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Glasgow-born Alex Harvey''s career began in the 1950s when he won a competition to become Scotland''s answer to Tommy Steele (he dubbed himself ''Last of the Teenage Idols''). He was a devoted family man but in front of an audience he became an unforgettable entertainer - courageous, provocative and intense. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band eventually became one of the most exciting live acts of the 1970s, taking in Jacques Brel, rock and vaudeville.But Harvey''s life offstage was beset by tragedy and alcoholism: his younger brother, Les, was electrocuted on stage; his manager and friend Billy Fehilly was killed in a plane crash; eventually, with his band in tatters, Alex sank into a sea of alcohol, finally succumbing to a fatal heart attack while waiting for a ferry home from Belgium in 1982, the day before his 47th birthday.

Published in 1933, and still relevant today, Orwell''s first full-length work is a compassionate and insightful description of the life of the working poor in Paris and the homeless in London.Written when Orwell was a struggling writer in his twenties, he vividly documents a world of unrelenting squalor – sleeping in bug-infested hostels and doss houses, working as a plongeur in a Paris hotel, surviving on scraps and cigarette butts, living alongside tramps, a pavement artist and a starving Russian ex-army captain.Exposing a shocking, previously-hidden world to his readers, Orwell gave a human face to the statistics of poverty for the first time – and in doing so, found his voice as a writer.'Orwell was the great moral force of his age' – Spectator

Vienna is unique amongst world capitals in its consistent international importance over the centuries. From the ascent of the Habsburgs as Europe''s leading dynasty to the Congress of Vienna, which reordered Europe after Napoleon, to bridge- building summits during the Cold War, it is the Austrian capital that has been the scene of key moments in European and world affairs.History has been shaped by scores of figures influenced by their time in Vienna, including: Empress Maria Theresa, Count Metternich, Bertha von Suttner, Theodore Herzl, Gustav Mahler, Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, John F. Kennedy and many others. In a city of great composers and thinkers it is here that both the most positive and destructive ideas of recent history have developed.From its time as the capital of an imperial superpower, through war, dissolution, dictatorship to democracy Vienna has reinvented itself and its relevance to the rest of the world.

This fascinating history of the Earldom of Orkney, which was established in the Viking Age, records the adventures, feuds and battles of powerful Norsemen during its first three centuries. The medieval earls of Orkney owed allegiance to the kings of Norway but their influence ranged from Britain and Ireland to Sweden and Russia, and they travelled as far as Narbonne, Crete and Jerusalem. Advised by bishops and formidable women, they and their henchmen jockeyed for power with each other and with neighbouring rulers in Scotland, often with murderous outcomes. In between the high politics and violence, the world of the earls was one of piety, poetry and feasting.The Saga also provides rare glimpses of culture and everyday life in northern Scotland when it was central to the Viking diaspora. Set in a recognisable landscape, it mentions features, sites and even buildings that can still be seen today.This new translation of the manuscripts of the Saga uses an innovative approach to presenting medieval sources to non-specialist audiences, highlighting textual variations that affect its interpretation. It also reflects saga style and language more closely than previous translations and is ideal for both research and reading aloud. This is an essential, detailed and up-to-date resource for academics and general readers who wish to know more about Viking and Norse Scotland.

All over the world people associate the bagpipes with Scotland. In this informative and entertaining book Stuart McHardy introduces Scotland's national instrument - its history, development and repertoire - and examines the part that the piper himself has played in Highland and Lowland society over the centuries.The main bulk of the book is a series of thematically grouped tales from all periods and parts of the country in which we see aspects of traditional lore in stories of warriors, musicians, ghostly battles, the hand of friendship, exemplary heroism and the cost of supernatural help. There are tales of the MacCrimmons, the most famous island pipers of all, as well as Habbie Simpson, who was possibly the most famous of all the Lowland pipers. Whether dealing with great bravery or contemptible jealousy, the supernatural or the mundane, these stories reflect the central role that the bagpipes have played, and continue to play, in Scottish traditional culture.

