Modern Scottish Collections

New Scottish publications recently added to the National Library of Scotland’s collections include The Edinburgh companion to James Hogg edited by Ian Duncan and Douglas Mack. Part of the Edinburgh companions to Scottish literature series published by Edinburgh University Press, this work contains a collection of essays examining the life and work of the Scottish author and key Romantic figure, James Hogg (1770-1835). You can find references to further items by and about James Hogg on Scottish Bibliographies Online.

Shetland vernacular buildings 1600-1900 by Ian Tait is the result of 25 years of research and fieldwork investigating the history, architecture and usage of farm buildings in Shetland. Published by Shetland Museum & Archives, this volume includes many illustrations reproduced in print for the first time.

The recent Highland Railway Society publication Aberfeldy’s railway by C.J. Stewart draws on research and interviews to provide a fascinating account of the history of the railway in the Tay Valley. References to many more books, chapters and articles on the history of Scottish railways can be found in Scottish Bibliographies Online.

Skagboys is the latest novel by Scottish author Irvine Welsh. The prequel to Trainspotting, this novel explains the circumstances that pushed Mark Renton and friends towards herion addiction in 1980s Edinburgh. Skagboys is published by Jonathan Cape.

Recent additions to the Scottish collections at the National Library of Scotland included Suzanne Rigg’s Men of spirit and enterprise : Scots and Orkneymen in the Hudson’s Bay Company, 1780-1821, which looks at the history of Scottish and, in particular, Orcadian involvement in the North American fur trade. The life and working conditions of the migrants is examined, as is the impact of their migration and the fur trade on the economy and local communities in Scotland and North America.

Basil Spence : buildings and projects by Louise Campbell, Miles Glendinning and Jane Thomas examines the life, career and works of one of Britain’s best known architects. Born to Scottish parents in India, Spence was educated in Edinburgh, studying at George Watson’s College and the Edinburgh College of Art. Once qualified, he established his architectural practice in Edinburgh and was based in the city for many years. Spence’s works include Gribloch House in Stirlingshire, Glasgow Airport, the Hutchesontown C flats in the Gorbals and the Scottish Widows offices at Dalkeith Road, Edinburgh. Outside of Scotland his significant works include Coventry Cathedral, the British Embassy in Rome and the extension to the New Zealand parliament in Wellington. You can learn more about the life and work of Sir Basil Spence at the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project.

The life and work of Scottish poet Ian Hamilton Finlay is examined in Ian Hamilton Finlay : selections edited and introduced by Alec Finlay. This book details the evolution of Ian Hamilton Finlay’s work from early lyrical poetry, plays and stories to his well known concrete poetry and garden at Little Sparta.