{"title":"All our books","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eExplore our books on social history, the built environment, Scotland, nature, wildlife, conservation, landscape and maritime history.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"9781849950633_hadrians-wildlife","title":"Hadrian's Wildlife","description":"Built in the years AD122-30 by order of the Emperor Hadrian 'to separate Romans from Barbarians', Hadrian's Wall was 73 miles long, running from Wallsend-on-Tyne to Bowness on the Solway Firth. It was originally almost 5 metres high with 16 large forts along its length and is the largest Ancient Monument in northern Europe.  Following the author's previous successful book, Hadrian's Wildlife has been enriched and expanded with additional information on wildlife and Roman history. When standing on the WHO site of Hadrian's Wall, many visitors may wonder what the area would have looked like during Roman times. Bringing the bird remains from Roman digs into view reveals which species were living then as well as what the landscape looked like. Although some species such as White-tailed Eagle and Common Crane are no longer found here, others including Nuthatch, Hobby and Little Egret have colonized the area.  Living close to Hadrian's Wall, the author has explored its many habitats from the Solway Firth across to the east coast. Many of these wildlife sites have a Roman influence from old forts to the gathering of pearls from the oysters that are found on the North Tyne.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nHadrian's Wildlife will encourage visitors to the area to enjoy and appreciate the wide selection of these habitats on a year-round basis. This invaluable guide to the many and varied attractions of the area will take the reader on a voyage of discovery and will be an essential companion for visitors.","brand":"John Miles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657170294,"sku":"9781849950633","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950633.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781870325837_lost-sounds","title":"Lost Sounds","description":"This work visits a number of lighthouses at different times over the last 130 years to reveal the philanthropic, scientific and romantic story of the fog signal - how it came about, how the machinery worked and what it sounded like. The development of fog signals complemented the expansion of lighthouse construction worldwide from the last quarter of the 19th century and represented the attempt to provide a navigation aid to mariners when the beam of light from the lighthouse lens was obscured by fog. This aim, despite the best efforts of the available technology, was frustrated by the medium of air with its effect on sound propagation, but the attempt to overcome the difficulties encouraged many eminent Victorian scientists and engineers to help shape the story of fog signals. This story of fog signals is drawn from visits and site surveys at specific lighthouses with wide research of original documents held by the lighthouse authorities, private companies, museums and archives.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe book reveals the practical developments of sound signals from the early percussion instruments to the later succession of compressed air sirens and diaphones through to the last remaining electric emitters.","brand":"Alan Renton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657235830,"sku":"9781870325837","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781870325837.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781849950961_a-practical-guide-to-facilities-management","title":"A Practical Guide to Facilities Management","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis book provides a readily accessible and practical guide to the increasingly important subject of facilities management. It shows the formal basis for the complex and constantly moving requirements of FM and recognises that it is becoming more vital in its role of enabling the core business of a company to function effectively.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIts user-friendly style will appeal to both the practitioner and the student. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ian C. Barker","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657137526,"sku":"9781849950961","price":50.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950961.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781904445432_the-lost-glen","title":"The Lost Glen","description":"\"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.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nHe is fascinated by the experience of a local piper, whose finding of a lost glen that had a strange beauty and primordial freshness had been translated into a pibroch. The haunting tune acts as a stimulant to Ewan's Hamlet-like musings on the possibility of a rejuvenation of the landscape or a final disappearance of its life and meaning. 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.","brand":"Neil Gunn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657432438,"sku":"9781904445432","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781904445432.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781849950220_belief-in-ourselves","title":"Belief in Ourselves","description":"Introduction by Dairmid Gunn  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.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nIndeed, 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","brand":"Neil Gunn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657366902,"sku":"9781849950220","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950220.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781849951562_southern-lights","title":"Southern Lights","description":"\u003cp\u003eSouthern Lights recounts the story of how New Zealand's lighthouses were established through the transfer of technology from Scotland to New Zealand over a period of almost 90 years. This resulted in most of New Zealand's lighthouses being fully or partially built using Scottish materials and expertise. The major Scottish contribution was the professional services provided by the firm founded by Robert Stevenson although by the time the first lighthouses were built in New Zealand, Robert had died and his eldest son Alan had retired.The firm of David and Thomas Stevenson thus took on the first commissions and its successor companies over a period of 80 years were Consulting Lighthouse Engineers to the New Zealand Government. They arranged tenders, advised on technology, supervised manufacture and despatch of lighthouse components and stores, and much more, proving invaluable to the New Zealand Agent-General in London.It was on this basis that in the period 1859 to 1941 38 major lighthouses were built; 30 of which were constructed between 1865 and 1897.Despite New Zealand's limited industrial base, this arrangement ensured they had access to Scottish lighthouse technology and expertise.