A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world.’ So said Agatha Christie, ambiguously; for the bond between mother and child is deep, but sometimes, motherhood does not come naturally. This is hinted at in references to the Four Marys ballad by Virginia Woolf and Joan Baez, both of whom feature here.
Obsession, longing, deceit and even murder feature in this quartet of provocative novellas, which gives a modern twist to tales of women for whom all is not necessarily as it seems or as each woman would want her life to be. Drawing on universal themes of womanhood and on history, culture and lore, ‘The Four Marys’ is a riveting exploration of the complexities of motherhood: edgy and engrossing, moving, yet at times, disturbing.

In the encounters in the wild series, renowned nature writer Jim Crumley gets up close and personal with British wildlife. With his inimitable passion and vision, he relives memorable encounters with some of our best-loved native species, offering intimate insights into their extraordinary lives. “There was a face looking at me. It was the colour of autumn and snow. Its eyes were smouldery gold. Its ears were tall and wide for the size of the face. The fur on its narrow forehead and between its ears stood on end, but lay sleekly aslant on its cheeks, and that was the autumn of the face. From the black tip of the nose, a band of bright white travelled back the full length of the face, and that was the snow of the face. It was the face of a fox, a vixen I guessed, alluringly beautiful, entrancingly wild.”

By looking at the ways in which women from vastly different cultures met the day-to-day challenges of keeping themselves and their families housed, fed and clothed, Frontier Women celebrates the contributions women made to the settling of the West. A fascinating collection of rare photographs brings the experience of frontier women to life. Historians Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith have co-authored numerous books and articles on the lives of women in the American West.

Challenged to prove her claim that an 18th-century diet was better than today’s, for a full year Fiona J Houston recreated the lifestyle of her 1790s rural Scottish ancestors in a basic one-roomed cottage, cooking from her garden and the wild, often entertaining family and friends, and surviving on her own resources. She learned lost crafts and skills, making nettle string, quill pens and ink as well as cheese and ale, lighting her fire from flints, and dressing in hand-sewn period clothing, with nothing but an old range stove and candles for warmth and light. This beautiful, quirky, illustrated title tells her extraordinary story and is packed with historical anecdotes, folklore, practical gardening info, seasonal menus, recipes, wildlife notes and more. Includes linocuts, photos and historic engravings.

Updated edition. This concise yet comprehensive handbook, compiled with the expertise of Reforesting Scotland’s editors, covers trees commonly found in Scotland. From seed provenance and propagation to the history and lore of each species, this single source contains all the information you need to select the right trees for your site and grow them successfully. Whether you are an owner of (or volunteer at) a small woodland, a gardener looking to incorporate the most appropriate trees into your space, or simply a lover of woodland walks and trees, this invaluable reference will be your one essential guide.

Peter MacAulay sits down to write his will? The process sets in motion a compulsive series of reflections: a history of his own lifetime and a subjective account of how key events in the post-war world filter through to his home, Stornoway. He reveals his passions for history, engines and fish, and witnesses changing times – and things that don’t change – in the Hebrides. The novel is driven by its idiosyncratic narrator, but with counterpoints from people he engages with – his father, mother, wife, daughter, friends. It’s all about stories, a litany of small histories witnessed during one very individual lifetime.

The Book of Guinevere’ is an elegant anthology of poetry and prose, literature and legend, with accessible, lively commentary by Arthurian scholar Andrea Hopkins

Shortlisted for the prestigious Historical Writers’ Association Debut Crown Award, 2014. Edinburgh.

As war tightens its grip on Britain, Agnes Thorne discovers that her new husband’s obsession with Home Rule in a time of national crisis is threatening to land him in prison. His stand against conscription makes Agnes a reluctant participant in the nascent nationalist movement. As hidden forces of state break cover and strain the marriage to breaking point, Agnes is caught up in a triangle of passion, politics and secrecy.

I’m Rose. John and I shared nearly eight years of our lives together. This is our story: a story of how two ordinary people live with the diagnosis, the check-ups, the disappointments, the relief, the questions, the answers, the operations, the recovery, the emergencies, the denial, the acceptance, the anger, the pain, the loss, the love, the fear, the frustration – and the happiness.’
Shortly before he died, John made Rose promise to share their story – to tell what they had learned, practically and emotionally, and convey the hope they found even in the darkest of times. He had discovered her hidden stash of letters and diary entries, which she’d been writing to keep herself sane, neither censoring nor intending them to be read. The result is an astonishing, searingly honest, real-time account that reveals our profound capacity for love and how the human spirit can endure the most harrowing of tests to emerge dauntless, flying free. (Caution: contains graphic descriptions of suffering that some may find distressing.)

1911. Young Avram Escovitz is shipped off to Scotland to escape conscription into the Russian army. Living in the heart of Glasgow’s tight-knit Jewish community,?he dreams of playing for Celtic FC until World War I intervenes and he is sent to work as a credit draper, peddling goods on credit to the crofters and villagers of the Western Highlands. A stranger in a strange land, Avram is faced with the challenges of setting up a new business and capturing the heart of a Highland lass. But how easy will it be to shake off his Jewish roots? The award-winning The Credit Draper is the first book in J. David Simons’ magnum opus, a loose trilogy following his interconnected cast of characters from Glasgow to Galilee. The story continues with The Liberation of Celia Kahn and is concluded in the finale, The Land Agent, published in October 2014. Touching on issues of identity, displacement, community, feminism, alcoholism, socialism and idealism, the novels provide a valuable literary record of the Jewish community.