Birlinn edinburgh (Más de 3200 resultados)

Paperback. Condición: new. Paperback. This is the charming and poignant account of twenty-five years spent in Orkney. After her marriage to an islander, Christine Muir went to live on the tiny island of North Ronaldsay, where she and her husband brought up their four children and ran a small croft.Following the seasons though the year, Orkney Days is full of observations of the natural world at their doorstep. Beautiful descriptions of the island and its flora and fauna from wildflowers and medicinal herbs to seals and seabirds are mingled with memories of a young family growing up and the rhythms of daily life far from the bustle of the modern world. There is much too about the work involved in running their croft and the cattle and sheep that are its mainstay, about the traditions and lore of the island which stretch back over countless generations, and about the modern developments which changed it forever. This is the poignant account of twenty-five years spent in Orkney. After her marriage to an islander, Christine Muir went to live on the tiny island of North Ronaldsay, where she and her husband brought up their four children and ran a small croft. Her story is a beautifully observed record of life on one of Britains northernmost islands. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Omnibus. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting.

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Well before Precious Ramotswe founded her Number One Ladies' Detective Agency, as an eight-year-old girl she was already solving mysteries. Here, in this delightful, enchanting tale for children, we find out just who has been stealing her schoolfriends' snacks and how the young Precious became the crafty and intuitive private investigator we all know and love! The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. In 1998-99, Manchester United won the Premier League, the FA Cup and Champions League the only English team ever to accomplish such a feat. Whether that makes it the finest of all time is open to debate, but what is not is the status of the season: it featured astounding football, exceptional competition, staggering determination, ceaseless tension, astonishing plot twists, and a cast of fascinating, iconic characters. The Promised Land relives these breathless moments on a month-by-month basis, taking you into the dressing room, onto the pitch and into the minds of those involved, to explain why it all worked and how it all happened with the perspective afforded by twenty years distance. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. GANGLAND BOSS ZANDER FINN DISAPPEARED AFTER THE BRUTAL MURDER OF HIS SON. He fled to London, seeking salvation by walking away from his money, his career and his legacy. But when his old second-in-command Malky Maloney tracks him down, Finn knows he must return. Both his real family and his crime family face an existential threat from Albanian mobsters hellbent on taking control of the Scottish underworld and the forces of law and order determined to inflict their own retribution. Finns fight for survival is a rollercoaster ride of brutality, misplaced loyalties and the utterly unexpected. The road to redemption is perilous and paved with blood. . The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. In 1889 Frederick Rea arrived from the Midlands to teach in South Uist, at that time one of the poorest places in the Outer Hebrides. Roads were often no more than rough tracks across the mountain moorland or over the storm-swept machair, and his Gaelic-speaking pupils were often frozen and starving. In this extraordinary book, he recounts the years he spent in this remote corner of Scotland, where he was welcomed with uncommon kindness and generosity by the islanders, who found him to be a sincere, conscientious man and an excellent teacher. The book also reveals Rea's keen powers of observation as he describes the lonely, ruggedly beautiful landscape and the customs and lifestyle of the people. Frederick Rea treasured his memories of South Uist for the rest of his life, and his love and respect for the islands and islanders is wonderfully conveyed in this vivid testament. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Sixty-three years old and resolutely single, Bob Servant spends his days with a small number of trusted associates pursuing unlikely business opportunities, giving stern views on current affairs and 'chasing skirt'. His outlook on life is one of unbridled ambition and self-belief as he constantly battles the local 'boo boys' for the respect that he undoubtedly deserves. Bob Servant: Hero of Dundee charts the hilarious, whimsical and action-packed life-story of Bob Servant, unveiling with touching bravery, a fearless romp through a life full of incident, from his rise from a childhood of abject poverty, through a career in the merchant navy, his establishment of the largest window-cleaning round in Western Europe and his part in Dundee's infamous Cheeseburger Wars of the early 1990s, to his current standing as an 'unemployed gigolo' in Broughty Ferry. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Hell of a Journey describes what is arguably the last great journey to be undertaken in Britain: the entire Scottish Highlands on foot in one winter. On one level it is a vivid and evocative account of a remarkable trek - never attempted before - on another it celebrates the uniqueness of the Highlands, the scenery and ecology of 'the last wilderness in Europe'. The challenge Mike Cawthorne set himself was to climb all 135 of Scotland's 1,000-metre peaks, which stretch in an unbroken chain through the heart of the Highlands, from Sutherland to the Eastern Cairngorms, down to Loch Lomond, and west to Glencoe. His route traversed the most spectacular landscape in Scotland, linking every portion of wilderness, and was completed in the midst of the harshest winter conditions imaginable. Acclaimed on its first publication in 2000, this edition contains an epilogue in which Mike Cawthorne reflects on his trek and wonders what has changed since he carried it out. He warns that 'wild land in Scotland has never been under greater threat'. Hell of a Journey is a reminder of what we could so easily lose forever. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. A Scots Quair is revolutionary - innovative in its form, deft and humorous in its use of the Scots language, courageous in its characterisation and politics. Central to the trilogy is Chris Guthrie, one of the most remarkable female characters in modern literature. InSunset song, Gibbon's finest achievement, the reader follows Chris through her girlhood in a tight-knit Scottish farming community: the seasons, the weddings, the funerals, the grind of work, the gossip. As the Great War takes its toll, machines repalce the old way of life. Cloud HoweandGrey Granite take Chris from her rural homeland to life in an industrial Scotland and the desperate years of the Depression. The triology as a whole is a major achievment, a picture of society undergoing traumatic and far-reaching transformation. Always readable, never sentimental,A Scots Quair is one of the most important works of Scottish literature. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. …

