4 comments about The Town Below the Ground: Edinburgh's Legendary Underground City.

1. I only gave this book 4 stars because I felt that it was too short and abbreviated. Then again, I'm the type of person who likes rich historical details. The author doesn't bore you with dates or technical details, the story of the origins of Edinburgh's underground city are told with a marvelous gift of oratory, making you feel like you're hearing a story told in front of a fire, a story that grows more and more chilling.

   The story is simple, due to overpopulation, numerous underground chambers and vaults were built to accommodate the fast growth of Edinburgh's Old Town. The poorest of the poor lived in these dark cramped vaults and more often than not died there too, having never known anything but poverty and misery. You are told of the kinds of people who lived there: villians and widows, families and loners. You hear of how they lived, from the people too sickly to work to the poor children forced to climb inside chimneys to clean them. Full of misery, disease and hoplessness, it's no wonder the underground city has gained a reputation for being haunted.

   Tales of the supernatural happenings are also found in this book, tales of a mischeivious yet harmless ghost who haunts a pub to the frightening stories of tourists and tour guides alike being assaulted by unseen hands and claws.

   Whether a history buff or a fan of ghosts stories, you're sure to enjoy this book. It's easy reading, educational AND entertaining.




2. ...those readers who don't come from Edinburgh found the book entertaining, but those who do found it disappointing, and I must add my name to the latter category.

   As a lifelong Edinburgh resident I've heard stories of the underground city all my life, and the emergence of this book offered the promise of a full and final explanation of what's really there and what isn't. However, aside from a reasonably interesting general history of old Edinburgh, the book is astonishingly lacking in facts of any kind. It's all conjecture, rumour and myth. At least fifty percent of the book is merely a series of fables and ghost stories with absolutely no descernable facts or evidence to either back them up or dismiss them.

   If someone's going to bother writing a book on the underground city, wouldn't you expect them to have something to TELL? Not so Jan-Andrew Henderson. For him the gathering together of a few myths and legends was enough. No solid research, maps, plans or diagrams, descriptions of exactly what remains of the underground city; No reports of excavations, eyewitness accounts; no rummaging through old property plans or title deeds to discover reports of mysterious doorways in lost cellars that seem to lead nowhere. None of this.

   If you're really interested in learning about the underground city you'd be better off saving your money, and instead paying a visit to one of Edinburgh's many pubs in the old town, where you'll encounter characters who can tell you much more about it than anything in this book




3. I must start by saying that I haven't actually read this book. I did, however, visit Edinburgh a week ago and embark upon a tour of the old city that focused sites of murder and mayhem. On that tour, my guide was Jan-Andrew Henderson. He brought an overlarge group of American teenagers to silent, rapt attention with his description of the old city of Edinburgh inside the Floyden wall. We ended at Greyfriar's churchyard, home to 400 monuments and approximately 800,000 bodies. He was a charismatic and knowledgable story-teller, and if he writes at all in the manner in which he speaks, anything he could put on paper would be worth reading. ~ Interested in History

   P.S. On this tour Henderson made no mention of his name or plug for his book. I found out his identity later from my overall holiday tour guide (completely independent from Henderson's tour) who had accompanied my school group for the experience.




4. I found this book to be very entertaining and interesting! I don't usually like "ghost stories", and do not believe in ghosts (though I don't want to go looking for them in case I'm wrong...ha, ha); however, having been in Edinburgh 5 months ago, the underground city fascinated me. Though the book can often only reference "stories" and can not be factual, since most of the items in this book are impossible to verify, the author includes a lot of accurate historical information too. I took a tour of South Bridge when I was visiting Edinburgh, and fortunately, did not encounter any ghosts or strange occurences. After reading the section on South Bridge, I was even more glad that I didn't encounter any strange incidences (ha, ha). The author does not try to sell you anything and doesn't use his book as a publicity plug, which is nice. I recommend this book for its entertaining and interesting information!

2 comments about Curious Edinburgh.

1. I barely used this book. Not helpful at all if you want to tour Edinburgh.



2. It's a great pity that M. Cooke did not find this book helpful for touring Edinburgh on this occasion. The book is itself designed as several sequenced tours with lots of illustrations and advice notes on access in the margins, so if any reader wants to take one of the excellent open-top, Ghost or Literary tours - hey they are all listed in an Appendix at the back of the book, with emails, phone numbers, addresses, websites, as well as tourist and genealogical organisations to make visiting Edinburgh as enjoyable and cost-effective as possible.

1 comments about The Rough Guide to the Scottish Highlands 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides).

1. Most travel guides to Scotland include lots of photographs mixed with bumper sticker descriptions, limited amounts of travel hints, and listings for high-end accomodations. The Rough Guide to "Scottish Highlands & Islands" aims at a somewhat different audience, readers who have already decided to visit Scotland and want some honest and substantive travel narrative and practical details about more-affordable accomodation and travel.
   
   This rough guide is dense with the kind of details one gets from the locals, and favors maps, graphics, and written description over photographs. The guide provides narrative oriented along the major travel routes with enough description to allow travelers to make their own choices about what might be worth visiting, and to avoid glitzy and typically overcrowded sites. A useful amount of historical detail is provided about a variety of points of interest without overwhelming or boring the reader. Information about hiking, biking, and other outdoor fun is enough to anticipate these activities while pointing the traveler to where to find additional information once on the ground in Scotland. Discussions about accomodation and food center on mid-range facilities and on inexpensive hostels and bunkhouses. The information about trains, planes, and automobiles should allow the traveler to figure out his or her own itinerary.
   
   This book is highly recommend to travelors planning a vacation in the Scottish Highlands and Islands.

No comments about Bike Scotland Book One: 40 great routes from Central Scotland.

No comments about Harry Benson's Glasgow.

1 comments about The Island Whisky Trail: An Illustrated Guide to the Hebrridean Distilleries.

1. This is a splendid book about the single malt distilleries of the Hebrides, and although it features a yacht owners' exclusive tour, it is well worth the read just to find out about the distilleries that will show you around and give you a whisky tasting. Nice photography and well-written narrative. The 4 star rating (as opposed to 5) is because very few of us will be able to afford it!

5 comments about Scotland Is Not for the Squeamish.

1. Watkins has only got better. This second of a trilogy has it all.To quote " a smile that would free anyone's soul from gravity. " Read on.



2. This continues Bill Watkins's autobiography through his time at sea, and in the Scotland of the late 60's and ealy seventies.

   As well as the humour, you'll love the evocative prose, which with a surprisingly few words summons up as vivid a picture as any I've ever read.

   Especially clever is his rendition of the Scots tongue.

   His stories of the start of the Celtic music revival, of living "on the broo" in Edinburgh and the start of the "Silly Wizard" folk group will make anyone smile.




3. Bill,
   Delighted to purchase Scotland is not for the squeamish. I'm buying a celtic childhood again to give as a gift, what a riot reading this book on the plane,with the headphones on and "Laughing out loud."well, its that sort of funny book



4. Bill Watkins' second book is at least as good as the first('A Celtic Childhood'), and continues the 'History of Bill' through his young adulthood with great adventure in Scotland('Course, he has to get there first). I rated this book five out of fibe stars only because that is the limit. It's easily a 10!



5. This is a great book. I couldnt put it down! - riotously funny in places but very poignant in others. Dont let the title put you off - this is a very memorable book and you will be glad you took the time to read it!

No comments about Family Walks in Scotland.

No comments about AAA Spiral Scotland, 3rd Edition (Aaa Spiral Guides).

No comments about Ben Nevis (Superwalker).