Reviews Book review: ‘Island of Dreams’ by Dan Boothby September 18, 2016 At the end of August I went to the Edinburgh Book Festival to see a joint talk by two authors …
Reviews Book review: ‘Scotland’s Merlin’ by Tim Clarkson July 14, 2016 “And in the battle of Arfderydd my torc was of gold…” From ‘Yr Afallennau’ (‘The Apples’), a poem in the …
Reviews Book review: ‘The Rainforests of Britain and Ireland’ by Clifton Bain April 21, 2016 You might remember that, back in the summer of last year, I wrote about the oak woods of Taynish in …
Reviews ‘Bonnie Scotland’ by A R Hope Moncrieff and Harry Sutton Palmer January 11, 2016 “The tartans are dyed by the blood of a hundred battlefields, as by memories of green braes and purple moors.” …
Reviews Book review: ‘The First Blast of the Trumpet’ by Marie Macpherson July 24, 2015 The first in the 'Knox Trilogy', this riveting story of 16th century Scotland will sweep you into the court of …
Reviews A new treasure: ‘Trees and How They Grow’ by G Clarke Nuttall May 25, 2015 At a show last weekend I picked up this gorgeous old book from a second-hand book stall. Written by Gertrude Clarke Nuttall, …
Reviews Book review: ‘Strathclyde and the Anglo-Saxons in the Viking Age’ by Tim Clarkson January 23, 2015 This fascinating new book by Tim Clarkson, an expert on early medieval Scotland, throws some light on the little-known Kingdom …
Reviews Book review: ‘Moonwalker – Adventures of a Midnight Mountaineer’ by Alan Rowan October 20, 2014 Climbing Scotland's highest mountains is a serious challenge for any walker… but would you climb them at night? Alan …
Reviews Book review: ‘The Old Straight Track’ by Alfred Watkins July 14, 2014 One of my very favourite books… for many people, 'The Old Straight Track' will need no introduction. This is …
Reviews Book review: ‘The New Sylva’ May 07, 2014 In 1664, horticulturalist John Evelyn published 'Sylva', a comprehensive study of Britain's trees; and in 2014, to mark the …
Reviews Book review: ‘In Search of the Dark Ages’ by Michael Wood February 02, 2014 I've just finished 'In Search of the Dark Ages' by Michael Wood, and I can totally recommend it as a …
Reviews Book review: ‘The Scottish Malcontent’ by Colin Macaulay October 03, 2013 Set in Edinburgh in the late 1700s, when the flame of the Jacobite rebellion was still glimmering in Scottish hearts, …
Reviews Book review: ‘Keepers: The Ancient Offices of Britain’ September 24, 2013 If you’re at all interested in history and pageantry, or if you love British eccentricity, you will adore this book …
Reviews Mr Wood’s Fossils January 07, 2013 Step inside a crystal cave of enchantment in Edinburgh's Old Town...
Reviews The Quantum Universe: Everything That Can Happen Does Happen February 09, 2012 Bending my mind to astrophysics could lead me into a lot of trouble, but I'm going to give it a …
Reviews Not a film review: Spartacus September 17, 2011 Let me be absolutely clear: this is not a film review. There can’t be many people less suited to be …
