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Scottish History Without the Boring Bits
As an antidote to more sober accounts of Scotland's history, Ian Crofon offers a colourful chronology of the eccentric, the infamous, the bawdy, the horrific and the hilarious people and events that have spattered across the pages of our nation's story.
From the Royal High School riot to Marocco the Wonder Horse, from the War of the One-Eyed Woman to the MP cleared of stealing his ex-mistress's knickers, Scottish History Without the Boring Bits includes a host of little-known tales that you won't find in more conventional works of history.
Ian Crofton's alternative history of Scotland looks at the country's seedy underbelly with a quizzical eye.
From the Royal High School riot to Marocco the Wonder Horse, from the War of the One-Eyed Woman to the MP cleared of stealing his ex-mistress's knickers, Scottish History Without the Boring Bits includes a host of little-known tales that you won't find in more conventional works of history.
Ian Crofton's alternative history of Scotland looks at the country's seedy underbelly with a quizzical eye.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 26, 2019
oh scotland, please never change.
June 23, 2018
3.5
Digestive and very accessible reference book full of historical wtf moments, assassinations, universal human stupidity and recounted anecdotal moments where the walls between history and folklore blur quite a bit. Crofton's book takes us all the way up to 2015 where there's a lovely entry which would cover the atrocious part of the title quite nicely.
One of the strengths of this book is that it tends to sideline Bruce, the majority of the Stuart monarchy, the Jacobites and focuses instead on everything else surrounding them. Really refreshing change for a history book
I did find the earlier entries covering the Viking invasions and Christie Cleek of particular interest.
Digestive and very accessible reference book full of historical wtf moments, assassinations, universal human stupidity and recounted anecdotal moments where the walls between history and folklore blur quite a bit. Crofton's book takes us all the way up to 2015 where there's a lovely entry which would cover the atrocious part of the title quite nicely.
One of the strengths of this book is that it tends to sideline Bruce, the majority of the Stuart monarchy, the Jacobites and focuses instead on everything else surrounding them. Really refreshing change for a history book
I did find the earlier entries covering the Viking invasions and Christie Cleek of particular interest.
April 25, 2018
Quirky and quick read. I took it out the library (first library book I'd taken out in 15 years-!) one to dip into. Interesting accounts of witch hunts!
January 25, 2016
It is often said that "truth is stranger than fiction" and this once again proves to be the case in this fast paced, comical, and bizarre book. Written in a newspaper headline format, this book addresses silly, weird, and hard to believe facts over the centuries. Although at times it is difficult to know where the line is drawn between Scottish folklore and well loved tales and what actually took place, this author will put you on a ride you can't get off. Definitely a difficult book to put down - I loved every minute of it and devoured this book less than one week after getting it.
February 9, 2017
[Bus Book] Λίγα περιστατικά της ιστορίας της Σκωτίας έχουν πλάκα ή ενδιαφέρον, αλλά γενικά για λεωφορείο (όπου θέλω να διαβάζω κάτι που να μοιάζει περισσότερο με περιοδικό παρά με βιβλίο) είναι ΟΚ.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews