The Life and Death of St. Kilda

Author: Tom Steel
Paperback: 277 pages
ISBN: 9780006373407


St. Kilda, the most remote community of the British Isles, had survived isolated and alone for centuries. Increased contact with the outside world slowly eroded the islanders way of life until on the 29th of August 1930 the remaining 36 inhabitants were evacuated to the mainland. In this fascinating book Tom Steel documents the island way of life, the changes that twentieth century 'civilization' brought to the island, the evacuation and the lives of the people who had been forced to leave behind not only their homes but their whole way of life.

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Glasshouse

Author: Charles Stross
Paperback: 388 pages
ISBN: 1841493937


In the 27th century Robin wakes up without his memory having had it wiped. He's not sure why but it doesn't take long before his past, in the form of an assassin, catches up with him. Looking for a place to hide he agrees to join a historical psychology experiment aiming to recreate a late twentieth century society. The panoptican that Robin finds himself in isn't all it first seems to be and it isn't long before his past catches up with him again, only this time there is no escape.

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Skye: The Island and Its Legends

Author: Otta Swire
Paperback: 232 pages
ISBN: 1841584797


This fascinating book by Otta Swire interweaves the history of Skye with its myths and legends to produce a compelling read. Join Otta as she travels the roads of Skye narrating the history and legends of the island. Enjoy the legends of giants and fairies and learn about the history of Skye and the feuding between clan Macleod and clan Macdonald that has helped to shape the landscape and culture of Skye. Although originally published in 1952 this book is just as relevant to the tourist or historian of today as it was fifty years ago.

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The Book of Kells

Author: Bernard Meehan
Hardback: 95 pages
ISBN: 0500600228


The Book of Kells is a masterpiece of medieval art. The early history of the book is unknown although it was created sometime between the seventh and tenth centuries either on Iona off the north of Scotland or at Kells in Ireland where it was kept for most of the middle ages. This illustrated guide shows the most important of the decorated pages along with fascinating analysis of the artists, the text and the historical background to this priceless piece of history.

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The Annotated Turing

Author: Charles Petzold, Alan Turing
Paperback: 372 pages
ISBN: 9780470229057


In 1936 Alan Turing published a 36 page paper entitled "On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem". It is widely acknowledged that this paper was one of the corner stones in the development of the digital computer. Unfortunately for most of us the paper is almost unreadable. In this brilliant book Charles Petzold expands the 36 page paper into a 372 page explanation making the paper accessible to a much wider audience. Should be compulsory reading for any computer scientist.

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Hippo Eats Dwarf!

Author: Alex Boese
Paperback: 278 pages
ISBN: 9780752227061


Hippos don't eat dwarfs, lemmings don't commit suicide jumping off cliffs and you really shouldn't believe everything you hear on the news. In this book Alex Boese has collected together the more interesting hoaxes and urban legends of recent years and, one-by-one, shows them for what they are -- complete works of fiction. He also provides plenty of tips for spotting hoaxes in the future. A fascinating and entertaining looking at the weird things people will believe.

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The Forest of Boland Light Railway

Author: 'BB'
Paperback: 126 pages
ISBN: 0340042028


Gnomes are ingenious creatures and Lobgob, the chiefs son, is exceptionally good at anything mechanical. With the help of the other gnomes Lobgob built The Forest of Boland Light Railway and its magnificent steam engine, the Boland Belle. All is well in the forest until one day the leprechauns attack and drag the gnomes off to their castle as slaves. Now it is down to the railways bumbling booking clerk and a tribe of cowzies to save the day.

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Your Brick Oven: Building It and Baking In It

Author: Russell Jeavons
Paperback: 96 pages
ISBN: 190494325X


Do you like pizza? Do you like cooking? If the answer to both these questions is yes then why not build your own brick pizza oven. Russell Jeavons has built four brick ovens and runs a successful restaurant. In this book he describes the four steps for building your own oven (base, dome, flu, and insulation) as well as how to fire and cook using your newly built oven. If you think you might want to build your own oven then you should read this book. I don't think it will be long before building work starts in my back garden!

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The Lewis Chessmen

Author: James Robinson
Paperback: 64 pages
ISBN: 0714150231


The Lewis chessmen were found in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis. The exact circumstances surrounding their discovery are a mystery and this book covers the numerous stories that explain how and why they were originally hidden, their discovery, and their eventual revealing to the world. The book contains a short history of the game of chess as well as fascinating descriptions of the different chess pieces, both their manufacture and political commentary of the Middle Ages. Having learnt to play chess using a replica set of the Lewis chessmen I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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