascents in the Arctic. Filled with humour, honesty and captivating descriptions of his journeys, this book is the amazing untold story of one of the world’s greatest mountaineers. Wild Wanderings: A Life Amongst Mountains is by turns thrilling and fascinating, surprising and entertaining. Follow Phil through the ups and downs of a life spent in pursuit of the wilderness.

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There is a myth: that travel and exploration are the privileged pastimes of youth. Adventure has an age restriction, and the extraordinary an expiry date. Vicky Jack’s inspiring tale of courage, perseverance and strong-headedness reveals the falsity behind this myth as she becomes the oldest British woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. The Sky’s the Limit is the account of Vicky’s journey from the Munros of her native Scotland to the summit of the world’s highest peak. Her pilgrimage is full of trials as she battles through Antarctic storms, falls off Mt McKinley in Alaska, is shot at in Indonesia, and runs out of oxygen on Mt Everest; yet Vicky’s characteristic determination is never diluted as she strives towards her goal. Anna Magnusson brilliantly captures Vicky’s sense of ambition, faithfully retelling this tale of inspiration, challenge and success. This story is both a reminder to all that it is never too late to chase a childhood ambition, and an encouragement to never give up on your dreams – no matter how out of reach they may seem.

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How did George McCluskey become one of Celtic F.C.’s most memorable football players? What binds the fans and players and creates this strong sense of belonging? And what does the Irish diaspora have to do with Celtic F.C.? George McCluskey was one of the key strikers for the Hoops in the ‘70s and ‘80s, a successful time in the club’s history. He did not only score for his team, but changed the entire game in favour of Celtic more than once. In this account of his life story told by his close friend Aidan Donaldson, George McCluskey is praised as the embodiment of the Celtic spirit. His individual history is intertwined with the history and mentality of the club. However, George McCluskey did not only influence Celtic F.C. but also other clubs he played for and the people he has met during his life. This book takes you on a journey through the development of the club from its very beginning, as well as exploring the evolution of football in general. How did we get from football legends like George McCluskey to football celebrities like David Beckham? What did professional football look like back then, what constitutes it nowadays? This timely book will appeal not only to Celtic supporters, but to anyone interested in the development of professional football. His exuberant celebration depicted on the cover of the book remains iconic in the eyes of Celtic supporters today. His Cup winning goal led inadvertently to a riot and the banning of alcohol in Scottish football grounds.

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The UK is one of nine states possessing nuclear weapons. Renewal of the Trident programme would extend Britain’s commitment to so-called nuclear ‘deterrence’ well into the second half of this century, despite treaty obligations and an ‘unequivocal undertaking’ to disarm. With more than 16,000 nuclear weapons stockpiled worldwide, the risk of one going off by accident or design is increasing every day. Wallis in The Truth about Trident explores the issues Trident presents and raises questions like: what would be the impact of their use? How safe are they in the meantime? Are they really necessary? Can we afford them? Are there better alternatives? This book aims to peel back layers of confusion and deceit to reach the truth about Trident.

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This collection, covering 500 years of transgressive Gaelic poetry with new English translations, breaks the mould for anthologies of Gaelic verse. It offers poems that are erotic, rude, seditious and transgressive; that deal with love, sex, the body, politics and violent passion; and that are by turns humorous, disturbing, shocking and enlightening. In scholarly introductions in Gaelic and English the editors give contexts for the creation, transmission and value of these poems, as historical documents, as joyous – or tragic – works of art, as products of a culture and counter-cultures that have survived centuries of neglect, suppression or threats of being ‘burned by the hand of the common executioner’. After reading this book, you won’t think of Gaelic culture in quite the same way ever again.

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Killick illustrates this book with a series of vignettes taken from his own experience as an only child. It follows him as he grows up, featuring moments both pivotal and seemingly mundane. Onlyness explores the nature of what it means to grow up as an only child, and the ongoing effect that the only child's experiences have on his or her adult life.

