Porto Press – förlag

Neil M Gunn (1892 – 1973), one of Scotland’s most distinguished and highly regarded novelists of the 20th century, was a prolific writer. While he is best known for his fictional work Gunn was also a perceptive and meditative essayist who wrote extensively throughout his life on a wide range of subjects from landscape, nature and fishing to politics, nationalism and current affairs. Belief in Ourselves is a collection of essays that focuses on politics in the widest sense, embracing group activity in all its forms from nationalism to both communal work in a social sense and co-operation in crofting and fishing; the focus extends also to literature as a source of inspiration for a nation and a provider of national identity. That most of the essays were written between the two world wars – a period of political uncertainty and economic crisis – brings a sense of urgency to the writer in terms of the resolution of the problems and the exploration of the ideas aired by him. Many of the problems he identifies remain with us, albeit in different forms. Indeed, the imaginative and enlightened way in which Gunn looks at the events of his day have a strange relevance for today’s world. This forms a sister volume to the earlier Landscape to Light, which concentrates on his native landscape and culture and the spiritual aspects of his life and thought. As with Landscape to Light, much of what Gunn writes informs his fictional work.

Neil M. Gunn is celebrated as one of Scotland’s foremost novelists of the 20th century. Less well known is that he was also a perceptive and meditative essayist and accomplished writer of short stories. Most of his short stories were written in the 1920s and 1930s in parallel with his early novels, which they influence and inform. This collection draws some of its short stories from two previous collections but others are published for the first time. Although most are set against a Highland background, they are not in any way parochial; they touch on universal themes, which invite the serious reader to ponder and enjoy. Topics explored are: childhood and a sense of wonder; love in its deepest and most subtle sense; death as part of the cycle of existence and the place of land and sea in the development of those in search of greater self-understanding. The stories are attractive in their own right and have a freshness and immediacy that give a clarity and accessibility to the rich subject matter. They are also a gateway to a greater understanding of Gunn’s essential thinking on life and living.

Although Neil M. Gunn is well-known as one of Scotland''s foremost writers of the 20th century, he is less well-known as a perceptive and meditative essayist who wrote on a variety of. In this collection the focus is on landscape and the stimulus it provides for a journey of an enquiring mind from the observation of everyday life to a state of self-realisation. The essays mark the route. For example, in The French Fishing Smack there is a sense of freedom that only the sea can give; in The First Salmon a primal sense of adventure captivates; The Heron''s Legs cannot but engender a sense of wonder and Light is a signal that the inner journey of the spirit has all but ended. Products of the uneasy and uncertain 1930s, the Second World War and the Cold War, the essays lead not only to a more imaginative and enlightened way of looking at life in troubled times but also to a greater understanding of the mind of this profoundly thoughtful writer. They can be understood as a miniature biography of the writer himself in terms of being a series of moments of revelation and delight experienced during walks in the countryside, fishing expeditions and chance encounters with people and books. Covering 40 years of the writer''s life, the essays show that the ideas derived from them evolve rather than change; there is always a sense of movement. In the later essays it is the smallest social entity of all, the human psyche, that fascinates Gunn and becomes the essential ingredient in the search for self-enlightenment. Encounters with Zen Buddhism and other disciplines and philosophies were to reassure him that he had been moving in the right direction throughout his life.

A novel set in a Highland shooting lodge, where the focus is a hunt in a remote deer forest; but this is no ordinary thriller. A shooting lodge party of wealthy English people, a team of Highland stalkers, a legendary stag to be hunted and a background of glen and corrie, shrouded from time to time by impenetrable mist. A marvellous blend of ever-changing landscape - be it light and shadow, swift transitiions from light to half light, mist, rain, tones and flowing lines - contribute to the dramatic essence of the novel. Culture and personality clashes and mystery, which portent much deeper clashes between spiritual and material values, provide a vastly enjoyable read.