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. After distinguished service in the First World War, Richard Hannay settles into peaceful domesticity with his wife Mary and their young son. However, news comes to him of three kidnappings. With no more than a few tantalisingly cryptic lines of verse as clues, he is soon on the trail of Dominick Medina a charismatic polymath but a man utterly and consumedly wicked. As Hannay uncovers an international plot to twist innocent minds through hypnotism and blackmail, it appears that he has met his match in one of Buchans most memorable villains. With an introduction by Christopher Hitchens. This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. The story of a cyclist who took on the world and rewrote the record books. Graeme's story starts with his tough upbringing in Ayrshire, where he found his escape by taking to the roads. He tells the story of how he became a world record breaker, and of his battle with depression. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Longlisted for McIlvanneyScottish Crime Book of the Year In 1752, Seamus aGhlynne, James of the Glen, was executed for the murder of government man Colin Campbell. He was almost certainly innocent. When banners are placed at his gravesite claiming that his namesake, James Stewart, is innocent of murder, reporter Rebecca Connolly smells a story. The young Stewart has been in prison for ten years for the brutal murder of his lover, lawyer and politician Murdo Maxwell, in his Appin home. Rebecca soon discovers that Maxwell believed he was being followed prior to his murder and his phones were tapped. Why is a Glasgow crime boss so interested in the case? As Rebecca keeps digging, she finds herself in the sights of Inverness crime matriarch Mo Burke, who wants payback for the damage caused to her family in a previous case. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, A Rattle of Bonesis a tale of injustice and mystery, and the echo of the past in the present. 'An intriguing Highland mystery peopled with quirky characters and peppered with wit' -TimesCrime Club, Pick of the Week '[a] compelling thriller, laced with dark humour' -Sunday Post. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. …

