Modern Scottish Collections

A varied selection of Scottish material was received by the National Library of Scotland this week including Batman: time and the Batman a graphic novel by Scottish author Grant Morrison, and Fabian Nicieza. You can find more Scottish graphic novels by following this link to Scottish Bibliographies Online.

Nicholas Phillipson’s Adam Smith: an enlightened life examines the development of the Scottish economist and philosopher’s theories within the context of the Scottish Enlightenment. Born in Kirkcaldy in 1723, Adam Smith is probably best known for his notion of the ‘invisible hand’ of the market economy. In this biography Nicholas Phillipson demonstrates how Smith’s ideas developed over time spent in Glasgow and Edinburgh and in discussion with other major figures of the Scottish Enlightenment such as David Hume.

Domination and lordship in Scotland 1070-1230 by Richard Oram examines the development of the Gaelic kingdom of Alba into the state of Scotland. As well as providing a history of political events during the period, the author describes relationships with England and Europe, the development of the church and the emergence of Scottish urban centres. Domination and lordship in Scotland 1070-1230 is volume 3 in the New Edinburgh history of Scotland series published by Edinburgh University Press.

The life of Scottish actor David Tennant is the subject of Nigel Goodall’s A life in time and space: the biography of David Tennant. Born in Bathgate in 1971, David studied acting at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Although best known for his role in Doctor Who, David has also performed in many theatre productions, notably with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Scottish comics : a celebration edited by Alistair McCleery and Benjamin A. Brabon was amongst the Scottish interest titles received by the National Library of Scotland this week. Illustrated with comic strips and prose stories from a selection of D.C. Thomson comics of the last 50 years, this book looks specifically at the treatment of national traditions, masculinity and female role models in Scottish comics over this period. Scottish comics : a celebration is published by Merchiston Publishing, the in-house publishing arm of the Scottish Centre for the Book at Edinburgh Napier University.

Ali Smith, A.L. Kennedy and Emma Tennant are just some of the Scottish authors discussed in Scottish women’s gothic and fantastic writing : fiction since 1978 by Monica Germanà and published by Edinburgh University Press. This book considers some previously overlooked works through the four themes of quests, dangerous women, doubles and ghosts. You can find out more about Scottish authors such as Ali Smith by searching for references on Scottish Bibliographies Online.

The life of Thomas Trotter, Royal Navy physician during the late 18th century, is the subject of Physician to the fleet : the life and times of Thomas Trotter, 1760-1832 by Brian Vale and Griffith Edwards. Thomas Trotter was born in Melrose in 1760 and studied medicine at Edinburgh University. He began his naval career in 1779 and served until 1802, during which period he was instrumental in controlling scurvy, smallpox and typhus in the navy. As well as describing the career of Thomas Trotter, this book looks at the impact of Enlightenment ideas and medical education during the period, as well as the development of new medical techniques and contemporary issues such as the slave trade. Physician to the fleet is published by Boydell Press.