The Lost Glen vividly portrays a clash of cultures and personalities against a background of a landscape in visible decay. The cultural collision and its effects are explored through Ewan, a young local man recently returned from university in disgrace, and a retired English colonel staying at the village hotel. Both men in a sense are alienated from the community, the younger because of a haunting sense of failure, and the older through an unwillingness to understand the local culture. They have a mutual antipathy. The Colonel''s self-imposed cultural isolation leads to aggressive bullying and an openly lascivious attitude towards local young women. His unworthiness as a representative of Anglo-Saxon culture is largely compensated for by his young niece, who behaves with sensitivity and integrity. She is clearly attracted to Ewan whose sense of failure is complex and does not only concern his enforced withdrawal from university and his involvement in an incident at sea that cost his father his life; it concerns the feeling he has of himself as a spiritual exile - a man who had intended to emigrate but who had remained as an outsider in the land that meant so much to him. The antipathy between the two main protagonists leads to a physical struggle between them that brings to an end a novel, layered with meanings, that is more a symbolic drama than a novel of realism. One of the earliest novels to appear in the Scottish Literary Renaissance of the 1920s and 1930s, The Lost Glen turns its back on the form of writing that had depicted Scotland as a rural paradise in favour of describing Highland life as it really was at that time.

Horrific experiences of the blitz in wartime London and the spiritual bankruptcy of her lover and his Marxist acquaintances are seen through the eyes of Nan, a young Scotswoman, who has returned to her native Highlands to recover from a nervous breakdown. Her letters to her lover from the warm and friendly ambience of a widowed aunt''s farmhouse reflect her innermost thoughts on the essence of being and the restorative effects of the quiet rhythm of country life. The shadows of the immediate past begin to recede, but her return to health is rudely interrupted by news of the brutal murder of a neighbouring crofter and the unsolicited attentions of a sinister stranger. The inevitable relapse brings her aunt, a practical and cultured woman, into contact with both lover and stranger and pits her optimistic, human and emotional approach to life against the theories and bleak logic of the two men. The recovery of the young woman brings aunt and niece even closer together in their understanding of life, but the final denouement, although imbued with hope, is inconclusive and leaves the reader to imagine the eventual outcome. Written with all the power of a master hand this is a subtly thoughtful and gripping novel that has a strange relevance to today''s events. The blight of terrorism, the dominance of consumerism, the absence of a spiritual dimension in domestic affairs and fears of the harmful effects of globalisation on the freedom and development of small communities, are symptoms of an uneasiness with regard to world stability and the erosion of traditional values and beliefs

At the heart of The Silver Bough is a cairn on a knoll surrounded by standing stones. This is of professional interest to an archaeologist, around whom the story revolves. The life-enhancing qualities of the crofting family with whom he lodges and the quiet tenor of Highland life bear a curious similarity to his speculations on how ''the cairn people'' lived in the distant past. His ideas spread outwards like ripples in a loch, fascinating his colleagues and giving some meaning to the life of a neighbouring landowner, who is mentally scarred from his experiences in the War. The plot of the book is imaginative and intricate, and includes the mystery of skeletons found in a cist in the cairn. As the dig proceeds, gold is discovered and then disappears. Has it been taken by the lad the archaeologist has been employing and, if so, where is it? The search is on and the standing stone claims its sacrificial victim.

From this evocative title comes a powerful novel set in the city of Glasgow in 1939. This is indeed a bleak stage, and yet how does this title, with its implication of freedom and flight, meld with a depressed city at the outbreak of war? The main character, a journalist, finds that a glimpse of wild geese catalyses the development of his thinking on various levels - social, political and psychological. The contrast of urban and rural life, characteristically penetrating dialogue, remarkable insight, physical violence...all are included and take the reader on an absorbing and enlightening journey to the story''s dénouement. Another outstanding novel from the creative pen of Gunn.

An alchemic blend of travel and nature writing that explores the primary dilemma of the 21st century - the conflict of modern lifestyles with the natural environment. This is an account of the author''s journey from the Cape to the Serengeti Plains and his search for an answer to the Old Timer, a Kenyan who foretold the end of the wild. Martyn decided on one more trip, but this time without an agenda, without a timetable and without preconceptions: with no purpose other than to know, to feel and to understand. The book is filled with insights of African elephants and antelope, and with portraits of a natural world inhabited by Bushmen, game wardens and scientists. Running through it is an outspoken and highly ethical regard for humankind''s relationship with nature. From his first contact with Bushman rock art in the Western Cape, the author is drawn into a spiritual journey as he grapples with the quandary of balancing our lifestyles with protecting the environment. His travelling companion, Stu, a fellow scientist and arch cynic, is nettled by this lack of rationality. Marooned together the friction, humour and hardship of their journey carry the reader across the continent from one adventure to another, to the final revelation atop an isolated kopje in the heart of the Serengeti Plains. The Storm Leopard is a unique book that emanates from the author''s passionate affair with nature and many years of experience in the field as an ecologist and consultant in conservation - nothing deals with today''s environmental issues in the same way.