\u003cbr\u003e\n Thirty-three were built using Scottish designed and built lanterns and apparatus and Scottish-designed lenses, although these were of French or English manufacture. Of the other five, two were eventually replaced by Scottish lighthouses, two were upgraded with Scottish technology, and the fifth remains the sole example of English lighthouse design, although in its time was supplied with Scottish equipment. Scotland also supplied trained professionals who manned the lights, designed and administered them.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Guinevere Nalder","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657203062,"sku":"9781849951562","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951562.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781849950879_three-men-on-the-way-way","title":"Three Men on the Way Way","description":"The West Highland Way is Scotland's first official Long Distance Route and runs near 100 miles from Milngavie to Fort William. It was nicknamed the 'Way Way' by a trio from Fife who set off to walk it in the year of the Millennium. This is not a guidebook but an account of their experiences, the highs and lows which any challenge presents of their marvellous, surprising, amusing and weird memories. They met many hundreds of people along the way but, naturally, those they recall were the more eccentric. Although the trio never managed another bigger trip together they realize how lucky, and wise, they had been to grab the chance when it came.  There is remarkably pleasant rural walking at the start to reach the Highlands at Loch Lomond, fine woodland on its banks and later, the contrast of lonely, empty miles across Rannoch Moor, the Devil's Staircase and the great pass of the Lairig Mor to finish. Encounters with other people are an important part of Long Distance Routes. Anyone who has walked the Way Way (or is planning to do so) will enjoy this story, bringing back plenty of similar memories of people and places, adventures and misadventures.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe illustrations too give a wonderful idea of the rich variety of country traversed and well capture the atmosphere of this walk through Scotland's fine landscapes.","brand":"Hamish M. Brown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657334134,"sku":"9781849950879","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950879.jpg?v=1764233826"},{"product_id":"9781849951708_dive-palau","title":"Dive Palau","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecounted with his usual level of meticulous historical research, Rod weaves an easily readable account of the build-up to and implementation of Operation Desecrate 1 - the raid undertaken to destroy Japanese ships and aircraft in the lagoons of Palau. He uses his intimate knowledge of shipwrecks to reveal in glorious detail each of the 20 major Japanese WWII shipwrecks lying at the bottom of the Palauan lagoons today. On 30th March, 1944 Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters made an Initial fighter sweep of the lagoon to destroy Japanese air cover. Simultaneously Grumman Avenger torpedo-bombers dropped their mines in the channels around the lagoon to block Japanese ships attempting to escape the following onslaught. With the Japanese naval fortress quickly becoming a prison and with Japanese air cover quickly destroyed, successive group strikes of torpedo bombers and dive-bombers swept over the lagoon, sinking the shipping and destroying the airfields. Palau was neutralised as a Japanese naval and air base in a repeat of the same Task Force 58 raid, Operation Hailstone, on Truk Lagoon 1,000 miles to the east just six weeks earlier.\u003cbr\u003e\n Today, 20 major Japanese WWII shipwrecks lie in the beautiful clear waters of the tropical paradise of Palau surrounded by reefs and coral wall drop-offs. A number of long-lost wrecks have recently been relocated including a Japanese freighter filled with depth charges and Army helmets. This was found in 1989 but remained unidentified until now - after painstaking research Rod reveals her identify for the first time in the book. Each wreck is covered in detail and is supported by underwater photography and by fabulous illustrations by renowned artist Rob Ward. The shipwrecks of Palau are now revealed.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rod Macdonald","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657629046,"sku":"9781849951708","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951708.jpg?v=1767336428"},{"product_id":"9781849951623_canals-across-scotland","title":"Canals Across Scotland","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis entertaining and informative book will be of practical benefit to all who discover the historic Union Canal and the Forth \u0026amp; Clyde Canal, whether walking, cycling, boating or visiting the Falkirk Wheel or the Kelpies. The canals are for fun, whether on the water, on the towpath, walking or cycling or just visiting. The canals can be enjoyed at any season. In winter, with the trees leafless, the views are more extensive and there is less traffic on towpath or waterway. In high summer the green world of trees is almost overwhelming, the banks crowded with sweet reed grass, meadow sweet, willowherbs, vetches and many spreads of yellow waterlily, a real Wind in the Willows world. In autumn there are brambles to be eaten, in spring the returning wildlife spree, with swans nesting and swallows swooping. The canals are a scenic treat and will repay many visits or a dedicated holiday challenge. Canals Across Scotland provides detailed towpath information, suggests what to see and do along the way and in the towns passed. The book is full of fascinating historical background, knowledgeable descriptions, practical information, good stories and is beautifully illustrated.Side trips to the Antonine Wall, which stretches from the Firth of Forth to the Firth of Clyde, country parks or to towns like Linlithgow, Falkirk, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch, often by circular walks, are also described.\u003cbr\u003e\n The canals are for leisurely, timeless exploring and this updated guide will be an essential companion.