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Macbeth was not the monstrous caricature created by Shakespeare; he was a real man who was born in Moray, part of the Kingdom of Alba, in the early 11th century. From early childhood Macbeth fought real-life treachery to protect his birthright to the throne and ruled successfully from 1040 to 1057. Travel what is now Scotland with a touring itinerary as you follow On the Trail of the Real Macbeth, King of Alba.

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Walter Stephen provides an uninhibited look at the misery and toil of World War I through a collection of twelve diverse stories. Providing a Scottish perspective, he takes a look at tales from home and abroad with scepticism, delving deeper to unveil the unencumbered truth. Recalling Siegfried Sassoon’s words, Stephen reveals the failures of those in command as the Great War became known as A Dirty Swindle. The varied accounts chronicle the progress of troops from recruitment to training to the frontline, as well as enlightening historians to a side of Field Marshal Haig never seen before.

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Andrew Dempster has 40 years’ experience of hillwalking the length and breadth of Scotland. Author of several climbing books, including the first guidebook to the Grahams, in this volume he identifies the best wee hills on the Scottish mainland.MUNRO at least 3,000ft high CORBETT 2,500–3,000ft high with a prominence of at least 500ft GRAHAM 2,000–2,499ft high with a drop of at least 150 metres HUGH (Hill Under Graham Height): under 2,000ft with exceptional character The Hughs all offer rewarding – and often stunning – climbs and views. Some are already popular. Many await discovery. Each one has great character. That is what the Hughs are all about. From Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh to An Grianan in the far north, from Ben Hiant in the west to Bennachie in the east, the Hughs are a phenomenally diverse range of hills, stretching to all points of the compass. Accessible to people of any age, the Hughs are not defined by the sterile logic of relative height – they are a choice of the heart.

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Dreich: (especially of weather) dreary; bleak. Complaining about the weather is a national pastime for Scots – it’s no surprise that one of our favourite words is ‘dreich’! This is another in McCredie’s series of photography books that celebrate of all that is dreich. Fifty dreich images of Edinburgh, accompanied by fifty equally dreich captions. To the author’s mind the images in this book are uplifting and joyful. There is nothing miserable about dreich. A sunny day has no more right to exist than a dreich one.

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I will not travel beyond Glasgow’s city limits, or use any vehicles except my bike, for a whole calendar year. – Ellie Harrison, January 2016 This simple proposition – to attempt to live a ‘low-carbon lifestyle of the future’ – put forward by an English artist living in post-industrial Glasgow cut to the heart of the unequal world we have created. A world in which some live transient and disconnected existences within a global ‘knowledge economy’ racking up huge carbon footprints as they chase work around the world, whilst others, trapped in a cycle of poverty caused by deindustrialisation and the lack of local opportunities, cannot even afford the bus fare into town. We’re all equally miserable. Isn’t it time we rethought the way we live our lives? In this, her first book, Ellie Harrison traces her own life’s trajectory to examine the relationship between literal and social mobility; between class and carbon footprint. From the personal to the political, she uses experiences and knowledge gained in Glasgow in 2016 and beyond, together with the ideas of Patrick Geddes – who coined the phrase ‘Think Global, Act Local’ in 1915, economist EF Schumacher who made the case for localism in Small is Beautiful in 1973, and the Fearless Cities movement of today, to put forward her own vision for ‘the sustainable city of the future’, in which we can all live happy, healthy and creative lives.

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From social and political issues to found poems, Gibson’s fresh, evocative (and sometimes provocative) writing is both modern and timeless. These poems spring from taxis, supermarkets and long car drives through the wind and rain. They spring from fantasies, daydreams, nightmares, from love and hate, but, above all, they exalt and enhance everyday experiences.

