I'm feeling much better today... onwards we go...
Books...
Remember that my views are somewhat narrowed by my Island history, so... oh yes, and most of the best titles I have are already packed for that planned trip to the land of the (not so) free and not looked at any older title in over a decade so going from memory...
A Dance Called America by James Hunter - perfectly titled for some of yous folks about what became of some of my ancestors and why they left...
On The Crofter's Trail by Craig David - another study on the Clearances...
John Prebble books are a good intro - Culloden, Glencoe, The Highland Clearances... he did some good general and other histories on Scotland too...
Some of you will know of a film called Zulu, which was based on an article of his, and he also wrote the film's script...
A Shilling For Your Scowl by James Shaw Grant is an interesting and eye opening account...
Social Island histories - a couple by a cousin of my late mums, Calum Ferguson, called Children Of The Black House and Lewis In The Passing - my Island's culture, like the language, is dying, but (the language) is still stubborn enough to lie down and accept it - these are probably too specific for you though... there is an older title called Peat Fire Memories by Kenneth MacDonald - all three of these titles are first hand tales...
Which bit of the history do you want to learn more about and i'll try and find you a specific title or titles...? the boxes need re-packing anyway... there are quite a few that are yet to be packed together anyway as I tend to buy new and older titles whenever I go Home...
One of the last I got was called The Soap Man by Roger Hutchinson - the story of the last man to OWN the Hebrides - Lord Leverhulme - of Lever Brothers & Unilever fame... after his death, his wife eventually gifted the Island, in trust, to its inhabitants, sort of...
I have a few hundred titles on Scottish and Island histories and such... there is even a large format title I have on the unique wrought ironmongery of the Island, as in WWII it was considered too expensive to have it all taken down and re-cycled... fascinating book, in a highly geeky way...
Oh yes, the 1745 Rebellion that ended at Culloden in 1746... not so good for my family as the Appin Stewart's, my ancestors, fought on the side of the Jacobite cause and post that battle fled for their lives as most of those that fought were hunted down and killed: man; woman; child...
As for the English V Scots nature of the battle, that bit of history is not entirely clear for some as Scots fought on both sides of the line...