Scottish Islands Explorer 41: Jan / Feb 2017

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INSIGHTS
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Mapping, Imagining and Reflecting on Islands
Scotland Mapping the Islands
by Christopher Fleet, Margaret
Wilkes and Charles W J Withers
£30 Birlinn 978-1-78027-351-8
Islands, to visit, have their devotees; maps,
to pore over, have their aficionados. e
coastlines, alone, of the Scottish islands
have an immense length and the interiors
have long aroused interest. e authors
consider the science of cartography while
presenting examples of historical, colourful,
digital, diagrammatical and pictorial maps
and charts from Rockall to the oil-fields
of Shetland and all points south.
The Undiscovered Islands
by Malachy Tallack
£12.99 Birlinn 978-1-84697-350-5
‘Faced with the sky we imagine Gods; faced
with the ocean we imagine islands.’ e
author takes us on a journey to a range of
settlements which were created by individuals
or groups to impress others, to devise
make-believe homes, to deceive in order to
gain advantage or simply to be tricked by
erroneous calculations. e phantoms,
fakes and legends are here in a finelyprepared
book.
The Love of Country
A Hebridean Journey
by Madeleine Bunting
£18.99 Granta 978-1-84708-517-7
Over the course of six years, the author
travelled extensively in the Hebrides
and connected intensively with the
landscape, history, people and attractions.
is book is not the re-telling of
well-known stories, but an exploration
of a part of the country where traditions
have grown, identification established
and the creative flair of numerous
writers and artists has been ignited.
Poacher’s Pilgrimage
An Island Journey
by Alastair McIntosh
£20 Birlinn 978-1-78027-361-7
ere are three levels to stimulate here.
One concerns a twelve-day pilgrimage
through Lewis and Harris with the
emphasis on the sacred aspects of
landscape. Another concerns the working
of the author’s mind on meanings of
existence, healing and rigour. e third is
about the place of Christian thought in
the third millennium. ese topics are
presented in lively and readable ways.
The Skye Trail
by Helen and Paul Webster
£9.95 Cicerone
978-1-85284-872-9
When it comes to making a personal
journey of one’s own, then the more
arduous and challenging the more a good
guide is required. e authors have
devised a trail that runs (while you walk
or climb) from Rubba Hunish in the
north-east of the island to Broadford on
the inhabited shores of the Cuillins. It is
divided into seven stages, gives practical
advice and comprehensive information.
Take it to have at hand.
Baby Boomers Memories
of Post-War Shetland
by Erik Young
£12.99 e Shetland Times Ltd
978-1-910997-09
Erik Young, born at Hillhead, Lerwick, in
June 1946, has experienced life in Shetland
and Edinburgh. His recall of childhood and
growing-up, sights and sounds, boats and
businesses, holidays and schools are brought
together in a fine journey down memory
lane through prose, verse and illustrations.
He has driven buses and so can assess people
and places effectively. Let him take you on
this trip to the past.
6 SCOTTISH ISLANDS EXPLORER JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017