Born at a clifftop lighthouse in 1910, Archie’s life was spent in the world of Scottish lighthouses – he was one of the third generation of his family in the service of the Northern Lighthouse Board.

Archie’s stories have gr... more...

This is a very British story from more than 50 years ago. It is a story of remarkable technological ambition from a different country than is seen today. It was an era in which the country adjusted to decolonisation and a dangerous nuclear arms race cl... more...

Whilst living in Liverpool, Britain’s second most heavily bombed city during World War II, the author experienced at first-hand the terrible effects of the war on the civilian population and when studying at Cambridge he witnessed the American heavy ... more...

As a barefoot lad in the Outer Hebrides, Bill Innes dreamed the impossible dream of becoming a pilot and this book tells how that dream came to pass.

The author’s career of over forty years spanned a period of incredible advances in the air... more...

Hard Down! Hard Down! describes the eventful life of a Shetland man in pursuit of his ambitions – to reach the top in his profession, to find a wife, to cherish a family, to do his job well and to be respected by his peers. The account i... more...

Mongooses are a remarkable and fascinating group of small carnivores, with 25 species occurring in Africa and nine in Asia. They live within a wide variety of habitats, from open savannah to dense rainforest, and display an amazing diversity in social ... more...

Following the success of the first edition, this new edition has been expanded and improved with additional images and enhanced drawings. The subject matter has been expanded with the chapter on grammar and pronunciation extended. There are examples of... more...

Born in 1887, George Leonard Noake joined the nautical training establishment, HMS Conway, in 1903. He then served an apprenticeship at sea until 1908 when his detailed memoirs commence, sailing as a second officer in the European/West African... more...

During the long winter nights and before the advent of television, people in Caithness used to hold informal gatherings in each other's houses, and spend the night in general conversation around the firesides. These gatherings were known as ceilidh... more...

This stunningly beautiful and informative book celebrates the Arctic, one of the last great wildernesses on the planet; a place where animals have survived for thousands of years protected only by fur and feathers. Humans also survive in the Arctic, bu... more...

Lighthouses have been used as aids to maritime navigation for centuries. They are highly recognisable and beloved features of our coastline and waterways, treasured by communities and captivating visitors. But how many are there and is it really possib... more...

Leith-Built Ships is a testimony to the skill of the men who built the ships and to the many men and women who may have sailed or served on them. This history is brought together in vol. I of a three-volume series about the al... more...

This compelling story is the result of many hours spent recording the memories of Fred Henley. His life at sea is at the centre of his being and his own words are at the heart of the book. At the age of 14 Fred worked on a Thames sailing barge, then af... more...

The beginning of the author’s adventure with a camera – filming wildlife across the world for the BBC Natural History Unit and other major TV companies – began in 1978 when he joined the RSPB’s film unit.

Untangling th... more...

Scotland still has hundreds of miles of ‘dismantled railways’, the term used by Ordnance Survey, and the track beds give scope for many walks. Some track beds have been ‘saved’ as Tarmacadam walkway/cycleway routes while others ... more...

Thomas Telford was arguably the greatest civil engineer Britain has ever produced. This book reveals his humble beginnings and then  describes his self-propelled rise from journeyman stonemason to famous canal engineer.

In 1793 Telford w... more...

A core component of the natural world is the geology, in the rocks and the landforms that have been created by their erosion. The plants that cover so much of the world’s land areas, ant the myriad animals that inhabit each environment, form the ... more...