The Highlands and Islands of Scotland: A New History

by Alistair Moffat

"... one of those rare books that takes a fairly specialised subject and makes it available and accessible to a very wide in Scotland and far beyond." ― Ken Lussey in Undiscovered Scotland

Alistair Moffat tells the extraordinary story of the Highlands in the most detailed book ever written about this remarkable part of Scotland.

This is the story of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as it has never been told before. From the formation of the landscape millions of years ago to the twenty-first century, it brings to life the events and the people who have shaped Highland history, from saints, sinners and outlaws to monarchs, clan chiefs and warriors.

Highly readable and informative, it mines a wide range of sources including medieval manuscripts and sagas, poetry and popular culture. Picts, Romans, Irish missionaries, Vikings, Jacobites and the flood of emigrants who left to forge new lives abroad are just some of the important players in the drama. As he paints the bigger picture, Alistair Moffat also introduces many key aspects of Highland culture and explores the experience of ordinary Highlanders and Islanders over thousands of years.

Genres: History, Scotland, Nonfiction, Audiobook

512 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 2024

About the author

Alistair Moffat is an award winning writer, historian and former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Director of Programmes at Scottish Television.

Moffat was educated at the University of St Andrews, graduating in 1972 with a degree in Medieval History. He is the founder of the Borders Book Festival and Co-Chairman of The Great Tapestry of Scotland.

Reviews

[Ajay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The thesis is elegant: in the Highlands and Islands, geography made history. Moffat promises to explore how the region's dramatic topography, coastlines, and brutal weather shaped where people settled, how they lived, and why they left. It's a compelling intellectual framework and one that demands a generous use of maps to explore. And yet the book contains not a single map. Not one. Attempting to follow Moffat's arguments about landscape and place without any visual reference is like being given a guided walk through the mountains while blindfolded. I lost my bearings within the first few chapters and never fully recovered them.

This is a particular shame because Moffat's feel for place expressed through language is one of the book's genuine pleasures. Where others might dismiss Gaelic placenames as a wide scatter of wild words few people now understand, Moffat reads them as windows into how past communities understood and related to their landscape. This sensitivity to language permeates the whole book. Poetry, Norse sagas, and even snatches of Shakespeare are woven through the text, and these moments of literary reach give the history a texture and richness that drier accounts lack.

Moffat's knowledge is wide, and his affection for his home region and its people is evident. I finished the book with a considerably better understanding of Scotland and it's history. But I also finished unable to construct a clear mental map (literally and figuratively) of what I'd read. A history that sets out to explain how geography shaped a people, and then declines to show you that geography, has failed at its most basic task.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly, I found the early chapters less interesting, because I'm more familiar with the early history of Scotland, which was largely defined by "the Highlands and Islands." The chapters from Culloden forward were more interesting and revealing to me. He nicely differentiates the repression of culture (and massacres) after Culloden from the Clearances, which I had somewhat conflated in my mind. I appreciated his discussions of how the Highlands became a hunting playground for the wealthy English, and a romantic image of "the Highlander" was created to displace the actual reality. Discussions of more recent decades, the decline of Gaelic-speakers, and the attempts to revive the same were intriguing.

I listened to this in audiobook format, and while the reader had a bit of a sing-song cadence, his clear ability to handle Gaelic was very helpful for the many recitations of Gaelic poetry. I would've lost a lot trying to read this visually.

[Don Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book as I prepared for a cruise around the Scottish Islands. I had already read about Scottish history generally and thought this might fill in some gaps. Although it was an entertaining read, I did find it a bit disjointed in its presentation. Moffat's personal anecdotes did provide some color and a modern context. As with many history books these days, some maps would have been helpful. But Google Maps often saved the day, giving me further context.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect travel book

I was touring these parts of Scotland when reading and listening this book. Well done! I found it very useful with tour guides because there is so much history and so much personal information and views. We share very similar thoughts on the book of kells/iona. Thank you for voicing that!! In addition many historical scenes prompted me to visit the actual site, even not on my itinerary. Both formats were excellent

[Olly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Definitely had some good bits with the history told in an engaging way. Some parts were a bit of a slog, but that’s on me for not being that into the Picts or poetry, rather than a criticism of the author. The latter chapters were a bit scattergun and even a little self-indulgent on the author’s behalf. Nonetheless, this was an enjoyable read.

[Ross Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little conflicted by this book. Alistair Moffat is a lovely writer. He has a very personal and engaging style. As a general history book, this is entertaining and accessible. For that it should be applauded. But it is a little scatter gun and poorly defined in scope. There is lots missing but how can any book cover such a large diverse area in 450 pages?

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of the book pretty much explains what it's about. The author looks at the area from prehistoric to modern times with each chapter exploring a different epoch. Very interesting. The only niggle I have is that there were no maps or images of any kind.

[Paul Snelling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not written by an academic historian but Moffat is prolific. He writes engagingly but it's clear this is a personal history and the personal anecdotes and diversions can grate a little. There no maps or photos which seemed a bit odd for a £25 book

[Philip Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting parts, possibly some big gaps. I could have done without some of the more Alan Partridge-esque personal asides.

[Malcolm Schaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ambiguous project and I suspect not all the history of the area will have been or could be covered but there is much to savour within this book.Alistair Moffat is one of my favourite authors ,he has a superb style of recounting historical and other data but interspersing it with vivid accounts of important incidents ,the Clearances and the 1745 uprising being obvious examples I would strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in building a better picture of Scotland and especially the north