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hamish Brown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657399670,"sku":"9781849951623","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951623.jpg?v=1790746925"},{"product_id":"9781849951296_otters-of-the-world","title":"Otters of the World","description":"\u003cp\u003eHaving worked for over 20 years on otter conservation of all 13 species, the authors wished to share their experiences of these beautiful animals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt is hoped this book will increase public support for the work of the IOSF (International Otter Survival Fund) and awareness of the terrible plight of otters which in many countries are on the verge of extinction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe illegal wildlife trade in otters is huge - not just for furs and body parts but as pets. In some parts of the world otters are disappearing rapidly and unless urgent action is taken they will be gone forever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eOtters stand at the top of the food chain on both land and water so they are an ideal indicator of a healthy environment. With greater awareness and support the IOSF will be able to do more on the world stage to conserve otters - PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS BOOK WILL GO TO THE IOSF.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Paul Yoxon","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657792886,"sku":"9781849951296","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951296.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781849951388_recycling-our-future","title":"Recycling Our Future","description":"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.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe 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.","brand":"Ranjit Singh Baxi","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657661814,"sku":"9781849951388","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951388.jpg?v=1767164949"},{"product_id":"9781849951401_the-lighthouse-on-skerryvore","title":"The Lighthouse on Skerryvore","description":"Perched on an isolated rock in the Scottish Hebrides, this is a fascinating account of Skerryvore, 'the most graceful lighthouse in the world', and the great Victorian engineer who designed and built it. At a height of 48m (156 feet), it is the tallest lighthouse in Scotland.  The story of the Skerryvore lighthouse and its creator, Alan Stevenson, is remarkable by any standards. Here was a man of exceptional intelligence and wide-ranging ability who overcame Herculean challenges over a six-year period to place a lighthouse on an isolated rock in the wild North Atlantic, 12 miles off the Hebridean island of Tiree. He was a brilliant and complex character, much loved by his family and those who knew him, but beset with self-doubt. His is a moving and truly amazing story just waiting to be told. Reading Alan Stevenson's 1848 Account of the Skerryvore Lighthouse, the author immersed himself in Skerryvore through the mind of its creator, using his background as a professional engineer to assess the state of knowledge at the time, and to learn all he could about its background, technical design, and the many trials and tribulations surrounding the lighthouse's construction.This highly readable book, illustrated in full colour with beautiful old maps, engravings and photographs, also contains introductory material about Eddystone and Bell Rock Lighthouses that greatly influenced Alan Stevenson in his design and construction of Skerryvore. Snippets of personal reminiscences and fascinating historical perspectives on the West Highlands give readers a wider view, encouraging them to visit Tiree.","brand":"Paul A. Lynn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657694582,"sku":"9781849951401","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951401.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781849950008_luftwaffe-over-scotland","title":"Luftwaffe Over Scotland","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis book provides the first complete history of the air attacks mounted against Scotland by Nazi Germany during World War Two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt is 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the relentless hit-and-run attacks up the east coast 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 portrayals of World War Two.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Les Taylor","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657825654,"sku":"9781849950008","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950008.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781870325899_second-sight","title":"Second Sight","description":"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.","brand":"Neil M. Gunn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657891190,"sku":"9781870325899","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781870325899.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781904445043_the-mountain-of-light","title":"The Mountain of Light","description":"This is a mixture of folk-tale, magic, myth, love story and hymn of praise to the natural world of Scotland's high and low lands, their landscapes and creatures, and the poet-guardians who timelessly maintain their care for them. It is the legend-story of the mysterious Wanderer, who comes from the North to Striveling (Stirling) and its great Castle Rock, and the tales he tells to the five men and a woman who befriend him there. Who is this Wanderer, who seems ageless, who has profound affinities with animals and birds, who can take on the shape of swans and what is his mission to the South? Who are these friends, whose friendship becomes more, as they begin to realize that they are part of the strange, timeless and mythic destiny of a country older than civilization? What is the meaning of the unearthly love of the Wanderer and the mysterious Bella?","brand":"Jim Crumley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658087798,"sku":"9781904445043","price":6.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781904445043.jpg?v=1764233828"},{"product_id":"9781849950398_the-caithness-influence","title":"The Caithness Influence","description":"With a small population, it is remarkable that so many people from the county of Caithness have had such a huge impact, not only in Scotland but worldwide. The sheer hard work and determination of people from the county, both past and present, has guaranteed their place in history. From scientists, explorers, ministers and politicians to engineers, artists and writers, this area in the far north of Scotland has a rich tapestry of folk who have made their lasting mark on the world and each chapter deals with their lives, loves and labours. These include Arthur St Clair, 9th President of the Continental Congress in the United States; Robert Dick, geologist and botanist; Andrew Geddes Bain, road builder and engineer in South Africa; the British Empire's first-ever Lady Mayor, Elizabeth Oman Yates; James Bremner, famed for his wreck  - raising skills and harbour design; Donald Sutherland Swanson, a high profile detective with the Metropolitan Police during the Whitechapel Murders in 1888; Robert Brown, explorer and Alexander Henry Rhind, one of the world's greatest Egyptologists.