Scottish History Book of the Year 2021

 

“Eachdraidh le Càirdeas is Cridhe is the result of years of gathering the local traditions and placenames of the North Lewis community. It is an honour for everybody who contributed to the book to be shortlisted for this Saltire Literary award." Ness Historical Society and Rachel Barrowman 

A laudable collective endeavour focussed on the north of Lewis, this is a record of 2000 local Gaelic place names and much more that would otherwise be lost, gleaned from interviews with people who know the area and its past – literally like the back of their hand. A wonderful book – a model for local studies - that will remain a source of reference for all time.    

“Acair was delighted to publish Eachdraidh le Càirdeas is Cridhe - History with Heart and Soul. Comunn Eachdraidh Nis is to be congratulated on producing a magnificent volume of work which brings alive the fascinating stories behind the place-names of North Lewis for present and future generations. This is a book which shows just what it means to be part of a community. "  Acair 

“Coal Country studies fundamental changes to Scottish society through the words and reflections of the men and women who directly experienced the end of coal mining and its lasting impact. I am thrilled that I have been nominated for a Scottish National Book Award, but it is also a testament to the enduring importance of working-class history. "  Ewan Gibbs 

A detailed account of the complex process of the tragic demise of coal mining, one of the foundations upon which industrial Scotland rested. Academically rigorous but made accessible with the use of compelling oral testimony; ends with a powerful, elegiac conclusion.   
 

“We are utterly delighted that Ewan has been shortlisted for Scotland’s National Book Awards. Coal Country is a tour de force. It has been an honour to have worked on a book that has spoken to so many people across the UK and become a forum of commemoration for miners and their families. Ewan is a tireless voice for workers around the world and we cannot think of anyone more deserving of a nomination. The result of ten years of close research amongst former mining communities, Coal Country shines a light on an important moment in Scottish national history, reminding us that the story of coal is the story of Scotland itself. Available to read for free, our hope is that anyone and everyone can access and read this book and feel a part of the story. "   Lauren De’Ath (Marketing Manager), University of London Press  

A refreshing and up-to-date account of a much-studied period in Scotland’s history. The book is a worthy successor to the late Professor Rosalind Mitchison’s volume in the same series. Lively, but also reflective with issues in early modern Scotland made tantalisingly relevant for today. 

“We knew that in Gaelic Influence in the Northumbrian Kingdom: The Golden Age and the Viking Age we were publishing a very, very good book, so we are genuinely delighted for Fiona Edmonds that her fine work has been recognised by the Saltire Society. We thank them for their kind attention and we thank Dr Edmonds for publishing with Boydell & Brewer."   Edinburgh University Press 

“This book brings together my long-held interests, but it could not have been completed without the support of many colleagues, family members and friends. I am very grateful to the Saltire Society for their recognition of the work."  Dr Fiona Edmonds 

Northumbria was the most northerly Anglo-Saxon kingdom; its impressive landscape featured two sweeping coastlines, which opened the area to a variety of cultural connections. This book explores influences that emanated from the Gaelic-speaking world, including Ireland, the Isle of Man, Argyll and the kingdom of Alba (the nascent Scottish kingdom). It encompasses Northumbria's "Golden Age", the kingdom's political and scholarly high-point of the seventh and early eighth centuries, and culminates with the kingdom's decline and fragmentation in the Viking Age, which opened up new links with Gaelic-Scandinavian communities. Political and ecclesiastical connections are discussed in detail; the study also covers linguistic contact, material culture and the practicalities of travel, bringing out the realities of contemporary life. This interdisciplinary approach sheds new light on the west and north of the Northumbrian kingdom, the areas linked most closely with the Gaelic world. Overall, the book reveals the extent to which Gaelic influence was multi-faceted, complex and enduring. 

Resting on the soundest academic research that incorporates a wide range of sources including place name evidence and ecclesiastical linkages, this finely argued book demonstrates the importance of the Northumbrian heritage in what is now Scotland.  

“We knew that in Gaelic Influence in the Northumbrian Kingdom: The Golden Age and the Viking Age we were publishing a very, very good book, so we are genuinely delighted for Fiona Edmonds that her fine work has been recognised by the Saltire Society. We thank them for their kind attention and we thank Dr Edmonds for publishing with Boydell & Brewer."  Boydell & Brewer 

“I am hugely honoured to be shortlisted for the History Book of the Year award and to join the long succession of shortlisted authors which includes many of the scholars whom I have admired and been influenced by throughout my career. I hope that my David I can help to stimulate interest in one of the most brilliant, dynamic eras in Scotland's history, when many of the things that make us Scots and which give our nation its distinctive culture and character came into being. "  Richard Oram 

A fresh, elegant, deeply researched, thoughtful and sometimes vivid account of the reign of one of Scotland’s most important monarchs. Received wisdom is challenged by a leading Scottish historian in a book that will be essential reading by those interested in medieval Scotland.  

“David I is a monumental work on a ruler key to our history and sense of identity. Richard brings to life the story of a king and his age in a vivid and compelling narrative which will stand as a classic of medieval Scottish history."   Birlinn

“Stuart Style places Scotland at the heart of the 17th century fashion narrative and it is a huge honour for this study to be nominated for the Scottish National Book Awards. "   Maria Hayward 

Delightfully produced, a book that in a highly original way - through the prism of dress and jewellery - complements what we know of the Stuart kings during the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Superbly – and aptly - illustrated and clearly written, the author demonstrates the ways in which the Stuart monarchs’ and their Scottish courtiers’ clothing styles and designs influenced elite fashion in both England and Scotland.

“Yale is honoured that Maria Hayward's ground-breaking book Stuart Style has been shortlisted for the Scottish National Book Awards."   From Mark Eastment, Yale University Press