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. This is the story of the last acrimonious days of the Beatles, a final chapter reconstructing for the first time the seismic events of 1969, the year that saw the band reach new highs of musical creativity and new lows of internal strife. Two years after Flower Power and the hippie idealism of the Summer of Love, the Sixties dream had perished on the vine. By 1969, violence and vindictiveness had replaced the Beatles own mantra of peace and love, and Vietnam and the Cold War had supplanted hope and optimism. And just as the decade foundered on the altar of a cold, harsh reality, so too did the Beatles. In the midst of this rancour, however, emerged the disharmony of Let It Be and the ragged genius of Abbey Road, their incredible farewell love letter to the world. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. When Anthony Lammas, Kirk minister and Professor of Logic at St Andrews University, sets off for business in London, little does he realise that he will soon be entangled in a web of conspiracy. But Anthony is no ordinary professor. Set during the Napoleonic Wars,The Free Fishers is classic Buchan a fast-paced tale of treason and espionage. With an introduction by Douglas Hurd. This edition is authorised by the John Buchan Society. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. One night at Bay Farm, three lambs are born. The mother sheep has only enough milk for one lamb, so the farmer's wife decides to look after the other two herself. Tig and Tag soon show their mischievous natures, and get into all sorts of trouble. But when a dog comes to threaten the rest of the sheep, Tig and Tag know exactly what to do, and save the day. It's not long before the naughty lambs are in trouble again as they try to avoid getting dipped and sheared. Hiding on an island might seem like fun, but they soon find it isn't, and realize they'd rather be at home after all . The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. This is the definitive account of the Royal Bank of Scotland scandal. For a few brief months in 2007 and 2009, the Royal Bank of Scotland was the largest bank in the world. Then the Edinburgh-based giant - having rapidly grown its footprint to 55 countries and stretched its assets to 2.4 trillion under its hubristic and delinquent former boss Fred Goodwin - crashed to earth. InShredded, Ian Fraser explores the series of cataclysmic misjudgments, the toxic internal culture and the 'light touch' regulatory regime that gave rise to RBS/NatWest's near-collapse. He also considers why it became the most expensive bank in the world to bail out and why a culture of impunity was allowed to develop in the banking sector. This new edition brings the story up to date, chronicling the string of scandals that have come to light since taxpayers rescued RBS and concluding with an evaluation of the attempts of the bank's post-crisis chief executives, Stephen Hester and Ross McEwan, to dismantle Goodwin's disastrous legacy and restore the damaged institutions to health. 'A gripping account - RBS was a rogue business, operating in what had become a rogue industry, with the connivance of government. Read it and weep' Martin Woolf, Financial Times. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. It's December, and the Shannon family are returning home to their clifftop mansion near Kinloch for their annual AGM. Shannon International is one of the world's biggest private companies, with tendrils reaching around the globe in computing, banking and mineral resourcing, and it has brought untold wealth and privilege to the family. However, a century ago Archibald Shannon stole the land upon which he built their home - and his descendants have been cursed ever since. When heavy snow cuts off Kintyre, DCI Jim Daley and DS Brian Scott are assigned to protect their illustrious visitors. As an ancient society emerges from the blizzards, and its creation, the Rat Stone, reveals grisly secrets, ghosts of the past come to haunt the Shannons. As the curse decrees, death is coming - but for whom and from what? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. June 1945. Hitler has triumphed, Britain is under German occupation and America cowers under the threat of nuclear attack. In the dead of night, a figure flits through the ruins of Dryburgh Abbey, searching for a hidden document he knows could change the course of history. The journal he discovers, by a young soldier, David Erskine, records an extraordinary story. When the Allies drive the Germans out of France and victory seems imminent, Erskine is in Antwerp, where he witnesses a world-changing reversal of fortune. From a high vantage point, he watches a huge mushroom cloud rise over London: an atomic bomb has been detonated by the Germans in a last desperate roll of the dice. Captor becomes captive and Erskine is held as a POW in his own land. As the brutal grip of the occupying forces tightens, he is determined to join the resistance. A daring escape leads him and his fiancee Katie on a breathless chase to the university town of St Andrews, where the Germans have established a secret research laboratory. When it becomes clear what its purpose is, David, Katie and their small, trusted band must adopt a desperate and audacious plan to thwart Nazi domination . . . The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. This is a superb collection of stories, focusing on light and darkness, winter and its festivals, by one of the greatest story-tellers of the twentieth century. Through a variety of characters from shipwrecked Scandinavians to an Edinburgh gentleman, George Mackay Brown looks at the impact of new ways of thinking on the traditional way of life of Orkney. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Since its first publication in 1984, Night Falls in Ardnamurchan has become a classic account of the life and death of a Highland community. The author weaves his own humorous and perceptive account of crofting with extracts from his father's journal - a terse, factual and down to earth vision of the day-to-day tasks of crofting life. It is an unusual and memorable story that also illuminates the shifting, often tortuous relationships between children and their parents. Alasdair Maclean reveals his own struggle to come to terms with his background and the isolated community he left so often and to which he returned again and again. In this isolated community is seen a microcosm of something central to Scottish identity - the need to escape against the tug of home. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. …