Ospreys are one of our best known and best loved birds and the name Roy Dennis is not only synonymous with the successful return of the osprey to Scotland, but is also renowned for his international work with a variety of species. From the time he saw his first osprey, back in 1960, Roy has worked to help this magnificent raptor establish itself once more in a country where it had been hounded and persecuted to near-extinction over hundreds of years. This book tells the story not only of the osprey, but of the osprey watcher, following the bird''s fortunes in Scotland, seeing its numbers rise from that single pair in the 1950s to close to 200 pairs today. From a look at its history in Scotland and the rest of the UK including the bad old days of egg thieves and the shooting of birds as specimens, it moves to the present day, with satellite radios allowing us to follow the every move of the osprey on its migration to Africa and back. Roy has pioneered the building of artificial nests for ospreys, which had been instrumental in increasing their numbers and range, as well as starting the first European trans-location taking chicks from their nests in the Highlands and releasing them at Rutland Water Nature Reserve in the Midlands. The book also covers the ecology of the osprey with many personal anecdotes and insights. Diary entries give a more immediate feel to the chapters, and the worldwide distribution of ospreys is enlivened by that sense of immediacy. Roy''s writings, at a time when no one knew whether or not his lifetime''s work would succeed, add a sense of history to this personal tale.

A prominent Pakistani industrialist, his two sons and driver are gunned down in broad daylight. In another world thousands of miles away, Danyal is heading home on the Gatwick Victoria Express after a year-long internship with a US senator. He is stunned to see a leading actor sitting unnoticed opposite him but plucks up the courage to say he’s a big fan. The star is more interested in Danyal and seems fascinated to know what it feels like being a Muslim living in a world where anything goes and where the Muslim faith is at odds with itself. He asks for Danyal’s advice as he prepares for a visit to recce a new film in Pakistan. The glamour of the film world mixes uncomfortably with politics and religion. It is a conversation which will ultimately cost lives.

From the best-selling author of four classic UK diving books, comes The Darkness Below - a collection of absorbing adventures gained from a lifetime in diving. As one of the UK''s leading Technical Divers, Rod takes the reader on a spellbinding and gripping journey, from first beginnings as a novice scuba diver. Told in intimate detail with a beguiling sense of self-deprecating humour, he recounts epic dives on some of the most fabulous shipwrecks around the world. Terrifying first explorations of virgin shipwrecks far offshore, lost in time and enshrouded in darkness in the silent depths, cram the pages.A daring expedition into the heart of the feared Corryvreckan whirlpool, the third largest in the world, an open sea encounter with Orca killer whales and an agonizing attack of the bends keep the reader engrossed. The palpable gloom, despair and human tragedy of the wrecks is never far away - the cold and darkness of the depths almost resonating with the cries of those who have perished. The fear of entrapment inside a wreck is grippingly described and becomes almost claustrophobic to the reader unfamiliar with the perils of wreck penetration, when snagged nets sometimes billow unseen above the unwary diver.However, there are rewards when survivors from wrecks are keen to speak to someone who has seen and touched their ship that had been lost long ago. This is an unmissable book for all divers and anyone interested in maritime history.