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe life of Sir John Sinclair, father of the Statistical Accounts for Scotland, is recounted, as is the life of the man best known simply as Ross of Cowcaddens. The modern era is not forgotten with Ian Charles Scott, the New York-based artist and David Graham Scott, a documentary film maker.","brand":"Valerie Campbell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657858422,"sku":"9781849950398","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950398.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781849951029_scotlands-global-empire","title":"Scotland's Global Empire","description":"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.'\u003cbr\u003e\n\nAlthough 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.","brand":"Jock Gallagher","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658022262,"sku":"9781849951029","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951029.jpg?v=1764233828"},{"product_id":"9781904445081_the-silver-bough","title":"The Silver Bough","description":"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.","brand":"Neil M. 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Another outstanding novel from the creative pen of Gunn.","brand":"Neil M. Gunn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658055030,"sku":"9781870325943","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781870325943.jpg?v=1764233828"},{"product_id":"9781849950336_that-curious-fellow","title":"That Curious Fellow","description":"Son of a scientifically-minded Scottish aristocrat, Basil Hall joined the Royal Navy at the age of 13 in 1802. His first naval engagements in America and Spain during the Peninsular War are described, as are his travels in India and the Far East. His renowned interview with Napoleon, while still a prisoner on St. Helena is featured. He was a confidante of Sir Walter Scott, Dickens and many other distinguished authors of his day. Renowned for his curiosity and energy, he became a popular writer himself based on his world-wide travels and adventures, including his involvement in the liberation of Peru and friendship with General San Martin. He embarked on an epic, 10,000-mile journey with his family in North America and twice journeyed across the sub-continent of India under the patronage of the Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, providing delightful vignettes of Indian life of the time. Subsequent travels in Europe introduce personalities such as Lord Byron and the eccentric Countess Purgstall.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nAlthough the narrative of his journey in the United States earned him great opprobrium from Americans for his conservative attitudes, his support in Edinburgh to the great American bird painter, John James Audubon, was greatly appreciated by the artist. As an amateur scientist, Hall made important contributions to nautical astronomy, geology and naval technology, being a Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Among his scientific friends were Sir John Herschel, Mary Somerville, and Sir Humphrey Davy, among many others.  He was in the unusually privileged position of moving among the upper echelons of British society's distinguished writers, scientists and politicians thus providing a fascinating insight into the mores and manners of high society in Edinburgh and London. The inclusion of previously unpublished and often revealing correspondence has contributed to the first full biography of a very colourful individual and his times.","brand":"James McCarthy","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657989494,"sku":"9781849950336","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950336.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781904445739_seton-gordons-scotland","title":"Seton Gordon's Scotland","description":"Seton Gordon was only a boy when he began exploring the Cairngorms, fascinated by its wildlife and seeking to photograph all he saw - he later became a pioneer naturalist, photographer and folklorist. He wrote about the land that is Scotland, her flora and fauna, her people, her spirits, her often violent past. He took the earliest pictures of golden eagles at their eyries and throughout the first half of the 20th century came to know Scotland's remotest corners, amassing a unique photographic record, recording the changing social life of the islands, collecting a mass of folklore and historical stories, lecturing and writing both for regular publications and in 27 books. Like John Muir, he was a wanderer and a guide. We walk with him through pinewoods, to eyries, to the corries of the Cairngorms, we follow him trying to recreate the greenshank's song on his bagpipe chanter; and see him holding a snowball windward of a nesting dotterel to cool its panting.Welcomed in croft or palace, a keen piper, inevitably dressed in kilt and bunnet, Seton Gordon was one of the age's great characters.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThis selection from his writings gives a fascinating insight of the man and his great versatility. The author, himself a Scottish outdoors enthusiast and well-known author, has been a lifelong admirer of Seton Gordon and his books and has created a book to treasure.","brand":"Hamish M. Brown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658382710,"sku":"9781904445739","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781904445739.jpg?v=1764233829"},{"product_id":"9781849950312_100-scotsman-walks","title":"100 Scotsman Walks","description":"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.","brand":"Robin Howie","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658415478,"sku":"9781849950312","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849950312.jpg?v=1764233829"},{"product_id":"9781849951739_caithness-to-patagonia","title":"Caithness to Patagonia","description":"This is an extraordinary and little-known story of emigration from Scotland. Caithness and Patagonia are literally a world apart, yet in the late 19th and early 20th centuries a number of Caithness men and women took on the challenge of this wild, open and windswept land. The book provides the origins and backgrounds of these Caithness