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Paul Leibovitz was once an ambitious advisor, dedicated father, and loving husband. But after living for nearly thirty years in Hong Kong, personal tragedy strikes and Paul's marriage unravels in the fallout. When he makes a fleeting connection with Elizabeth, a distressed American woman on the verge of collapse, his life is thrown into turmoil. Less than twenty-four hours later, Elizabeth's son is found dead in Shenzhen, and Paul, invigorated by a newfound purpose, sets out to investigate the murder on his own. As Paul, Elizabeth, and a detective friend descend deeper into the Shenzhen underworld they discover dark secrets hidden beneath China's booming new wealth. In a country where rich businessmen with expensive degrees can corrupt the judicial system, the potential for evil abounds. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. A Croft in the Hills, first published in 1960, is now acknowledged as a classic among Highland books. It captures, in simple, moving descriptions, what it was really like trying to make a living out of a hill croft near Loch Ness fifty years ago. A couple and their young daughter, fresh from city life, immerse themselves in the practicalities of looking after sheep, cattle and hens, mending fences, baking bread and surviving the worst that Scottish winters can throw at them. Their neighbours are few, but among them they find the generosity and community spirit that has survived in the Highlands for generations. Working as a tight family unit, they learn to cope, and in time grow to love their little croft. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Fair. When the body of a man in eighteenth-century Highland dress is discovered on the site of the Battle of Culloden, journalist Rebecca Connolly takes up the story for the Chronicle. Meanwhile, a film being made about the 45 Rebellion has enraged the right-wing group Spirit of the Gael which is connected to a shadowy group called Black Dawn linked to death threats and fake anthrax deliveries to Downing Street and Holyrood. When a second body this time in the Redcoat uniform of the government army is found in Inverness, Rebecca finds herself drawn ever deeper into the mystery. Are the murders connected to politics, a local gang war or something else entirely? A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration.…

Paperback. Condición: Good. Fear is a state of mind . . . Something scared Nuala Flaherty to death . . . and when her body is found in the centre of a pentagram on a lonely moor, journalist Rebecca Connelly is determined to find the truth. Could she really have been killed by supernatural means, or is there a more realistic explanation? Rebecca's investigation leads her to a dangerous, shadowy cult and a vicious local drug ring. But she is unaware that gangster matriarch Mo Burke still seeks retribution for the death of her son. The crime boss has already failed to hurt Rebecca once before. This time, her vengeance could be lethal. 'A page turning novel in a fine series . . . going from strength to strength'Scotland on Sunday. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.…

Paperback. Condición: Good. IT TAKES A LOT TO GET UNDER THE SKIN OF CORNELIUS FATTY OLEARY, .literally. The heroically proportioned Fatty OLeary can normally take life as it comes. Right at home in easy-going Fayetteville, Arkansas, he is happily married to his childhood sweetheart Betty and likes nothing better than chewing the fat with his good friends Tubby ORourke and Porky Flanagan. But when Fatty and Betty head off to Ireland on a trip of a lifetime, they find that they have left their comfort zone far behind. Calamity and mayhem ensue as one mishap after another befalls the beleaguered couple. Can Fattys broad shoulders take the strain or will he suffer one indignity too many? Will he get his just deserts or just dessert? The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine.…