This study explores the history of the western seaboard of Scotland (the Hebrides, Argyll and the Isle of Man) in a formative but often neglected era: the central middle ages, from the mightly Somerled to his descendant John MacDonald, the first Lord of the Isles (c. 1336).Drawing on a variety of sources, this very readable narrative deals with three major and closely interrelated themes: first, the existence of the Isles and coastal mainland as a kingdom from c.1100 to 1266; second, the rulers of the region, Somerled and his descendants, the MacDougalls, MacDonalds and MacRuaris; and third, the often complex relations among the Isles, Scotland, Norway and England. A fully rounded history emerges, which transcends national viewpoints.While political history predominates, the changing nature of society in the isles is emphasised throughout, and separate chapters address the church and monasticism as well as the monuments – the castles, monasteries, churches and chapels that form an enduring legacy.

This collection of Norman MacCaig''s poems is offered as the definitive edition of his work. It has been edited by his son, Ewen. A prolific writer, MacCaig left about 600 unpublished poems after his death; 99 have been selected for inclusion here. The aim of the selection process was to sustain the overall quality of the 1990 Collected Poems, which was compiled by the poet. Unusually, MacCaig''s creativity did not decline with age, and most of the unpublished poems date from his seventies and early eighties, adding significantly to his published work from that period.Insight to the writer''s life and work is provided in an appreciative introduction by author and critic Alan Taylor, focusing on MacCaig''s life and times, and in a collection of MacCaig''s words on his own and others'' writing.

1579, St Andrews. Hew Cullan, a young lawyer, returns home from studying in Paris. But it proves to be a cold homecoming as Hew''s friend, university regent Nicholas Colp, is accused of murdering a thirteen-year-old boy. The boy was a private pupil of Nicholas, and salacious gossip backed up by incriminating letters have him judged, convicted, and heading for the hangman''s noose.Investigating the crime, Hew uncovers a dark tale of duplicity and passion amidst a world of religious piety and the chilling austerity of university life. From a case that seems to be open and shut, a Pandora''s Box of lies and corruption emerges. Hue & Cry is the first in the must-read series of Hew Cullan Mysteries, for fans of thrilling historical fiction.

Suspicion had been fomenting within me for some time that our family was different. Why, for example, were Pablito, my elder brother, and I dark-haired with olive skin when the rest of my classmates were sandy and pale? Why did our family have a second way of speaking, which I didn't understand? Why was ours the only home I knew where the walls were dominated with pictures of men in spangly waistcoats and tight trousers?'For Antonio, growing up Spanish in Glasgow is a nightmare - one of shame and potential embarrassment on every front. But there is no hiding his ethnicity: his noisy, bullying father, even his gentle mother and her quest for olives and exotic meats, put paid to that. It is only as he grows older, and can see his father for what he is, a reluctant exile washed up on the cold shores of Scotland, that Antonio begins to understand what terrible forces drove his father to flee 40 years before.Unravelling his father's secret life piece by piece, Antonio discovers a truth that will shock and heal him.

A comedian, singer, composer, musician, linguist, actor, author and a favourite of Sean Connery and Billy Connolly''s, Norman MacLean is a living legend in the Gaelic world. Tricksters takes the reader on a rambunctious journey around Scotland with endearing but oddly-matched couple, Murdo and Rachel. Murdo is a semi-pro thespian struggling with an alcohol problem; Rachel is constantly on the brink of ending their relationship. And there''s the truly appalling television director, Sam, whose Machiavellian schemes are aided by a heavy-drinking Presbyterian heretic from Lewis. When all converge in the Tartan Pagoda Hotel, Uist, what could possibly go right? A hilarious page-turner, Tricksters blends the high style of John Lanchester and the low-life snappy dialogue of George V. Higgins - and it''s beautifully translated for the Teuchters by the author.