Patagonian pioneers and sets their experiences alongside the growth and development of Patagonia as one of the world's great sheep farming areas. The story begins with John Hamilton, the son of a tailor from Wick, who arrived in the Falkland Islands in 1880. Over the following 60 years he and other Caithness men and women became a significant force in the development of sheep farming in Patagonia. As one of Patagonia's most enterprising sheep farmers, he was the catalyst for a number of other Caithness men making what must have been a huge decision to uproot from their native home. It was not just Caithness men who embarked on the journey - sisters and wives followed as new lives were ground out of the unforgiving landscape.There are stories of endurance and determination against the odds; accounts of death and disaster, but most of all there are tales of how these Caithnessians conquered Patagonia and built successful businesses to the extent that today their descendants are integral to many aspects of Patagonian and Argentine society.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe roll call of names - Bain, Barnetson, Begg, Bremner, Budge, Cormack, Harper, Mowat, Nicolson, Plowman, etc. - is like a Caithness directory. Their stories and legacies continue to be proudly held dear by descendants and relatives both in Caithness, the UK and in Argentina. The Caithness Patagonian story was originally brought to light by Margie Sinclair for the BBC Odyssey series. Caithness to Patagonia charts the backgrounds, the successes and failures of these intrepid pioneers who created a new life, far away from their homes and families.","brand":"Ian Leith","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658612086,"sku":"9781849951739","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951739.jpg?v=1764233829"},{"product_id":"9781849951661_polar-mariner","title":"Polar Mariner","description":"\u003cp\u003eCaptain Woodfield made 20 seasonal voyages to the Antarctic on three research ships between 1955 and 1974. Starting as a Junior Deck Officer he worked for The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey which in 1964 became the British Antarctic Survey. He played a paramount role in the gradual change from using under-powered and poorly-equipped ships to the professionally-managed and sophisticated vessels of his last command.The arts of exploration and survival during his early years in this majestic but unforgiving continent are described as attempts were made to establish research stations, support science, and survey in totally uncharted, ice-filled waters amidst often ferocious weather. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDramatic stories are featured such as the near loss of a ship in pack ice, the stranding of another in hurricane force winds and the collapse of an ice-cliff onto the vessel The pioneers of Antarctic exploration, the area's history, the hardships and incredible achievements of those original seafarers are described.Yet polar navigation during the author's years was not without peril and the near loss in ice of his first ship, the RRS Shackleton, the demise of her Master, and his ill-judged replacement and consequent dramas are fully told.\u003cbr\u003e\n After a voyage of enormous responsibility, aged just 25, he transferred to the RRS John Biscoe as Chief Officer under a fine seaman but difficult disciplinarian. The highs and lows of their relationship are told as are vivid descriptions of predicaments they overcame such as being blown ashore in hurricane force winds and beset and crushed in pack ice. The first ventures of the John Biscoe into the Weddell Sea are recounted with information on the nature and movement of ice, its interrelationship with weather, and the methods of navigation in ice before the age of satellites. Appointed to command the RRS Bransfield, he recounts her extraordinary maiden voyage when it was feared she would split in two. The battle with a horrendous storm at the end of his last voyage is fully described together with his final sentimental return to the Falklands.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tom Woodfield","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658579318,"sku":"9781849951661","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951661.jpg?v=1764233828"},{"product_id":"9781849951722_4000m","title":"4000m","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the engrossing story of the seasons the author spent climbing 4000m mountains in the different regions of the Alps. It is also about the people with whom he climbed who found time out of their day-to-day routine for this extraordinary activity. He explains the reason for this fascination which resulted in their spending decades pursuing their climbing objectives. The words and photos both encapsulate the alpine experience in all its beauty and suffering, pain and exhilaration, danger and humour which is shared with each climbing partner and open to anyone with the same commitment. The author believes that climbing all the 4000m mountains is a realistic and achievable objective that will take mountaineers into much wild and beautiful terrain. These are not just snow plods: every mountain has a worthwhile route on it and even those with long glacier approaches can become superb ascents and descents on ski in an alpine spring. The many photos taken over the years were a reminder of details that had escaped notice in the journals kept at the time. These numerous stunning and inspiring photographs tell their own story and enrich the author's account.The book is dedicated to all his climbing partners who made the completion of the quest possible.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dave Wynne-Jones","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658546550,"sku":"9781849951722","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849951722.jpg?v=1764233828"},{"product_id":"9781849952651_scottish-lighthouse-pioneers","title":"Scottish Lighthouse Pioneers","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the 19th century, the Stevenson engineers pioneered marvellous lighthouses around the coasts of Scotland - lighthouses which inspire with their architectural elegance, and speak of compassion for sailors and fishermen risking their lives in these notoriously dangerous waters. But what was it actually like to be a Scottish lighthouse engineer, and how did the professional activities interact with social and economic conditions in Scotland at the time? How did the Northern Lighthouse Board's Engineer (almost invariably a Stevenson) cope with weeks aboard a small lighthouse vessel, travelling around the rugged Scottish coastline on dangerous tours of inspection and interacting with local