Paperback. Condición: Good. "Mary, Queen of Scots and All That" is a real-life adventure packed with historical facts about Scotland's headless heroine. Follow hot-blooded Mary's lifelong rivalry with her frosty cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England - and discover why the Queen of Scots gets her head chopped off. Start at the beginning by finding out how well Mary gets on with her pushy Mum, her ladies-in-waiting and her first boyfriend. Work out why she is hated by Nasty Knox the preacher and his Edinburgh mob. Meet Mary's horrible husbands and understand what makes her marry them. Solve the mysterious murders of her nearest and dearest. Learn the truth about Mary's madness. Uncover the secret plots that earn the Queen of Scots a deadly date with her cousin's executioner - and decide for yourself whether Mary is guilty or innocent. Crowned with exciting illustrations, this book is a heartbreaking royal romance that will leave you laughing your head off! The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Anderson, Scoular (ilustrador).…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Pressure for independence remains a major force in Scotland, but the case for it has changed substantially since the referendum of 2014. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 60 per cent of the Scottish electorate voted to remain part of the European Union the only part of the UK to reject Brexit so unequivocally. This new analysis takes into account a host of economic issues including deficit, debt, currency, energy (including North Sea oil and gas), pensions, mortgages and the financial sector. It weighs up the advantages of rejoining the EU single market, either as a full EU member or as a member of the EEA, with the disadvantages of a hard border with the rest of the UK. Independence would create opportunities, but it would also bring many thorny problems which the Scottish government, and the Scottish people, would have to face. . The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. Fear is a state of mind . . . Something scared Nuala Flaherty to death . . . and when her body is found in the centre of a pentagram on a lonely moor, journalist Rebecca Connelly is determined to find the truth. Could she really have been killed by supernatural means, or is there a more realistic explanation? Rebecca's investigation leads her to a dangerous, shadowy cult and a vicious local drug ring. But she is unaware that gangster matriarch Mo Burke still seeks retribution for the death of her son. The crime boss has already failed to hurt Rebecca once before. This time, her vengeance could be lethal. 'A page turning novel in a fine series . . . going from strength to strength'Scotland on Sunday. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. It is 1938 and the final days of the British Empire. In a bungalow high up in the green hills above the plains of Ceylon, under a vast blue sky, live the Ferguson family: Bella, a precocious eight-year-old; her father Henry owner of Pitlochry, a tea plantation and her mother Virginia. The story centres around the Pavilion in the Clouds, set in the idyllic grounds carved out of the wilderness. But all is not as serene as it seems. Bella is suspicious of her governess, Miss Whites intentions. Her suspicion sparks off her mothers imagination and after an unfortunate series of events, a confrontation is had with Miss White and a gunshot rings off around the hills. Years later, Bella, now living back in Scotland at university in St Andrews, is faced, once again with her past. Will she at last find out what happened between her Father and Miss White? And will the guilt she has lived with all these years be reconciled by a long over-due apology? The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…

Paperback. Condición: Very Good. GANGLAND BOSS ZANDER FINN DISAPPEARED AFTER THE BRUTAL MURDER OF HIS SON. He fled to London, seeking salvation by walking away from his money, his career and his legacy. But when his old second-in-command Malky Maloney tracks him down, Finn knows he must return. Both his real family and his crime family face an existential threat from Albanian mobsters hellbent on taking control of the Scottish underworld and the forces of law and order determined to inflict their own retribution. Finns fight for survival is a rollercoaster ride of brutality, misplaced loyalties and the utterly unexpected. The road to redemption is perilous and paved with blood. . The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.…