This is the story of one of the great events in the history of medicine. In 1847, challenging the firmly held convictions of the medical profession of the time, James Young Simpson demonstrated for the first time that a woman could be safely relieved of the pains of difficult and traumatic labour by the administration of a general anaesthetic. He later added to his fame when he introduced a new and better anaesthetic, chloroform, which soon became the most popular general anaesthetic for use in general surgery as well as midwifery. Its use was endorsed by Queen Victoria when she asked for it to be administered during the birth of Prince Leopold in 1853.The book also gives a history of a time of rapid change in Scottish society that allowed the seventh son of a village baker in a rural apart of Scotland to go to university and then become a successful physician, a medical professor at one of the leading university medical schools in the world and Physician to the Queen, all before he had reached the age of forty.

Walter Smith was one of the most respected managers in British football. This insightful biography casts a reflective and analytical eye over his life and career, examining this shrewd professional through the many highs and lows that he has experienced as a player and manager. He enjoyed an illustrious career in management at Rangers, joining the Souness revolution in 1987, winning nine successive league titles, a domestic treble in the 1992-93 season and winning both the Scottish Cup and League Cup three times. In 1998, Smith accepted a position in England with Everton, where he was the manager until 2002, before being reunited with Ferguson at Old Trafford in 2004. In December of that year, Smith was appointed as Scotland manager and his effort subsequently earned him the title of ''Scot of the Year'' at the prestigious Glenfiddich ''Spirit of Scotland'' awards in 2006. Midway through the qualifying rounds for Euro 2008, however, and with the Scots leading their group, he controversially accepted an offer to return to Ibrox in January 2007. Upon returning to Glasgow, Smith led Rangers to the UEFA Cup Final and triumph in the Scottish Cup in 2008, a domestic League and Cup double in 2009 and another double - this time in the domestic League and League Cup - in 2010. He retired from management in 2011 and died in October 2021.

A sweeping historical epic where the might of Rome meets the marauding hoards of Atilla the Hun.Early fifth century AD. The Western Roman Empire has been overrun by German tribes. Too weak to expel them, the Imperial government has been forced to grant federate status to the invaders. Aetius, the last of the great Roman generals, becomes the virtual ruler of the West over the heads of a weak and vicious emperor and his ambitious mother.In a series of brilliant campaigns, he takes on the German tribes and forces them to settle peacefully. Meanwhile, his old friend Attila, leader of the Huns, launches a devastating attack on the Eastern Empire, before turning on the West. He is confronted by Aetius, now his bitter enemy. In the epic battle that ensues, the stakes for Attila and Aetius could not be higher as the fates of empires of both Romans and Huns hang in the balance.This arresting novel deals with the rivalry between two great men whose friendship turns to enmity. Attila becomes corrupted by power, while Aetius is ennobled by it. Ross Laidlaw''s masterful portrayal of these two figures is based on his extensive knowledge of the period and is written in a narrative style that vividly evokes the brutality, decadence and desperation of this fascinating time in European history.

William McGonagall was born in Edinburgh in 1830. His father was a poor hand-loom weaver, and his work took his family to Glasgow, then to Dundee. William attended school for eighteen months before the age of seven, and received no further formal education. Later, as a mill worker, he used to read books in the evening, taking great interest in Shakespeare''s plays. In 1877, McGonagall suddenly discovered himself ''to be a poet''. Since then, thousands of people the world over have enjoyed the verse of Scotland''s alternative national poet.This volume brings together the three famous collections – Poetic Gems, More Poetic Gems and Last Poetic Gems, and also includes an introduction by Chris Hunt, the webmaster of the McGonagall website www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk, indexes of poem titles and first lines, and features the first publication of McGonagall''s only play, Jack o'' the Cudgel, written in 1886 but not performed publicly until 2002.