people in some of the remotest regions of Europe?The author reveals the fascinating story of the Stevensons as family members as well as engineers - brilliant yet fallible, tough yet vulnerable, with private lives that are little known, even to lighthouse enthusiasts.It sets their work in a historical and social context, drawing heavily on eye-witness accounts by two of Scotland's most celebrated literary sons: Walter Scott, internationally famous poet and member of the Edinburgh establishment; and Robert Louis Stevenson, young family member and disenchanted engineering apprentice desperate to become an author. The reader is taken to the Orkney and Shetland Islands with descriptions of the chain of Stevenson lighthouses that illuminate a vital shipping route between the North Sea, Baltic, and North Atlantic. Finally we travel to Muckle Flugga, the northernmost outpost of the British Isles and last link in the chain, a vicious rock on which David and Thomas Stevenson dared to build their 'impossible lighthouse'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Paul A. Lynn","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658841462,"sku":"9781849952651","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849952651.jpg?v=1764918005"},{"product_id":"9781849953603_deeper-into-the-darkness","title":"Deeper into the Darkness","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn Deeper into the Darkness Rod takes the reader diving to explore many more famous wrecks around the UK from the Great War. These include HMS Pathfinder and HMS Audacious - the first British battleship to be lost to enemy action in WWI. The wreck of HMS Hampshire on which Lord Kitchener perished on a secret mission to Russia in 1916 is visited along with HMS Vanguard, which blew up at anchor in 1917 in Scapa Flow. The K-class submarines lost in the Firth of Forth during the Battle of May Island in 1918 are dived, along with UB-116, the last German submarine to be sunk in action in October 1918. Rod then leaps forward in time to the Pacific during WWII and visits the American shipwrecks from the Battle of Guadalcanal, along with daring penetrations into the stunning Japanese wrecks lying at the bottom of the Truk and Palau Lagoons.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe development of technical diving is brought up to the present day where closed circuit rebreathers utilising mixed breathing gases allow Rod to go deeper into the depths in search of lost shipwrecks. The wreck of the SS Creemuir, torpedoed and sunk off north-east Scotland in 1940, was first dived by Rod in 2012. This exploration reveals the human side of shipwrecks when Rod's team recover the Creemuir's bell and present it to the sole surviving crewman, Royal Navy Radio Officer Noel Blacklock. The latest developments in shipwreck exploration taking place at Scapa Flow are recounted before the book concludes with the scandalous desecration of the naval war graves of many nations at Jutland, the South China Sea and the Java Sea.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rod Macdonald","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659038070,"sku":"9781849953603","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849953603.jpg?v=1764233830"},{"product_id":"9781849953139_a-last-wild-place","title":"A Last Wild Place","description":"\u003cp\u003eMike Tomkies gives a remarkable picture of the whole cycle of nature around him, in a harsh and testing environment of unrivalled beauty. Vivid colours and sounds fill these pages – exotic wild orchids, the roar of rutting stags, a pair of dragonflies mating, the flight of the redwing, the territorial movements of foxes, otters and badgers, an oak tree being torn apart by hurricane-force gales. Nothing seems to escape his penetrating eye, to which the selection of his photographs in this book – some revealing little-known aspects of animal behaviour – immediately testifies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eYet Mike’s extraordinary insights into the wildlife that shared his otherwise empty territory of 300 square miles are not gained without perseverance in the face of perilous hazards. Every pound of supplies (including heavy gas canisters) has to be manhandled in and out of his boat, which once sank beneath him in a storm. Thousands of miles of rock faces and hillside must be trekked each year in summer and winter, the tussock grass concealing sodden peat holes that will break an ankle. 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Like the enormous ageing salmon he threw back because he felt he had no right to claim its life, Mike Tomkies reveals through his quest our urgent need to become retuned to natural rhythms if mankind is to regain a measure of health and sanity in a world bent on self-destruction.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mike Tomkies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659070838,"sku":"9781849953139","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849953139.jpg?v=1764233830"},{"product_id":"9781849952262_enigma","title":"Enigma","description":"\u003cp\u003eDavid Balme will be forever known as the 20-year-old hero who, on 9 May 1941, boarded a German U-boat in mid-Atlantic, and captured one of the greatest secrets of the Second World War. This capture - or 'pinch' as it was known within secret, inner circles - changed the course of the Battle of the Atlantic and shortened the war itself.Balme was part of a team comprising officers and men of the Third Escort Group ably led by Commander Joe Baker Cresswell, also commander of HMS Bulldog, who shared the danger with other unsung heroes such as Lieutenant Commander George Dodds. Balme was tasked with taking the Bulldog's whaler and a small party to board the U-boat U-110 which had been disabled. However he was alone when initially boarding, entering and searching the U-boat. This put him in a vulnerable position while descending into the vessel - he risked being shot by any German submariner that may have remained or blown-up by a booby-trap device. Furthermore he could have drowned when Bulldog disappeared into the mists of the Atlantic to hunt another U-boat, as U-110 could have plummeted into the depths at any time. However, where others tried and failed or tragically lost their lives, Balme and his boarding party succeeded magnificently in capturing an entire Enigma machine, the essential rotors and months' worth of associated cipher material. This was an absolute gift to the code breakers at Bletchley Park who were able to read all the secret German naval signal traffic for some months and it enabled them to read virtually the whole of the traffic for the rest of the war and with little delay. The capture was kept so secret that few even on the British side knew about it - not even the Americans were told what had been achieved after they entered the war. Balme returned from the war and never spoke about the secret capture which he believed would be hidden forever. The story of the capture and ransack of U-110 is told for the first time in the words and letters of David Balme, his captain Joe Baker Cresswell, George Dodds and others who took part in the most important submarine capture of the whole war. Besides the capture of U-110, Balme enjoyed an astonishing variety of wartime experience including the Spanish Civil War, the Palestine Patrol, the sinking of HMS Courageous, the Battle of Convoy KJF3, the fight with the heavy cruiser Hipper, the Battle of Cape Spartivento, the Battle of Convoy OB318, being sunk during Operation Harpoon, the air war in the Western Desert, the high level diplomacy of Prime Minister Winston Churchill and pioneering work as a Fighter Direction Officer in the war against Japan.