THE HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS OF SCOTLAND

A New History

Written by: Alistair Moffat

Published by: Birlinn 

Price: £25

For anyone looking for an authentic factual summer read, look no further than the latest publication from the writer and historian Alistair Moffat, a former director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and director of programmes at Scottish Television.

This meticulously researched book traces the unique history of Highland Scotland seamlessly melding together geography, geology, sociology and culture into one complete hardback.

No authoritative history of the Highlands would be complete without reflection on the impact of all matters faith and religion and the unique spirituality of the Highlands and islands features as a key part of the cultural influence.

There is not a dedicated chapter on this, rather it is woven seamlessly through the ages as the changing face of the Highlands and islands is reflected from the dawn of time to the present day.

The author himself, a former rector of the University of St Andrews and founder of Borders Book Festival, describes the book as ‘arranged much like a mosaic, a long frieze illustrating a journey from the primeval and prehistoric to the present day.’

This will likely become one of the definitive histories of Highland Scotland and is beautifully crafted, drawing on authoritative research from the geological formation of the region, drawing on personal insights and exploration to weave together the history of the ages, drawing on the spiritual influences from Columba and tracing the religious history which has shaped this area of Scotland.

Moving along at pace, readers are seamlessly guided through the Picts, Romans, Vikings and Jacobites and the shaping of the land and its cultural influences by the Church in all its forms is a key part of this highly enjoyable account of how the Highlands and Islands of Scotland came to be distinctively different but an important part of Scotland today.

Lynne McNeil