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It would be easy to despair at the state of the world today. But we must not. Indeed, we cannot. In this book Neil Findlay brings together first-hand testimony from people who have played crucial roles in social justice campaigns. Their stories are personal, political and unforgettable. They say a lot about dignity, integrity, courage and humanity. We can apply what we learn from them to build a sustainable and fair society for generations to come. Activists, social justice campaigners, trade unionists and environmentalists will find this collection inspirational, emotional and educational. And they will understand why it is titled If You Don’t Run, They Can’t Chase You. With contributions from ‘Andrea’, Margaret Aspinall, Alex Bennett, Brian Filling, Maria Fyfe, Elaine Holmes, Mark Lyon, Alistair Mackie, Olive McIlroy, Tony Nelson, Paul Quigley, Terry Renshaw, Dennis Skinner, Dave Smith, Jim Swan, Louise Taggart and Yvette Williams. We must examine the campaigns and struggles people have gone through, listen to their stories, study their actions and in turn look at the world now, and apply what we have learnt.

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​While canvassing for the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 Neil Findlay made a discovery. Visiting the home that used to be his grandparents’, he was shown a plywood panel where John ‘Jock’ Findlay, his grandfather, had written his life’s tale. This is Jock’s story. Jock grew up and grew old in the West Lothian village of Pumpherston – a village dominated by one industry, shale oil mining. In his own words he describes the good times, and the hard times, of living and working in Pumpherston. This is a story about a Scottish industry, a village and, most of all, a community.

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A story of boyhood friendship and irrepressible vitality told with the speed of trains and the understanding of the awkwardness, significance and fragility of that time. This is a day in the life of two boys as told by one of them.

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For over four decades Angie has campaigned for a greener, fairer and safer world.This remarkable account of her campaigning life shares some of the lessons she has learnt from her actions in many different countries. Heartfelt but clear, it includes personal insights into mobilising for effective, sustainable actions, dealing with security, police and courts and how seemingly different issues are actually closely intertwined.This unique book covers nuclear weapons, militarism, climate change, corporate abuses of power, environmental destruction and much more.

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Oo an Feddirs is the first full collection from established poet Christie Williamson. Carries the striking imagery and rhythm which came through Arc o Möns, Williamson’s translation of poems by Federico Garcia Lorca, to themes of family, love and loss. Not so much a manifesto as a manifestation through poetry of what it’s like to be him – a living, breathing human being like any other. A striking collection of over 70 poems, some of which have been published in magazines as diverse as New Shetlander, Poetry Scotland, Northwords Now, Gutter and New Writing Scotland. 'Parasites' was shortlisted for the Wigtown Poetry Competition in 2006.

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Experience the scenery and folklore of Edinburgh's iconic Old Town through new eyes in the latest installment in the Journeys and Evocations series. This blend of prose, poetry, photography and history is the perfect gift for any visitor to Scotland's capital city.

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This book is not about the past, which has gone. Or the future, which is uncertain. But it is for those who want to improve the lives of people with dementia and themselves in the Here and Now. The book is not written by an expert but by a man seeking to find new approaches concerning dementia who wishes to share his discoveries. Killick steers clear of any sort of medical terminology and instead nurtures the often neglected aspects of dementia, thereby reinforcing to the reader that these are of no lesser importance. In recognition that we are all in this together, Killick gives equal prominence to quotations from, and conversations with, people with dementia and their carers.

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After joining the soldiers marching in the Tattoo, the Tattoo Fox and her friend Castle Cat accidentally end up aboard a truck and have to find their way back to Edinburgh. Upon her return, Tattoo Fox is reunited with her kits and continues to explore the capital of Scotland, witnessing even more fantastic sights like at the zoo, the Funfair, Murrayfield, Craigmillar Castle and the Thistle Parade. On their journey back through Edinburgh, the Tattoo Fox makes several new friends, including a dog fox, a border terrier, a squirrel and a hare. The Fox’s adventures once again end at the Tattoo, where she must save the day in order to take her place in the procession, this time with her kits by her side.