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Peter Hore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733658710390,"sku":"9781849952262","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849952262.jpg?v=1764233828"},{"product_id":"9781849954044_they-were-just-skulls","title":"They Were Just Skulls","description":"\u003cp\u003eForeword by \u003cstrong\u003eAdmiral Lord West of Spithead\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eFew people, even in the Navy, are even aware of this dreadful incident \u003c\/em\u003e[the loss of submarine HMS \u003cem\u003eTruculent \u003c\/em\u003ein the Thames]\u003cem\u003e and certainly not the details of human error that led to this huge loss of life. The account is gripping, and explains the strange title of the book. ... John Johnson-Allen has put Fred Henley’s personal accounts in the context of world-changing events, and in particular provides a wonderful snapshot of the Royal Navy of that era.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e------------------------------------------\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis compelling story is the result of many hours spent recording the memories of Fred Henley. His life at sea is at the centre of his being and his own words are at the heart of the book. 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The Arctic can be harsh, but it is also stunningly beautiful – days during which the sun glints on ice, nights illuminated by the ethereal dancing light of the aurora and with a glimpse of some of the most remarkable animals on the planet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eMany travel to the Arctic to see the animals, the land mammals, the whales and seals, and the birds. However, the Arctic also has an absorbing human history. The origins of the Inuit in North America, and the array of Eurasian northern peoples, from the Sami of Scandinavia to the Yuppik hunters from Asia’s Bering Sea coast, are still debated, while the discovery, just a year or so ago, of the second ship of Franklin’s doomed expedition to find the North-West Passage has reopened the arguments over exactly what did happen to more than 100 Royal Navy seamen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis fascinating, magnificent area is now under severe threat. 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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. 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The author shares how wildlife makes him feel, how he derives joy and a sense of well-being from the wildlife he sees and describes. But he also shares his frustration at how some of our actions and land management impact on our increasingly pressurised wildlife. It shares the delight of watching birds in the garden, fox cubs in the countryside and peregrines in the city. It shares the sadness of seeing stuffed examples of extinct birds, the anger at the mismanagement of potentially wildlife rich hedgerows, and the confusion and contradiction of the management of our so-called natural spaces. It is a book of delights and frustrations, but above all hope and celebration. Whether it is the flash of bright yellow butterfly wings signalling that spring has arrived, the slicing of the air by sickleshaped swifts telling us that summer has come, the wonderful show of colour that the leaves of trees display in the autumn, or the deep-throated chuckle of fieldfares gleaning berries in the winter, the seasons are full of life and this book describes them in vivid detail. The role of the seasons in our own lives may have diminished, but for wildlife the seasons are everything, they are the framework within which everything happens. Seasonality is your guide, through a naturalist's eyes and thoughts, to the incredible journey of the four seasons. The seasons of the year roll on regardless, an endless cycle that dictates the rhythm of life.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ian Parsons","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659922806,"sku":"9781849955058","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955058.jpg?v=1767164949"},{"product_id":"9781849954563_raf-bomber-command-striking-back","title":"RAF Bomber Command Striking Back","description":"\u003ctable id=\"isc_SN\" role=\"presentation\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd id=\"isc_SQ\" class=\"formCell\" align=\"left\"\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv id=\"isc_SR\" class=\"content_value\"\u003eIn the early hours of 26th June 1942, six airmen from 102 Squadron return from Bremen in their Halifax, Q for Queenie, having taken part in the third Thousand Bomber Raid. These airmen formed a truly international crew, each one having an interesting back story that had led to their being together, including Len Starbuck, the Wireless Operator and Air Gunner on his 26th operation who is close to the end of his tour.\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"content_value\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"content_value\"\u003eAs operations continue, events on the squadron are recounted such as the inevitable toll of losses. German defences develop from uncoordinated concentrations around major towns and cities into a coherent barrier known as the Kammhuber Line. More new crewmen arrive on the squadron as the year progresses and with the arrival of winter, the ageing Whitley is phased out, replaced by the Halifax. As the squadron became familiar with the Halifax, they exchanged six of their new aircraft for six from 35 Squadron who were about to mount an attack on the Tirpitz in a fjord near Drontheim. These aircraft were equipped with the revolutionary new navigational aid known as GEE, which was of no use to crews flying to Norway, but suddenly gave 102 Squadron an accurate blind-bombing capability they had not previously enjoyed.