In 1938 John Lorne Campbell bought the Hebridean isle of Canna. He wanted to prevent it becoming a rich man''s playground (like so many other islands and Highland estates), to preserve a part of traditional Gaelic culture and show that efficient farming methods could be compatible with wildlife conservation and sustainability. But his determination to get the island left him burdened by debt, and even after he gave it to the National Trust for Scotland in 1981 he still had to fight to secure his legacy.This acclaimed book is an insightful and human portrait of one of the twentieth century''s most significant scholars of the Gaelic world, and of his 60-year partnership with Margaret Fay Shaw, who together created the world-famous library of Gaelic song and other material at Canna House.

It is the late seventeenth century and still the movement of the planets remains a mystery despite the revolutionary work of Johannes Kepler, Galileo Galilei and Tycho Brahe almost a hundred years previously. Edmond Halley - dynamic adventurer and astronomer - seeks the help of Isaac Newton in unravelling the problem, but though obsessed with understanding the orbits of the planets, Newton has problems of his own which could undermine the essential work.The reclusive mathematician and alchemist has a guilty secret. He stole some of his ideas from Robert Hooke, and the quarrelsome experimentalist is demanding recognition. While capable of the loftiest ideals and theorising, the three men are just as quick to bicker and hold petty grudges which could derail scientific advancement.The men's lives and work clash as Europe is pushed headlong towards the Age of the Enlightenment and science is catapulted into its next seismic collision with religion.

''an outstanding piece of work . . . utterly compelling'' - Scotland on SundayWhy has Scotland produced so many of the best football managers in the world?Based on exclusive interviews with the men themselves, their players or close friends and family, Michael Grant and Rob Robertson delve into the very heart of Scottish life, society and football to reveal the huge contribution that managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein, Jim McLean, Kenny Dalglish, Walter Smith and a host of others have made to the world game.This original, brilliantly-realised and critically acclaimed study profiles the character and methods of each of the great Scottish managers, analysing their strengths and weaknesses, and examines their impact on both club and international football. It is a deeply-researched and compelling story which presents new material on many of the greats, particularly Busby and Stein, and highlights the enormous Old Firm contributions of, among others, Willie Maley, Bill Struth and Graeme Souness.

Kenny Reid has avidly followed golf''s majors for more than 30 years. Through the luminescent glow of his television screen, and even, on occasion, from the vantage point of the roped-off boundaries, he has watched the greats of the game stamp their mark in the history books of each of the golf world''s premier tournaments. In 2009 he decided to go a step further, decided that it was time to live the dream of all golf enthusiasts - he embarked on a pilgrimage, a ''fan slam'', to each of the four majors - the Masters, the US Open, The Open and the PGA Championship - all in a single year.A Major Obsession chronicles this golf fan''s odyssey. In an effort to record every detail of the fan''s experience at the majors at Bethpage, Augusta, Turnberry and Hazeltine, he experiences excitement, mishaps, surprises and feats of brilliance. Not a golf insider or writer, he records each championship''s special feel and ambience from the everyday fan''s point of view. The journey takes him to the heart of the spectator experience, comparing and contrasting each championship''s highs-and-lows both on and off the course. It mixes the sublime with the ridiculous; the expected with the unexpected.Original, quirky and brilliantly insightful, this fan''s-eye account of the best players and tournaments in the world is a must for all lovers of sport and of golf; it is entertainment, travelogue and user manual to the most spectacular golf tournaments in the world.