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BALLAD of the FIVE MARYSYestreen the Queen had Four MarysTonight she’ll hae but threeThere was Mary Seton, and Mary BeatonAnd Mary Carmichael and me.from ‘Mary Hamilton’, The Child BalladsThe Mary Carmichael of the well-known ballad may be a fiction but Marys Seton, Beaton, Livingston and Fleming, together with Mary Stewart, comprised the real five Marys – assertive young women unafraid to question their place in society.Who was Mary Queen of Scots? Vilified as an adulteress, only to be immortalised as a martyr, where does history become legend?Why was Mary deposed? Who killed Darnley? Five hundred years after the Battle of Flodden and the birth of John Knox, this new take on Mary’s life explores not only the historical events which led to her demise, but the relationships and emotions of an increasingly isolated young woman faced with political and religious upheaval and her country’s gradual loss of independence.Our Sovereign Lady who now Reigns at this Hour, The Mighty Lord be ever her Protector And Make Her Marriage as He thinks Best, That Her Liege may Reign in Peace and RestTHE FORMAN ARMORIAL, C.1562

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This is not a guide to the islands of Scotland.This is not a tour to be followed, nor is it travel advice.This is a richly anecdotal and personal exploration.Richard Clubley shares the sense of freedom he finds in the Scottish islands as he discovers their individual character, beauty and diversity.He meets locals and learns a few realities of island life. He almost perished on Ailsa Craig, before finding fresh water dripping from the roof of a cave, but spends two idyllic nights alone on Mingulay, with a fabulous coal fire in a bothy. His passion for Scottish islands shines through every chapter.Curl up by the fire, pull the blanket close and sip on your dram.You’re about to escape to the islands.Prepare for addiction.A book for islomanes to savour in sips. Night caps are suggested; that way the addiction can be controlled. MAIRI HEDDERWICK

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In 2005 Peter Wright walked the 1,200 km length of the Watershed in 64 days. Walking along the very spine of Scotland he was struck by the magnificence and diversity of the landscapes which his original and little publicised route exposed him to. Nature’s Peace celebrates these landscapes as never before through stunning photographs, taking the reader on an imaginary journey from the English border in the south to the Shetland Isles and Unst at the very northern tip of Britain. Wright brings his journey to life with vivid descriptions of the land’s history and discussions about its future.

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For the last thirty years, poet Tessa Ransford has lived in view of Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park. Drawing on the paradox of variety within stability as the landscape changes, yet remains constant, over the years and seasons, Ransford has built up this collection over many years in response to the view from her window. The beautifully descriptive poetry is accompanied by full colour photography throughout.

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For the first time, Bonnie Prince Charlie's arduous escape of 1746 has been recreated in a single journey. The author, along with his faithful border collie Meg, retraces the Prince's epic 530 mile walk through remote wilderness, hidden glens, modern day roads and uninhabited islands.Gregor Ewing tells the Prince's story alongside the trials of his own present day journey, whilst reflecting on the plight of the highlanders who, despite everything, loyally protected their rightful prince. The author's love of history and the landscape in which he travels shines through in this modern day adventure.

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With this book is completed a trilogy of works begun in 2005 with This City Now: Glasgow and its Working Class Past, and continuing with Clydeside; Red Orange and Green in 2009. The three books have all had similar aims in trying to raise the profile of forgotten or neglected areas and aspects of Glasgow and its history, in a small way trying to boost the esteem in which such places are held by the people who live in there and by those who visit. Moving away slightly from the working class focus, this third instalment presents a broad view of Glasgow’s industrial, social and intellectual history. From public art to socialist memorials, and from factories to cultural hubs, Ian Mitchell takes the reader on a guided tour of Glasgow, outlining walking routes which encompass the city’s forgotten icons.

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The Slate Islands lie off the west coast of Argyll. Slate has been taken from these shores from their earliest recorded history and the richness and quality of the deposits meant that in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries slate quarrying was one of the most important industries in Scotland. The Breadalbane family owned the land of Easdale and its surrounds for over 400 years and of course roofed their own buildings in slate as well as may important buildings, including Cawdor Castle in Inverness-Shire and Glasgow Cathedral. The geology, the industry, the people and their way of lie: this is the story of the Slate Islands past, present and future.