\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"content_value\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"content_value\"\u003eOn 25 May 1942, American air gunner Jack Fernie arrived on the squadron. Five days later he was on his first operation, caught up in the demand for maximum effort to support the first of Arthur Harris' Thousand Bomber Raids to Cologne who believed that Bomber Command could win the war from the air. Two days later, 102 Squadron again provided maximum effort for another massed attack on Essen, followed three weeks later by the third and final Thousand Bomber Raid to Bremen. Beginning the journey home at the tail end of the bomber stream, a night fighter was guided to an intercept position by a ground-based radar station that resulted in a fight to the death.\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"content_value\"\u003e \u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003cdiv class=\"content_value\"\u003eThis is an incisive look at the RAF's bombing campaign during 1941-42 through the prism of a multinational crew which faced mounting risks from an increasingly organised and integrated German air defence capability.\u003c\/div\u003e\r\n\u003c\/td\u003e\r\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Alan Measures","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733659890038,"sku":"9781849954563","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849954563.jpg?v=1764233831"},{"product_id":"9781904445296_light-over-lundy","title":"Light Over Lundy","description":"Set atop the rocky plateau of Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel, the Old Light stands proudly - a monument to the skill of its builder, Joseph Nelson. It is of a pleasing construction, both solid and graceful, and when built in 1820 it had two lights - an upper and a lower, and was the highest lighthouse in the country. In this fascinating history of the old lighthouse and the fog signal station, the author has combined her wide knowledge of the island's history with information gleaned from extensive research into Trinity House's archives. Some tantalising insights into the life of the keepers and their families have emerged - the keeper who was too tall for the lantern room; the keeper's wife who tragically died of water contamination, and the gunners who poached their dinners and hid their numerous children when the Elder Brethren came to inspect the cottages! Interwoven throughout the story are details of the numerous wrecks from the 15th century until 1897. Accounts from newspapers are often included, and the wrecks are linked to the lighthouse keepers of the time and the heroic rescues performed by the lighthouse staff.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThere are also some wonderful snippets of island history - one owner regarded Lundy as independent of mainland authorities and issued his own 'puffin' coins and stamps - the latter are still in use to cover postage to the mainland although the coins are now collectors' items. The height of the Old Light soon proved to be its downfall and eventually the reason why it was extinguished. Due to Lundy's plateau-top fogs which completely obscured the lantern, although there was clear visibility at ground level, a programme of alterations and intensifications took place under the advice of Professor Faraday. In 1862, a fog signal station was built on the west coast, providing shipping with another warning. This was not wholly successful either and it was not until 1897 that the Old Light was replaced by new lights on lower levels at the north and south ends of the island. Since the light was extinguished, the Old Light and the fog signal station reverted to the owners.\u003cbr\u003e\n\nThe Landmark Trust restored the lighthouse and holiday-makers can now stay in the keepers' quarters, climb the 147 steps to the lantern room, and enjoy the breathtaking views across the whole island to the coasts of Wales and Cornwall. Owned by the National Trust, Lundy Island is an outstanding area of great natural beauty which attracts many visitors, who frequently return year after year to enjoy this special place.","brand":"Myrtle Ternstrom","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733657760118,"sku":"9781904445296","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781904445296.jpg?v=1764233827"},{"product_id":"9781849955447_rock-lighthouses-of-britain-and-ireland","title":"Rock Lighthouses of Britain \u0026 Ireland","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRock Lighthouses of Britain \u0026amp; Ireland \u003c\/em\u003eis a new edition of the classic work on the subject but with some of the most famous Irish rock lighthouses included. The text has been updated to include the modern technology being used by the lighthouse authorities, as well as all the historical advances made over the centuries at British and Irish rock lights. This is complemented by scores of new  and many stunning photographs as well as historic plans and drawings, many of them highly colourful and artistic, as used by the original lighthouse builders. At the end are comprehensive and detailed tables about all the rock lighthouses maintained by the three lighthouse authorities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eBuilding on the acclaim received for the earlier editions, it brings the history of these iconic structures completely up-to-date, from the days before the first granite block was laid, through their construction, automation, the disappearance of the lighthouse keeper, right up to today’s totally automatic operation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\r\n\u003cp\u003eThese are some of the world’s most famous rock lighthouses, and their stories of men battling against Nature’s most powerful forces to build a structure designed to save lives on a seemingly impossible site. \u003cem\u003eRock Lighthouses of Britain \u0026amp; Ireland \u003c\/em\u003espans the centuries between the world’s first rock lighthouse on the Eddystone reef, to the very last rock lighthouse constructed in the traditional style – on Ireland’s Fastnet Rock – and accordingly it will remain the premier book about rock lighthouses.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Christopher Nicholson","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56733660086646,"sku":"9781849955447","price":24.95,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0943\/9120\/6262\/files\/9781849955447.jpg?v=1764233833"}],"url":"https:\/\/portopress.com\/collections\/all.oembed?page=2","provider":"Porto Press","version":"1.0","type":"link"}