Scotland''s Global Empire is one journalist''s tribute to some of the lesser-known great Scots and their contribution to the world. Jock Gallagher was encouraged in his epic enterprise by a quote from Voltaire: We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation.‘Voltaire may have over-egged the pudding but in many areas, I believe, our small nation has punched well above its weight and has earned this generous compliment,’ says Gallagher. Is that a fine conceit, an extravagant claim or perhaps a journalist talking in headlines? You will have to read the book to find out! Written over five years, this engrossing and enlightening book stretches to over a quarter of a million words and is a fast, pacy read as it races through the exploits and achievements of an astonishing gallery of the Scots who make up his Scottish Empire.Gallagher is quick to disassociate himself from other empire models. ‘It''s not an empire of colonisation that diminishes or enslaves those whom it embraces. It involves neither the greed nor ruthlessness so often inherent in empire-building. It''s an empire that breaks down barriers rather than creates ownership and, it can be claimed, enhances civilisation.’ Although household names such as Andrew Carnegie, Alexander Graham Bell, John Logie Baird and Charles Rennie Mackintosh are mentioned to underpin the strength and breadth of the Empire, only abbreviated reminders of their well-known achievements are shown. It''s not a recital of the adventures of conquering heroes, although some are included. It''s more an outreach of ideas, the story of human endeavour in its many forms … pushing at the boundaries of the imagination and stretching the accepted order. It encompasses everything from the spirit of pioneering to the mystical qualities of leadership. ‘It''s luckily not dependent on a seat of power and nor is it affected by the bruising arguments about Scotland''s place within the UK or as an independent state.’Gallagher brings together an astonishing array of characters who may not have made headlines but are essential elements in his illusory empire with a heady mix of extraordinary vision, creativity, energy, leadership, diplomacy, skill, artistry, sometimes pure genius and, more often, downright doggedness.

The trials and tribulations experienced while sailing two old and tired American tugboats halfway around the world. An entertaining and greatly enjoyable read.

A tale of two tugboats brimming with adventure, mishap and intrigue. A rare and true-life seafaring adventure story with a difference!

In the Ray Solly trilogy, Mariner’s Launch, Mariner’s Voyage and Mariner’s Rest, the author brings alive a lifestyle which epitomised excitement and adventure during the ‘golden age’ of international shipping.

This is a new and expanded second edition of the best-selling first edition. The author has provided an in-depth historical account with new information on a number of prisoners including the eminent Professor Klaus Eggers; Karl Haensel, a former rear gunner who remained in Caithness after his release and Dr. Albert Bisping whose tragic story of a lost love unfolds. There is also the remarkable account of former Cameronian Alan ''Nobby'' Noble who was given the vital role of establishing the camp. The impact in Caithness of Hitler''s Ayrian policy is also described as well as new stories of lost friendships and lasting legacies.The camp held a number of SS officers including prominent prisoners such as Gunter d''Alquen, the journalist; Otto Kretschmer, the ''Wolf of the Atlantic''; and Paul Werner Hoppe, former commandant of Stutthof Concentration Camp in Poland. The history of its inception and creation are described, as is the daily life of the prisoners.Local people give their account of the camp with many having fond memories of the theatre groups and orchestras; one of which played at a local girl''s wedding! The ca,mp had a profound effect on Caithness which endures to this day through the friendships built up over its time as Prisoner of War Camp 165. It brings together a plethora of information with links to other camps, not only in the UK. The role of the London District Cage, infamous for its interrogation of prisoners of war, is also explored as is its impact on the camp''s history, including the case of the scientist Paul Schröder who worked on the V2 bomb.

Every day, every one of us contributes to the waste problem but, despite being a part of our lives, waste is poorly understood, even by those who should know better. We live in a throw-away society and yet what is discarded is a vital raw material and ingredient being traded as a valuable commodity around the world.Recycling our Future provides an insight into the challenges facing the industry and individuals as the world contemplates expanding waste mountains. Finite sources are being eroded as the world’s growing and increasingly affluent population demands a better standard of living with bigger houses, new TVs, computers, etc.Waste is a valuable raw material when treated correctly but a hazard when neglected. The author warns of illegal shipments of waste continuing unabated, and highlights the pressures and challenges facing governments and the industry. He also explains how the system works from the moment a carton is dropped into a bin to being recycled, resold and restocked on supermarkets’ shelves. He explodes the myths about waste recycling, looks at the technology that is used and explains why the subject matters to everyone.The book is supported by information from sources around the world and the author reveals how so-called rubbish has a value, how it is traded on the financial markets and suggests that waste should be treated as a prize worthy of investment, rather than a problem to be shunned.