Trevor Royle examines Scotland''s role in the Second World War from a wide range of perspectives. The country''s geographical position gave it great strategic importance for importing war materiel and reinforcements, for conducting naval and aerial operations against the enemy and for training regular and specialist SOE and commando forces. Scotland also became a social melting pot with the arrival of Polish and eastern European refugees, whose presence added to the communal mix and assisted post-war reconstruction. In addition to the important military aspects - the exploits of the Army''s renowned 15th Scottish and 51st Highland Divisions in Europe and North Africa and the role played by the RAF and the Royal Navy from Scottish bases - Scotland was also hugely important as an industrial power house and the nation''s larder.The war also had a huge impact on politics, with national centralization achieved through the creation of the Scottish Office and the Scottish Grand Committee.With the emergence of the post-war Labour government and the welfare state,nationalism went into decline and the dominance of socialism, especially in the west, paved the way for the command politics which dominated Scotland for the rest of the century. Based on previously unseen archives in the Scottish Record Office, A Time of Tyrants is the first comprehensive history of the unique part played by Scotland and the Scots in the global war to defeat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Max Benitz reports from the frontline of a highly controversial war in a perceptive and revealing account of several months spent in Afghanistan with this world-famous infantry battalion. Training with them and living amongst them as they undertake their tour in Helmand province, Benitz gives a unique insight into the pressures faced by those who risk their lives every second of the day in one of the most dangerous places on earth. Fascinating and illuminating; The Scots Guards in Afghanistan reveals new insights into the war raging in Afghanistan and the men and women who bravely serve there for the British forces.

For the last 130 years, the Borders has produced a long line of international class rugby players, out of all proportion to the area''s small population, and has long been considered the heartland of Scottish rugby. Featuring interviews with many of the leading luminaries of Borders rugby, Neil Drysdale uncovers the passion for rugby in the Borders, how players were encouraged to play rugby by their mentors at Hawick, Gala, Melrose, Selkirk, Kelso and elsewhere, and gathers their thoughts on the future of the game in the region. In many ways, this book is a microcosm of Scottish rugby as a whole - the two Grand Slams of 1984 and 1990 were built around men from the South of Scotland, while the failure of the Border Reivers coincided with a dark period for the sport in Scotland - and seeks to discover why so many Lions legends from Jim Telfer and John Rutherford to Roy Laidlaw and Gary Armstrong, emerged to enhance the game without ever forgetting their roots.Including interviews with Doddie Weir, Craig Chalmers, Peter and Michael Dods, John Jeffrey and a host of other great as well as previously unsung heroes from behind the scenes, Southern Comfort reveals the different passions, hunger, humour, comradeship and local rivalries which fuels the region''s love for rugby - and tells a story of how the South has risen above adversity to still produce the stars of the future.

During her career Liz Lochhead has been described variously as a poet, feminist playwright, translator and broadcaster but has said that ''when somebody asks me what I do I usually say writer. The most precious thing to me is to be a poet. If I were a playwright, I''d like to be a poet in the theatre.'' Liz Lochhead has a large and devoted audience and delights audiences where she goes.

This is the first biography in over 100 years of the great Tom Morris of St Andrews, who presided over one of the most illustrious periods in the history of golf, who - more than anyone before or since in any game - stamped his individual character upon his sport and how, in large measure, made golf what it is today.Born in a humble weaver''s cottage in St Andrews in 1821, by the time of his death in 1908, he had become a figure of international renown. When he was buried with all the pomp and ceremony befitting an eminent Victorian, newspapers around the world reported his funeral, followed by his internment below the effigy of his son, Tommy, amidst the ruins of St Andrews Cathedral.In the course of his long life, he witnessed huge social and scientific changes in the world, none more so than in the game of golf that he had, in many respects, overseen and directed. By the time of his death, the game had expanded to become the most popular and geographically widespread of all sports and the essential recreational pursuit of gentlemen. Tom Morris was a sporting hero in an age of heroes, as well as golf''s first iconic figure.

