The Greatest Scottish Books Of All Time

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A STARZ ORIGINAL SERIES Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and history that combines exhilarating adventure with a love story for the ages. One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBS’s The Great American Read! Scottish Highlands, 1945. Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding clans in the year of Our Lord . . . 1743. Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of a world that threatens her life, and may shatter her heart. Marooned amid danger, passion, and violence, Claire learns her only chance of safety lies in Jamie Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior. What begins in compulsion becomes urgent need, and Claire finds herself torn between two very different men, in two irreconcilable lives. This eBook includes the full text of the novel plus the following additional content: • An excerpt from Diana Gabaldon’s Dragonfly in Amber, the second novel in the Outlander series • An interview with Diana Gabaldon • An Outlander reader’s guide Praise for Outlander “Marvelous and fantastic adventures, romance, sex . . . perfect escape reading.”—San Francisco Chronicle “History comes deliciously alive on the page.”—New York Daily News

This meticulously edited collection includes the greatest historical novels, adventure classics, legends, romance novels and war stories set in Scottish highlands and moors._x000D_ Contents:_x000D_ Robert Louis Stevenson:_x000D_ Kidnapped_x000D_ Catriona_x000D_ Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses_x000D_ The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter's Tale_x000D_ Weir of Hermiston_x000D_ Walter Scott:_x000D_ Waverley_x000D_ Guy Mannering_x000D_ The Antiquary_x000D_ Rob Roy_x000D_ Ivanhoe_x000D_ Kenilworth_x000D_ The Pirate_x000D_ The Fortunes of Nigel_x000D_ Peveril of the Peak_x000D_ Quentin Durward_x000D_ St. Ronan's Well_x000D_ Redgauntlet_x000D_ Woodstock_x000D_ The Fair Maid of Perth _x000D_ Anne of Geierstein_x000D_ Old Mortality_x000D_ The Black Dwarf_x000D_ The Heart of Midlothian _x000D_ The Bride of Lammermoor_x000D_ A Legend of Montrose_x000D_ Count Robert of Paris_x000D_ Castle Dangerous_x000D_ The Monastery_x000D_ The Abbot_x000D_ The Betrothed_x000D_ The Talisman_x000D_ John Buchan:_x000D_ The Thirty-Nine Steps_x000D_ The Three Hostages_x000D_ Huntingtower_x000D_ Castle Gay_x000D_ The Power-House_x000D_ John Macnab_x000D_ Sir Quixote of the Moors_x000D_ John Burnet of Barns_x000D_ A Lost Lady of Old Years_x000D_ The Half-Hearted_x000D_ Salute to Adventurers_x000D_ Midwinter_x000D_ Witch Wood_x000D_ The Free Fishers_x000D_ O. Douglas:_x000D_ Olivia in India_x000D_ The Setons_x000D_ Penny Plain_x000D_ Ann and Her Mother_x000D_ Pink Sugar_x000D_ The Proper Place_x000D_ The Day of Small Things_x000D_ Priorsford_x000D_ Taken by the Hand_x000D_ Jane's Parlour_x000D_ The House That Is Our Own_x000D_ George MacDonald:_x000D_ David Elginbrod_x000D_ Alec Forbes of Howglen_x000D_ Robert Falconer_x000D_ Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood_x000D_ What's Mine's Mine_x000D_ The Elect Lady_x000D_ Heather and Snow_x000D_ Salted with Fire_x000D_ Malcolm_x000D_ The Marquis of Lossie_x000D_ Sir Gibbie_x000D_ Donal Grant_x000D_ J. M. Barrie:_x000D_ Auld Licht Idylls_x000D_ A Window in Thrums_x000D_ The Little Minister_x000D_ Sentimental Tommy_x000D_ Tommy and Grizel

An exciting account of the origins of the modern world Who formed the first literate society? Who invented our modern ideas of democracy and free market capitalism? The Scots. As historian and author Arthur Herman reveals, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland made crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics—contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since. Herman has charted a fascinating journey across the centuries of Scottish history. Here is the untold story of how John Knox and the Church of Scotland laid the foundation for our modern idea of democracy; how the Scottish Enlightenment helped to inspire both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution; and how thousands of Scottish immigrants left their homes to create the American frontier, the Australian outback, and the British Empire in India and Hong Kong. How the Scots Invented the Modern World reveals how Scottish genius for creating the basic ideas and institutions of modern life stamped the lives of a series of remarkable historical figures, from James Watt and Adam Smith to Andrew Carnegie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and how Scottish heroes continue to inspire our contemporary culture, from William “Braveheart” Wallace to James Bond. And no one who takes this incredible historical trek will ever view the Scots—or the modern West—in the same way again.

The brainchild of bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith, historian Alistair Moffat and artist Andrew Crummy, the Great Tapestry of Scotland is an outstanding celebration of thousands of years of Scottish history and achievement, from the end of the last Ice Age to Dolly the Sheep and Andy Murray's Wimbledon victory in 2013. This book tells the story of this unique undertaking from its original conception and creation by teams of dedicated stitchers to its grand unveiling at the Scottish Parliament in 2013, its subsequent touring and the creation of its permanent home in the Scottish Borders.

Sunset Song is widely regarded as one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20th century. Chris Guthrie, the female protagonist, is a strong character who grows up in a dysfunctional farming family. Life is hard after her dad's death and she must take some tough decisions to save her farms under the inevitable threat of World War I . . . Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the pseudonym of James Leslie Mitchell (1901-1935), a Scottish writer famous for his contribution to the Scottish Renaissance and portrayal of strong female characters.

From Treasure Island to Trainspotting, Scotland's rich literary tradition has influenced writing across centuries and cultures far beyond its borders. Here, for the first time, is a single volume presenting the glories of fifteen centuries of Scottish literature. In Scotland's Books the much loved poet Robert Crawford tells the story of Scottish imaginative writing and its relationship to the country's history. Stretching from the medieval masterpieces of St. Columba's Iona - the earliest surviving Scottish work - to the energetic world of twenty-first-century writing by authors such as Ali Smith and James Kelman, this outstanding account traces the development of literature in Scotland and explores the cultural, linguistic and literary heritage of the nation. It includes extracts from the writing discussed to give a flavor of the original work, and its new research ranges from specially made translations of ancient poems to previously unpublished material from the Scottish Enlightenment and interviews with living writers. Informative and readable, this is the definitive single-volume guide to the marvelous legacy of Scottish literature.

Some Great Scottish Speeches were the result of years of contemplation. Some flourished in heat of the moment. Whatever the background of the ideas expressed, the speeches not only provide a snapshot of their time, but express views that still resonate in Scotland today, whether you agree with the sentiments or not.Encompassing speeches made by Scots or in Scotland, this carefully selected collection reveals the character of a nation. Themes of religion, independence and socialism cross paths with sporting encouragement, Irish Home Rule and Miss Jean Brodie.Ranging from the legendary speech of the Caledonian chief Calgagus in 83AD right up to Alex Salmond's election victory in 2007, these are the speeches that created modern Scotland.