Often amusing, sometimes romantic or fraught with danger, these 30 short stories are about local people, spectacular places and the special wildlife the author sets out to find. The stories include seeking out Arabian Oryx on the searing plains of the Saudi desert; eiderdown collecting in Iceland, crouching in swirling clouds and darkness on a knife-edge ridge in the rugged Madeiran mountains and swimming with Grey Seals off the Pembroke coast. The author describes incredible encounters with spectacular animals from lumbering manatees and dangerous rhinos to unforgettable experiences such as being led by a honeyguide with a Kenyan Dorobo tribesman to the nest of wild bees and watching cranes tip-toeing their courtship dances. He also attended a Parsi funeral where the corpses are no longer consumed by vultures; experienced a close encounter with armed Omani police, bluffed his way on to the largest refuse tip in southern Asia and canoed along Mali’s Niger River watching black and yellow ‘bishops’ displaying along its banks. These are just a few of the remarkable experiences recounted by Malcolm in a lifetime searching out some of the most interesting, and some of the rarest, animals on earth.These hugely entertaining tales visit places as diverse as the Florida Everglades, England’s New Forest, Iceland’s offshore islands, the Empty Quarter of the Saudi Desert, the tiny remnants of the Jordan’s Azraq wetland and the impressive oak dehesas of Extremadura. Sit back and visit the world!

Luftwaffe over Scotland is the first complete history of the air attacks mounted against Scotland by Nazi Germany during World War Two and undertakes a detailed examination of the strategy, tactics and politics involved on both sides, together with a technical critique of the weaponry employed by both attackers and defenders. Extensive figures on Scottish civilian casualties have been included, together with a full list of all Scottish locations that were bombed and details of German aircraft losses.From the relentless hit-and-run attacks up the east coast of Scotland to the calamities of Clydebank and Greenock, Luftwaffe over Scotland not only offers a detailed analysis of exactly what happened, but also provides fresh new evidence and claims regarding many aspects of the war in Scotland - some of them specifically at odds with the more traditional British portrayals of World War Two. Luftwaffe over Scotland draws on a wide variety of sources, such as official archives, articles, letters and personal testimonies, including information about German Luftwaffe operations, to paint the first full and accurate picture of the dramatic and often brutal air attacks that took place in almost every village, town and city in Scotland during World War Two.From a detailed analysis of the attacking German forces, to an explanation of the strengths and weaknesses of the air defences around Scotland, this is an important and long-overdue contribution to the full understanding of this dramatic period in the history of the modern Scottish nation.

This thought-provoking and challenging book is about sex and profits. It is not a book about Women''s Lib, but it is a book that will lead to the recognition of women carried along by the wholehearted support of men; it is not another call for charitable donations, but it is a book about investment. It is not about improving the education of women. It is all about income generation.The poorest women of the Indian sub-continent and Africa represent a vast untapped resource which, if harnessed, could bring about a huge improvement in the worst-affected parts of the world. Women could feed the whole of Africa since they look after 80% of the agriculture. They are hard-working and eager to learn - the perfect workforce. But they have no sense of self-worth and too often are regarded as little more than beasts of burden or are hidden away, deprived of education and position. And yet a mother will not squander money, she will nourish her children rather than drinking herself into oblivion and she will remain loyal to her family.Shreela Flather cogently and powerfully argues that women must be central to every initiative, business project and political goal rather than being merely after-thoughts or decoration. She believes this is just as applicable to many countries in the West where the glass ceiling still constitutes an impenetrable barrier for women. She challenges politicians to turn talking shops into practical action; the much-vaunted United Nations'' Millennium Development Goals'' (MDGs) dream cannot be fulfilled by the target date of 2015. Its only hope is to shift the focus to women. While the UN rightly identifies the private sector as the "engine of innovation and growth" it fails itself by not targeting that effort at women. As part and parcel of that re-focusing it should start talking about family planning.As we continue to struggle in global economic depression this above all is a hopeful book offering a practical, affordable way forward. It requires no new energy source, it demands no vast capital investment and it will have no destructive impact on the environment. The workforce is vast, willing and able ... with no vices. Woman - Acceptable Exploitation for Profit is a solution for a world in trouble, a roadmap to greater opportunities, profit, prosperity, health and happiness for all, regardless of gender.We live in a world struggling to feed itself, fund itself, preserve itself so why reject the only asset and talent we have failed to consider?

