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Jim Hewitson's Scottish Miscellany
Jim Hewitson's Scotland is a gey strange place. And this broth of off-cuts from the past, contemporary attitudes, outlandish lists, absurd tables, historical and hysterical trivia and off-the-wall observations is certainly one of the most curious Scottish books of the new millennium. In it, facts and figures collide with couthy anecdotes and unlikely yarns, all of which are shot through with that mystical ingredient which Jim has been trying to drag to the surface for thirty years: Scottishness. - What are the ten most obscure clan mottoes? - Which is the wettest place in Scotland? - What are the most frequently used reponses to Scotland's beggers? - And is the Glasgow Underground haunted? By the time you've got to the end of this miscellany, you'll be no nearer finding out who you are but you will be able to answer a thousand questions which no one has ever thought to ask before.
Far Off in Sunlit Places
Following his acclaimed chronicle of the Scots in America, Jim Hewitson has now turned his attention to the second great area of Scottish migration, Australia and New Zealand. From the first grim penal colony in Botany Bay in 1788 to the glamorous story of Duntocher-born 1930s speedway ace Ron Johnston, Scots have played a role at every level in
Skull & Saltire
Pirates! The word is enough to send a shiver through your timbers. A nation such as the Scots, with its seafaring tradition, inevitably has a history of lawlessness at sea. From the earliest times, shrewd sailors realised that, by branching out as government agents, privateers or freelance plunderers, they could make more than just a living. Nautical Scots played a part in the Golden Age of Piracy, in the seventeenth century, most notably in the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean. But the story of Scottish piracy probably stretches back to Roman times and reaches up to the present day. In this exploration of a little-known aspect of Scottish seafaring, Jim Hewitson hauls up the anchor, hoists the Jolly Roger and takes us into some unexpected waters to meet characters such as: Kirkcudbright-born John Paul Jones, founder of the US navy, hero to the Americans, rogue pirate to the British; Sweyn Asleifsson, an Orkney-based pirate who spent half the year as a peaceful farmer and the other as a wild sea raider; and Greenock?s Captain Kidd, the notorious piratical stereotype, who turns out to be more of a naive fall guy than a swashbuckling adventurer.
Dead Weird
In Dead Weird, Jim Hewitson is let loose on the ultimate taboo and finds that death can be fun for all the family, a good day out or the perfect excuse for a booze up or a fight. Executions, grizzly murders, raising the dead, battlefield carnage, clean-in-between-the-sheets death, traditions, proverbs, omens, anthems and premature burials - they're all here to give us a new perspective on life's greatest certainty: DEATH!
Does Anyone Like Midges?
Humorous, informative and oddly intriguing Scottish questions are answered. After the success of the internationally bestselling "Does Anything Eat Wasps?", here are all the particularly Scottish questions people never knew they wanted answered, like: Is it true that most Scottish fishermen can't swim? How do you go about proving your claim to the throne of Scotland? Where in Scotland is the wettest place in Europe? Are Aberdonians really the dourest of the dour and meanest of the mean? Was Scotland really named after a bunch of Irish pirates? Was high-rise housing such a bad idea? Are half the children in Scotland now born to unmarried parents? What makes Scots angry? And has anyone ever been killed by Highland midges? A wheen of queries about Scotland and the Scots, this is a miscellany of the unlikely but true in one of the strangest wee countries in the world. With one hundred questions handily arranged by category, "Does Anyone Like Midges?" is a compendium of the most perplexing and timeless Scottish questions, big and not-so-big, that have somehow escaped answer until now, each one authoritatively dealt with in a manner sure to illuminate and flabbergast in equal measure.
Tam Blake & Co
In 1540 Tam Blake, mercenary and adventurer, became the first recorded Scot in the New World. Since then, American-Scots have played an important part in all areas of American history, even among the Indian nations. This volume highlights the special qualities and heritage they have imparted to the world's most-powerful nation.
Down in the Glen Something Stirs
The year is 2037 and the world is plagued by drought, tribal war, vast migrations of people from the arid lands and resultant social and economic meltdown. Abundant supplies of fresh water are now giving Scotland a precious advantage in a much-changed Europe. But the threat is that New Europe may absorb our water-rich nation and spirit away the nation's hard-won freedom. Obituaries Editor Kal Gilroy finds himself in receipt of a strange gift from a recently deceased former girlfriend - the manuscript of a novel looking back to the Scottish independence referendum of 2014. He sets himself the task of unpicking this mysterious work. The piece of fiction bequeathed to Gilroy by Professor Jane H...
Astonishing Scotland!
Rank villains, cludgie humour, mankie women, famous gubbings, men in skirts, sadists, balloons and assorted bampots, sex, drugs and illicit lute playing...They're all in Jim Hewitson's latest foray along the scarred underbelly of Scottish history. Astonishing Scotland! is a cheeky thesaurus of Scottishness, an A-Z of Caledonian myth and mischief, a glimpse at the DNA of nationality. And on this individualistic journey, you'll find a multitude of off-beat anecdotes from the history of our great, if somewhat confused, nation. - Where exactly did James IV go wrong at Flodden? - Should Dundee United be playing with a flat back four? - Which Scottish castle can claim the nation's most spectacular thunderbox? - And did wearing a bunnet during sex really ensure you produced a male child? Trawling the sometimes murky, often illuminating but always fascinating backwaters of Scotland's story, you'll encounter the bizarre, the memorable, even the downright rude. So if you thought that Scottish history was as heavy as a pot of stale porridge, then prepare to be ASTONISHED!
Treasures of the Santa Catalina Mountains
The famous legend of the Iron Door Mine, a forgotten mission and a lost city somewhere in the Santa Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson, Arizona, has lured prospectors and treasure hunters for hundreds of years. The discoveries of early Spanish placer mining sites, stone ruins, and stories of the mountains only fueled speculation about the riches still left behind. Common knowledge among the locals eventually gained legendary status. Even more surprising was the abundance in gold, silver, and copper etched into the mountains. These stories became embedded in Arizona’s early history and were spun into some sensational legends and featured in numerous literary and film adventures. "Treasures of the Santa Catalina Mountains" explores the legends and history of the Catalinas, compiled from out-of-print books, magazines, newspapers and recollections from local prospectors. More than 430 pages and over 1,200 references.
Clinging to the Edge
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