Spade Among The Rushes

The acclaimed author of Highland Homespun recounts her experiences as a croft farmer on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands during WWII. The West Highland peninsula of Moidart, in the isolated coastal region known as the Rough Bounds, is as magical as it is remote. It was here that the celebrated author Margaret Leigh chose to pursue an independent life as a crofting farmer in the 1940s. In Spade Among the Rushes, Leigh vividly recounts her struggles to snatch land back from the wilderness as she attempts to transform a deserted croft into a home. Although far from the Blitz of the Second World War, the effects of the conflict were felt throughout the Highlands. The rationing of food and vital materials, the battles with bureaucrats who had no understanding of a crofter's needs, and even the appearance of a Nazi mine off the coast, all frustrate Margaret Leigh's efforts. But despite the hardships, the land and the people of the Highlands gave her a contentment she had never known before. This edition has a new Introduction by Katie Maclean, who knew Margaret Leigh during her time in Moidart.

Driftwood and Tangle is a moving and poignant memoir of life in the north-west of Scotland just after the outbreak of the Second World War. Margaret Leigh recounts the years she spent in Wester Ross, Moidart, Coigeach and Barra as a crofter, an activity which enabled her to experience the land in all its moods and capture the essence of this remote and beautiful part of Scotland in finely crafted prose. In addition to her evocative description of the land itself, she also has much to say about the people who live there – their traditions and way of life which, at the time of writing, were under threat not only because of the inevitable march of 'progress' but also because of a war likely to engulf even this remote corner of Europe.

This single-volume dictionary presents the lives ofindividual Scottish women from earliest times to the present. Drawing on newscholarship and a wide network of professional and amateur historians, itthrows light on the experience of women from every class and category inScotland and among the worldwide Scottish diaspora.The BiographicalDictionary of Scottish Women is written for the general reading public andfor students of Scottish history and society. It is scholarly in itsapproach to evidence and engaging in the manner of its presentation. Eachentry makes sense of its subject in narrative terms, telling a story ratherthan simply offering information. The book is as enjoyable to read as it iseasy and valuable to consult. It is a unique and important contribution tothe history of women and Scotland.The publisher acknowledges support fromthe Scottish Arts Council and the Scottish Executive Equalities Unit towardsthe publication of this title.