In April 2006 the author became the first person to single-handedly circumnavigate Scotland by boat and bike. Setting out on this ultimate adventure from Kirkcudbright on the Solway Firth, Alan sailed around Scotland on a 50-foot yacht to the north-east coast of England. After 16 exhausting days on the yacht, he then cycled 163 miles back to the starting point in Kirkcudbright.The 1000-mile voyage took Alan in the yacht Pegasus to the wild open Atlantic Ocean passing Islay, Barra Head, St Kilda, North Rona and round Muckle Flugga, the most northerly point of the UK, before landing at Blyth, Northumberland. The cycle trip crossed England and brought Alan back into Scotland at Gretna and from there he followed the Solway coastal route back to the church gates in Kirkcudbright.This herculean challenge required detailed planning and attracted over 20 people into the support team including an Olympic weather router, an Olympic sail-maker, a round-the-world skipper, a renowned sleep management specialist and a multiple champion in Scottish sailing. The motivation behind the trip came from Alan''s deep-rooted desire to take on a challenge that would test his skills, resolve, stamina and sheer willpower to get the job done. It also provided him with an opportunity to raise money for two charities - the Parkinson''s Disease Society and Ocean Youth Trust Scotland which will both benefit from sales of this book.Solo Round Scotland is an account of the whole experience at sea and on the road. Alan vividly tells the story of preparing for the challenge and also experiences such as when he was beset with gear failure and was forced to take the wheel for 12 hours in force 8 gales. This exhilarating story follows the highs and lows as Alan battles to achieve his goal of becoming the first person to circumnavigate Scotland by boat and bike.

This is an action-packed book full of anecdotal adventure as the author takes readers on his journeys to find wildlife around the world. As a professional zoologist, his career has taken him to six of the world’s seven continents for research, photography, tourism or film-making. What makes this book really special is that Dan has also written about the people he has taken with him, the people they have encountered and the histories and politics of the countries in which they have worked.Thus, the man-eating tiger story also touches on human poverty and the impact of climate change on Bangladesh; the Australian grasswren story tells how Dan was exploited in his junior role in the Natural History Museum; the African safari covers a terrifying near-death experience with swarming killer bees during the reign of Idi Amin; the giant oak story is set partially in Ukraine, at a time when it was still coming to terms with its new identity following the break-up of the USSR.In ‘Bonding with Spiders’ Dan meets the original James Bond, the bird-eating spider from Dr No and has his own nightmarish encounter in the Australian bush, sharing his tent with a giant spider! Other stories include the battle between young lions and older rivals, filming piranhas in South America, tortoises in France, and wolves, bears and ibex in Italy. And just to show that wildlife drama takes place in our own back gardens, Dan writes about a male blackbird that survived an attack by a neighbour’s cat and then grew up to raise its young under the watchful eye of a local sparrowhawk.Complemented with line drawings by Robin Prytherch, this is a powerful and evocative collection of stories, the result of 45 years engaging with animals and people on six continents. Dan has observed his subjects with a naturalist’s passion for detail, resulting in a book that is engaging, informative and highly revealing. Although some of the creatures would make you want to run a mile, the book will be hard to put down!