Golf clubs, the length and breadth of the UK, are hotbeds for debate. Go into any clubhouse on a Saturday afternoon and you''ll find people arguing the virtues of links golf over parkland or Stableford over medal play. Every time a golf magazine produces a top 100 courses list, golfers throughout Britain begin quarrelling about its inclusions and omissions.In Great Golf Debates, Jeremy Ellwood and Fergus Bisset look at forty of golf''s most disputed issues from the serious to the more light-hearted, examining them from opposing viewpoints in an entertaining yet informed manner.From ''Tiger Woods vs Jack Nicklaus'' to ''Pull carts vs Carry bags'' they provide convincing arguments to give supporters of both camps some added ammunition, appealing directly to every British golfer''s argumentative nature. Writers for "Golf Monthly", Ellwood and Bisset''s ''head-to-head'' style debate features regularly in the magazine and has been a fabulous success in generating considerable interest both in letters to the magazine and debate on the Golf Monthly website where a poll is conducted.The section''s popularity gives clear indication there are many issues that split opinion between Britain''s golfers and that this book seeks to address a selection of the most contentious.

It''s 1975 and Britain is a country in political flux. In Glasgow the dirty old Victorian slums have been razed to the ground, replaced with brand new slums twenty storeys high. Chips are a health food and the very mention of filet mignon would spark a riot on the Govan Road. As its citizens struggle to adapt to their changing world, they wonder what will replace the steel mills and the shipyards, whether they look stupid in flares and what the lyrics of the Bay City Rollers'' ''Shang-A-Lang'' actually mean? Ten-year-old Steve Duff longs to be poor and neglected like his friend Wally, whose parents are incapable drunks. Frustratingly for Steve, he''s saddled with a conventional, stable and middle-class family. Then, over the course of a year, his father has a fling with a barmaid and leaves home, his mother''s response is to start a psychology degree, his sister is arrested for demanding money with menaces and his brother gets a girl pregnant.As if the normal indignities of growing up weren''t bad enough...This is a funny touching and heart-warming debut novel that will strike a chord with anyone who has been an awkward kid at least once in their life.

''The most powerful representation yet of the race which has repeatedly changed history as we know it'' - The ScotsmanAlistair Moffat''s journey, from the Scottish islands and Scotland, to the English coast, Wales, Cornwall and Ireland, ignores national boundaries to reveal the rich fabric of culture and history of Celtic Britain which still survives today.This is a vividly told, dramatic and enlightening account of the oral history, legends and battles of a people whose past stretches back many hundred of years. The Sea Kingdoms is a story of great tragedies, ancient myths and spectacular beauty.

Columba And All That is a real-life adventure packed with historical facts about the legendary Celtic saint. Join Columba as he leaves his home in Ireland for the undiscovered country of Scotland. Witness magic and miracles as Columba confronts the Loch Ness Monster and mysterious painted warriors.Packed with fantastic illustrations, Columba And All That is one man''s epic quest to spread the Word of God in a strange land - and hoping the natives like what they hear!Aimed at children aged 8-12.- Discover the difference between Christians and Pagans- Find out how to make a Columban boat from animal skins- Explore Columba''s monastery at Iona- Uncover Columba''s dark secrets

Robert Burns And All That is a real-life adventure packed with historical facts about Scotland''s national bard. Meet the lassies who stole Burns''s heart and the creatures that inspired his poetry. Join his quest to rescue a lost musical treasure - and get chased by ghouls as he explores the dark side of life.Bursting with hilarious illustrations, Robert Burns And All That is a book that simply must be read for the sake of auld lang syne!

WINNER OF THE GUARDIAN FICTION OF THE YEAR AWARDONE OF THE LIST''S BEST SCOTTISH BOOKS OF ALL TIMESet in nineteen-sixties Glasgow, this novel portrays the struggles and conflicts of young working-class hero and would-be novelist Mat Craig, whose desire to define himself as an artist creates social and family tensions.This classic of Scottish twentieth-century literature is renowned for its vivid descriptions of Glasgow and the fight for individual creative expression; it remains as authentic and relevant more than fifty years after its original publication.Includes an Introduction by Alasdair Gray as well as Archie Hind''s unfinished novel Fur Sadie and one of his essays ''Men of the Clyde''.*''An exciting first novel worth a dozen more seasoned efforts'' - Guardian''The best novel ever written'' - Skinny''A touching insight into human strength and frailty'' - Daily Mail