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The Ultimate Guide to The Munros is a guidebook with a difference. Rather than telling the reader which are the 'best' routes, it describes all practicable ascent routes up all the Munros, and rates them in terms of difficulty and quality (using comprehensive grading systems). This enables the reader to make his/her own choices from a range of route options. Providing everything a prospective hill walker could want, The Ultimate Guide to the Munros also makes extensive use of annotated digital photographs and OS maps and includes everything about a route from the amount of effort required to local history, weather conditions and the best tea-rooms in the vicinity.

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A collection of photographs for the Livingston Development Corporation and associated commentary forms the basis of this lively and colourful history, celebrating the town’s 50th birthday. This collection will be supplemented by additional images, as well as material from the Livingston 50 schools archive project and extracts from the associated Twitter feed, painting a picture of Livingston today through the eyes of local residents.

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Davie was about to leave the MP3 player lying on the pavement when something stopped him. A voice in his head.You'll regret it if you leave it. You'll only come back for it later.Can a song change your life?Can a song bring people, places and moments in time alive again?Davie Watts is the Trackman. He knows what song to play to you and he knows exactly when you need to hear it. Davie seeks out strangers in need and helps them using the power of music.

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Following an introductory chapter exploring why political argument deals in probability and plausibility across interdependent areas of social activity not certainty in individual areas, this book offers a case for independence under six main headings – the democratic case, the economic case, the social case, the international case, the cultural case and the environmental case. Under each heading, the case is assessed against both the supportive evidence and the hostile evidence, from a variety of sources, concluding with a judgement of where the balance of the evidence points. The book concludes with a selection of populist objections to independence answered by summary rebuttals from the independence file.

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This work tells the story of explorations and ascents in the Scottish Highlands in the days before mountaineering became a popular sport - when Jacobites, bandits, poachers and illicit distillers traditionally used the mountains as sanctuary.

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Before us in the bright spring sunshine lay the entire Clyde valley, dominated by the vast sprawling mass of Glasgow, the dear green place. There was a time no too long ago when the old heavy industries would have made this view much less clear. But today we could see the Cowal Hills and Greenock in the west to the Pentlands in the East.From the time he bagged his first Munro, Peter Kemp has remained an enthusiastic hillawalker and this book is a testament to his passion for Scotland's outdoors and hillwalking culture.

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A Rug of a Thousand Colours is an exploratory project between a Palestinian poet who is now a resident in Scotland and an established Scottish poet. The poems explore Tessa and Iyad’s personal responses to the Five Pillars of Islam. Although from different backgrounds the two poets form a dialogue which is interwoven throughout the poems and creates a vivid tapestry of ideas surrounding the Five Pillars of Islam. Each poet translates the other’s work so that each poem is presented in English and in Arabic.

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At the Venice Biennale, NVA art agency along with great minds from many different disciplines gathered together to discuss the fate of Scotland's iconic modernist building, St Peter's Seminary. Rather than providing a structured blue print for St Peter's, this collection of essays aims to open all possibilities, focusing not merely on preserving the building, but imagining it as a landscape within which new narratives can be woven.

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What was the crime of the last wich burnt in the Highlands? Which Jacobite lady led men to war while her Hanoverian husband stayed at home? Who were the first Highland women to be recorded in history? And how have wome's lives changed since medieval times? Katharine Stewart takes us to the heart of the Highlands in her history of the women who shaped this land and handed down the legends which have provided a rich vein of material for generations. From the women of the shielings to ladies at court, from bards to conservationists, authors to folk-singers, Women of the Highlands examines how the culture of the Highlands was created and passed down through the centuries, and how the tradition is continuing today.