Situated on the south side of the Firth of Forth, the port of Leith, Edinburgh, is a major harbour for warships and cruise liners. Over hundreds of years it has been a trading port and a military dockyard. With Rosyth Dockyard situated further west, this busy waterway has two historically-important destinations for vessels and over time, many vessels were sunk during storms, failed to avoid collisions or were wartime victims of U-boats or aircraft.From Leith Docks the river widens forming a huge estuary filled with volcanic islands and submerged pinnacles that are blasted by fierce tidal streams, providing an opportunity for some fantastic scenic diving. This is also the final resting place of hundreds of shipwrecks, many of which are of especial historical importance. For the diver there is so much to explore in these new and exciting deeper wrecks that have the added attraction of being little known. These wrecks include an aircraft carrier, a German light cruiser that saw action at the Battle of Jutland, aircraft and even steam-powered submarines are all there waiting to be dived. Unlike the well-documented and dived River Clyde wrecks on the west coast, or those in the English Channel, these in the Firth of Forth are rarely mentioned – although many lie within a 20-mile radius of Edinburgh.The author has dived all the 100 sites and wrecks in the book and as a professional underwater photographer has provided truly atmospheric images that capture the special identity of these East coast wrecks and reefs. As well as his detailed knowledge of the sites, the author has also given his recommendations for dive sites, including their GPS positions, safety, and skill level required. Practical information such as dive centres, dive boats, accommodation and onshore activities is also included.This guide will help divers select the best dives to suit local weather conditions and to find the best scenic sites. It includes all the new and exciting dive sites recently found in areas such as Burntisland, North Berwick, Dunbar, St. Abbs and Eyemouth and information on how best to dive them – an absolute must for divers visiting this area!

The barn owl is a ‘flagship’ species, at the top of the food chain, and its presence or absence is a good indicator of the health of the countryside. This is the enjoyable and informative story of the author’s success in restoring this beautiful bird to areas of the country where its numbers had catastrophically declined.From an upbringing in the Lake District, the author developed a deep interest in natural history which became an all-consuming passion. As a ‘licensed rehabilitation keeper’, he cared for a wide range of injured and orphaned wildlife, giving individuals a second chance by returning them to the wild. He reveals how and why he later graduated to barn owl conservation.The author describes his many encounters with barn owls, from the acquisition of his first breeding pair; ‘Barney’, a completely humanised owl; to stories of the fascinating array of people involved in releasing, studying, and simply marvelling at this beautiful bird. Although there is a funny side to most situations, there are also the inevitable disasters and disappointments of conservation work, such as the accidental or deliberate sabotaging of releases or the killing of released birds. The reader shares in the author’s disappointment and frustration at the sheer cost in time and money and his frequent self-doubt about the success of the whole exercise. However, there are descriptions of more enjoyable activities such as bird ringing, watching home-grown birds metamorphose from ugly pink scraps into creatures of ethereal beauty, and the seemingly limitless energy and enthusiasm of countless landowners and volunteers who are totally committed to the reintroduction of the barn owl.After almost 20 years, there is now evidence of a marked increase in barn owl numbers in areas where the author has worked. During this period, he bred and released around 250 birds, put up nest boxes and advised on barn owl-friendly approaches to land management. These activities helped to reverse the decline in population as areas were repopulated and also created reservoirs of wild breeding barn owls, whose offspring colonised other under-populated parts of the country.The return of the barn owl not only heralds a brighter future for the British countryside, but also shows, at a time of great public concern about the state of planet Earth, that the negative effects of human activity on the environment can be reversed with effort, goodwill and determination.

Life with Birds uncovers the fascinating story of our interdependence with birds. The author weaves an amazing web of inter-relationships, from the Parsi funeral in Mumbai where birds of prey eat the dead; to collecting eider down from nests in Iceland and standing on the once body-strewn battlefield of Agincourt where birds won the day for the English army.From the earliest days of human existence we have exploited birds; for food, for their feathers, to satisfy our blood lust, to entertain us with their beauty, to inspire our art, our advertising, classical music, popular songs and much more. Cage birds are kept for their beauty and song but this book also investigates the repugnant illegal rare bird trade, and the organised crime it has spawned involving around 1.5 million birds a year. Criminals will go to unbelievable lengths when smuggling rare birds for sale and the 1.5m birds in this annual trade threaten the survival of several exotic species.Since time immemorial birds have exploited us too. Birds can use our homes to make theirs and can ruin farmers’ crops in minutes. Some of the most impressive birds have set up home on high-rise buildings, exploiting the city slicker pigeons that live off discarded fast food and much else.Life with Birds contains intriguing examples of the huge range of interactions between birds and people. How undercover law enforcement in the US is tackling a cruel and bloodthirsty ‘sport’; how birds are being used to smuggle drugs into a prison and across borders; controversial practices such as bird sacrifice in religious ceremonies; and how some Kenyan tribesmen are guided by a bird to find a food they both value. Many myths, magic and religious practices involving birds are exposed such as whether they can predict deadly mining disasters; whether they have killed anyone; and whether the eerie night-time calls in the precipitous mountains of Madeira are the souls of shepherds who have fallen to their deaths.If you have ever wondered what a nest made solely of bird saliva, considered a delicacy in some countries, tastes like or whether you knew Chairman Mao’s ‘kill a sparrow’ campaign in the 1950s resulted in many millions of Chinese dying of starvation, Life with Birds will provide enlightenment as well as a hugely enjoyable read.

