Purely History

History is the sum total of everything that humanity has ever done. It is in everything we do, think, say or touch. Nobody can escape history, and nor should we.  Although my interest in history is longstanding, I did not pursue it seriously until I attended the University of Dundee as a mature student. The following books are non-fiction history.

 

Across the Pond

(Whittles, 2001)

This book chronicles the history of the North Atlantic. Taken in thematic and roughly chronological chapters, it includes teh discovery of the Atlantic, early exploration, the slave trade, the tobacco trade, whaling, the First and Second World Wars and luxury liners.

 

ASPECTS OF THE BOER WAR

(Fledgling Press, 2005)

Written to augment the Soldier trilogy, Aspects of the Boer War investigates various angles of the Boer War (1899 -1902) It includes the full and unaltered diary of Private Robert Brown of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who took part in many battles with the Highland Brigade.

 

ARDLER: A THRIVING COMMUNITY

(AVT 2008)

Written to commemmorate the 40th anniversary of the Ardler housing scheme in Dundee, this small book shows the ups, downs and true comunity spirit of that area. Including personal reminiscences of the residents, it intends to portray the true meaning of a living community.

 

 

WHALEHUNTERS: Dundee and the Arctic Whalers

(Mercat 2004)

Whaling was a major Scottish industry from 1750 until the late 19th century, and Dundee was central to that trade. Including exerts from diaries, logbooks and Customs entries, this book concentrates on the people who hunted for the whale. Who they were, how they lived and from where they came.

 

Scottish Battles

(Chambers 1990)

Scots have been involved in literally hundreds of batles over the centuries. This book contains a small selection, including Bannockburn, where King Robert 1 defeated a much larger English army, Bloody Bay, where the galleys of the Isles clashed in fraternal fury, Prestonpans where the Jacobite Highlanders smashed a redcoat army in something under fifteenminutes and the first attempted German air raid on Scotland in the Second World War