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As the Scotland electorate wakes up in the day after the referendum, everything has changed and nothing has changed. Scottish and UK politics is broken, it desperately needs fixed. The future of Scotland will be centre stage, but so will our democracy and the future of a Union in decline.Our politics once again needs to inspire, enthuse, educate and be relevant to the needs and aspirations of the public and reconnect with the values that underpin our society. There are urgent issues that we need to deal with now – the most important of which being rampant inequality. We have to move away from the mindless tribalism and partisanship that too often dominates much of what passes as political debate.Over the past year it has become clear that regardless of their stance on the referendum debate, the Scottish people are united on one front, the yearning for change for the betterment of their nation, their institutions and their politics. For McLeish, the referendum debate is merely the beginning. It is a symptom of the need for a more fundamental shift in the way we engage with politics in the UK and Scotland today.Former First Minister of Scotland, Henry McLeish is well placed to diagnose the crisis at the heart of Scotland and UK politics. In Rethinking Our Politics McLeish looks critically at the conditions which have created an increasingly divided and alienated public and forged Scotland’s yearning for radical change. He rails against the stagnation of the union and makes a rousing and persuasive case for a complete overhaul of our political thinking, demanding that instead of making decisions on the basis of fear and insecurity, we rediscover the founding moral purpose of government.This is a must read for those who care about the future of our nation.

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An experimental novel on a grand scale, beautifully carried through. A Perth minister takes in a traumatised stranger who calls himself 'the son and heir to being lost'. When the stranger disappears, the events leading up to and following on from this are revealed. Shifting perspectives from a contemporary mystery to a history of Shetland and emigration, it extends the idea of Scottish empire and diaspora imaginatively, while addressing notions of being and belonging in 21st century Scotland.

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This publication compiles actor John Cairney's theatrical interpretations of the poet Robert Burns and his life. Since 1959, he has been involved with Burns as actor, director and writer. Over the years, Cairney has taken the opportunity to investigate different aspects of Burns as they relate to performance in the theatre. For the first time he has brought all these working playscripts, which have already been tested before a live audience, together in book form. Others interested in the prismatic attraction that is Scotland's Bard can now see how one Scottish actor-writer has dealt with a national icon theatrically. The scripts, written by Cairney, look at Burns' creative work, his everyday life, and his relationships, to build a full picture of the man so important to Scotland's cultural heritage. The plays are followed by an appendix which features a selection of plays written about Burns' life since his death at the age of 37.

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Fatigued by bloated big-game football and bored of samey big cities, Daniel Gray went in search of small town Scotland and its teams. At the time when the Scottish club game is drifting towards its lowest ebb once more, Stramash singularly fails to wring its hands and address the state of the game, preferring instead to focus on Bobby Mann's waistline. Part travelogue, part history and part mistakenly spilling ketchup on the face of a small child, Stramash takes an uplifting look at the country's nether regions. Using the excuse of a match to visit places from Dumfries to Dingwall, Gray surveys Scotland's towns and teams in their present state. Stramash accomplishes the feats of visiting Dumfries without mentioning Robert Burns, being positive about Cumbernauld and linking Elgin City to Lenin. It is a fond look at Scotland as you've never seen it before.

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Volume 3 of The Ultimate Guide to the Munros explores the dramatic landscape of the Northern Central Highlands. The Central Highlands area is the smallest of the six regions covered in the series, but is packed with more Munros than any other - so many that this area has been split into two books, Central Highlands South including Glen Coe and Central Highlands North including the Nevis Range. Volume 3 covers routes around Fort William, Inverness and Perth among many others, travelling along great changing landscape, from Loch Linnhe to the Great Ben Nevis. With all the features which made Volume 1 and 2 so popular, full colour maps and photographs throughout, details of all the practicable ascents up all the Munros and a comprehensive grading system, this is a must for hillwalkers.

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Volume 2 of The Ultimate Guide to the Munros series takes a tour of all the Munros of the rugged scenery of the southern Central Highlands. The Central Highlands area is the smallest of the six regions covered in the series, but is packed with more Munros than any other - so many that this area has been split into two books, Central Highlands South including Glen Coe and Central Highlands North including the Nevis Range. Volume 2 covers routes from the startling arrowhead peak of Buachaille Etive Mor, to the thrilling Aonach Eagach ridge. With all the features which made Volume 1 so popular, full colour maps and photographs throughout, details of all the practicable ascents up all the Munros and a comprehensive grading system, this is a must for hillwalkers.

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