An appealing book that rightfully raises the profile of the kestrel. It provides an extensive picture of this delightful falcon, including its lifestyle and the factors that affect its breeding success and survival. This is based upon almost 40 years’ monitoring of the kestrel in south-west Scotland and further afield by the author and colleagues, giving a flavour of the integrated approach to monitoring and conservation.As well as the wealth of factual data, there are entertaining anecdotes and stories both from the author’s experiences and from the wider media coverage of this raptor over the years. The reader is taken to exotic locations such as the Seychelles, Mauritius and the Cape Verde Islands to see the endemic island kestrels which have always held a great fascination for the author.Latest figures show an alarming decline of 36% in the kestrel population in the UK, with even more dramatic falls such as 64% in Scotland. The fieldwork techniques which play such an important role are detailed in a composite breeding season. The kestrel is not portrayed in isolation and the bird’s current circumstance is tied into the bigger picture of raptor conservation and the struggle against sustained persecution.The author reflects upon the political, economic and conservation issues that have dominated this field in the past few decades and through this personal and well-informed account the reader gains access to the world of the kestrel.

Hillwalking is a way of life for Robin Howie, whose name is very well-known in Scottish hillwalking circles and whose knowledge of the Scottish high tops is second to none. For over ten years his popular weekly hillwalking column has appeared in The Scotsman where his pleasure of walking in the hills is apparent to the reader. Some claim to buy the paper solely to read his column while others have long-demanded that his walks be made into a book.Generous with his help and advice to other walkers, this collection of shorter, lower-level walks will appeal to families and those less sure of venturing to the high tops. Conveniently arranged within shires with a location map, each walk has a useful factfile that summarises the map, start point, distance, terrain, duration of walk, height to be climbed and the all-important nearest refreshment point.100 Scotsman Walks is a distillation of a lifetime of highs and lows, enhanced by the artist’s eye and the wordsmith’s descriptive powers. It will be a delight for active or ex-walkers, for the would-be explorer or armchair enthusiast, for the whole family, young or old – a book in fact for everyone.

Descended from a Haddington family of printers and booksellers, Patrick Neill became head of the most prestigious printing firm in Edinburgh. Leaving his manager to run the business, he devoted his life to writing, natural history, horticulture and civic duties. His early tour of Orkney and Shetland provided an insight into the social life of the islands and he regaled readers of the Scots Magazine with an intriguing running commentary on events in the Lothians. His survey of both private and commercial gardens and orchards in Scotland was a landmark publication and he published a perceptive account of his travels in northern Europe to discover whether any of their horticultural methods might be worth adopting.As a founder member and secretary for 40 years of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, he was a key figure in its successful establishment. He was also a founder member and secretary of the Wernerian Natural History Society, whose origins related to the dominating geological controversy of that era. His role as secretary brought him into contact with most of the natural scientists in Scotland and distinguished botanists and other scientists were frequently around Neill''s dinner table. His wide circle of friends included famous figures such as William Jackson Hooker and his son Joseph, Robert Brown, Sir William Jardine, Sir Calverly Trevelyan, Robert Stevenson, the McNabs, father and son, of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and the maverick botanist George Don.To cap it all Neill won national recognition for the unparalleled diversity of species of plants, including newly-introduced species, in his remarkable garden at Canonmills. According to Loudon, the famous landscape designer, it was the richest urban garden in the country. This engaging book contains a wealth of historically valuable observations and also an insight into Edinburgh''s scientific scene in the early 19th century. Patrick Neill is revealed as one the most interesting Scotsmen of the 19th century in terms of the variety of enterprises he fostered and the friendships he enjoyed with so many natural scientists of his day.