No comments about Itchy Edinburgh: A City and Entertainment Guide to Edinburgh (Insiders Guide) 10th Birthday Edition: A City and Entertainment Guide to Edinburgh: Insiders Guide.

No comments about Scots: The Mither Tongue.

No comments about Knopf MapGuide: Edinburgh (Knopf Mapguide).

No comments about In the spirit of Scotland: Donald Ross and the Mark Twain golf course. (Elmira, New York): An article from: Parks & Recreation.

2 comments about Haunted Scotland.

1. I must admit that I bought this book to help me plan a trip to Scotland. While there I hope to stop by some of the more haunted spots and maybe take a ghost tour or two. This book is very full of information but is of little use as a tourist guide. Adams has done a lot of research and his style is very easy to read but he jumps around too much. The few haunts he devotes any space to at all are places the average tourist won't make it to. Holyroodhouse which is a prime tourist spot is mentioned in one sentence and then only to say it is, "reputedly haunted".

   The reader will find this book is almost like a sandwich. The first chapter and the last two chapters are by far the best in the book. Reading the first chapter in bed one night I actually got a little spooked. That is the test of a good ghost book. The rest of the book however keeps the reader so busy trying to figure out which haunting Adams is talking about that the spooky nature of the stories can't sink in. The problem is that the reader is hit with rapid fire stories with little or no depth. One paragraph can be about a haunt in the highlands and the next paragraph may be set in the borders with no real effort to mark the change in area or story for that matter.

   This book would have been so much better if Adams had attempted far less stories and had given some depth to the ones he used. Still, it might serve a a good place to start if one is interested in Adams' subject. Kind of like a brief survey course.




2. A wonderful book, but it can be purchased at www.alberene.com for $15.95, and is worth the cost. However, I don't feel it is worth the $117.95 on the Amazon site.

1 comments about Scotland and Her Tartans.

1. This book follows a well worn pattern but does it well. A small section is devoted to each name, its tartan is illustrated and, in this case, a major advantage is the inclusion of the heraldic drawings of the chief's arms and in some cases, standards, by the late Don Pottinger, Islay Herald at the Court of the Lord Lyon.

   The limitation of this formula is that is it virtually impossible to say anything meaningful in such a short space about a whole clan and often the illustrations of the tartans are too small to allow the full sett to be seen.

   This book finds the same problems when describing each name but its tartans are better than most, although it is impossible, for instance, to see the whole pattern of the Cameron of Lochiel tartan as illustrated. Useful additions, however, are some of the main branches of each clan, and,where one exists, its slogan or battle-cry.

   Some names are included which are not clans but families for whom a tartan is named. Particularly useful for those not already familiar with it is the map showing main clan locations on pp52-55. This is the work of Don Pottinger and the late Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Albany Herald and it contains a wealth of information.

   There are a number of useful articles included in the text and the whole book is most atractively laid out. A good introduction to the subject and well above the usual standard.

No comments about The Intelligent Traveller's Guide to Historic Scotland.

No comments about A Guide to the Abbeys of Scotland (Constable Guide).

3 comments about The Best of Britain's Countryside: Northern England and Scotland : A Driving and Walking Itinerary (The Two-Week Traveler Series).

1. Thanksgiving time several years ago, my husband, two friends, our 12-month old son and I used this book to guide us on a walking trip in Northern England. We started in the Harrogate area, had a fabulous time on the walks. B&B recommendations were first rate. Bill and Gwen should update the book, if that's the impediment to keeping it in print!



2. I own all three book covering England - they are an excellent resource. I have many books on this topic but these are really the best. I'm very disappointed they are out of print - would love an updated version. The authors really do provide reliable recommendations for the best places/sites/hikes. Wish they would write about other countries - Italy, France and Switzerland.



3. The third book in a series (Northern England & Scotland & Southern England the other two) that allows you to get off the beaten track to see the countryside and quaint remote areas of England.

   Laid out in sixteen chapters, with each chapter a separate day itinerary,makes this an easy-to-use book for those who want to avoid the tour buses and tourist traps. The Best of Britain's Countryside helps you find good food and lodging, while giving the reader tidbits on custom. Language and architecture.

   Good maps are generous in this book, however to make The Best of Britain's Countryside an excellent book the weak b&w photos need to be replaced, as well as a better, more readable page layout that uses bullets and/or boxes that highlight the explanation of a various places would really help.

   If you want to see another side, especially the countryside of England and you like to venture out on your own I have not found a better guide book to recommend than this.

No comments about Footprint Scotland Handbook.