Commissioned especially for Scotland's Year of Stories, Saut an Bluid offers an inspired blend of traditional storytelling with historical fiction to tell this tale that links Scotland and Norway's pasts together. In nine days of drama, the full smeddum of Scotland's Norse saga unfolds in pithy Scots. As Guid King Alexander tumbles to his death, a gutsy backstory comes to the boil. And at the heart of the crisis is Skald the Ferryman, storyteller of Pittenweem. What is his connection with the Maid of Norway, and the Corryvreckan whirlpool?

Commissioned especially for Scotland's Year of Stories, Storm and Shore connects the west coast of Scotland's rich mythological past with the present day. When artist Lucy Salter comes to a remote Argyll coastline she aims to connect with nature in its wild state. Aid worker Dave McArthur is fleeing traumatic conflict. But they have both ventured into a borderland, layered by history, migration and repressed violence. It is a liminal place, storied by centuries of settlement and travel. Yet local tradition bearers, bard and seannachaidh, can channel the past. From these hauntings, a storytelling tapestry is woven from the sea, nature myth and weather. The long roots of our global crisis are laid bare in landfalls, wherein the crucible of Gaelic tradition, creatures of the sea meet the shore.

Storyteller Lea Taylor brings together stories from the rugged coastlines, rushing rivers, uplands and sweeping valleys of Midlothian. In this treasure trove of tales you will meet kings and queens, saints and sinners, witches and wizards, ghosts and giants, fools and tricksters - all as mysterious and powerful as the landscape they inhabit. Retold in an engaging style, and richly illustrated with unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria in agriculture. The first chapter considers the use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as plant biostimulants in agriculture. It considers the benefits of PGPR, such as their ability to promote plant growth and productivity under both normal and abiotic-stressed induced environments. The chapter also looks towards PGPR application as a sustainable and efficient method to enhance crop production. The second chapter reviews recent research on the use of PGPR as biofertilizers to enhance root function and improve nutrient uptake, with emphasis on their effects on root architecture, metabolism and adaptation to abiotic stress. The third chapter explores the use of microbial bio-effectors and their ability to optimise the mineral nutrition of agricultural crops. The chapter also reviews the wealth of research on the mechanism of action, applications and efficacy of key plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPMs). The final chapter reviews the use of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) as a biocontrol agent against invertebrate pests. The chapter analyses the effects of PGPB species against these pest types and enlists a case study on the PGPB species Pseudomonas protegens to further demonstrate this.

Scotland's Democracy Trail goes from Edinburgh Castle, Greyfriars, down the High Street, across North Bridge to Calton Hill, and then on down to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Apart from its historic significance, the route encompasses Edinburgh's most dramatic scenery and townscape. The Trail follows the emergence of democratic thought and action in Scotland from the sixteenth century, linking pivotal events to locations on the way. It is a story of ups and downs, triumphs and tragedies, borne along by a stubborn persistent advance. Although the roots of democracy run deep in Scotland, here we concentrate on the footprint of democracy in our capital city.

When a traveling peddler discovers the murder of a farm family in colonial North Carolina whose bodies have been left in bizarre positions, circumstances point to an Indian attack. But Harry Woodyard, a young planter who is the volunteer constable of Craven County during a period in America's past when there was no professional police force, finds clues that seem to indicate otherwise. The county establishment wants to blame the crime on a former inhabitant, an elderly Indian who has suddenly reappeared in the vicinity like an old ghost. But he is a person to whom Harry owes much. Defying the authorities, Harry goes off on his own to find the real killer. His investigation takes him up the Atlantic seacoast and turns into a perilous hunt for even bigger quarry that could affect the future of Britain in the American continent.

BALLAD of the FIVE MARYS Yestreen the Queen had Four Marys Tonight she’ll hae but three There was Mary Seton, and Mary Beaton And Mary Carmichael and me. from ‘Mary Hamilton’, The Child Ballads The Mary Carmichael of the well-known ballad may be a fiction but Marys Seton, Beaton, Livingston and Fleming, together with Mary Stewart, comprised the real five Marys – assertive young women unafraid to question their place in society. Who was Mary Queen of Scots? Vilified as an adulteress, only to be immortalised as a martyr, where does history become legend? Why was Mary deposed? Who killed Darnley? Five hundred years after the Battle of Flodden and the birth of John Knox, this new take on Mary’s life explores not only the historical events which led to her demise, but the relationships and emotions of an increasingly isolated young woman faced with political and religious upheaval and her country’s gradual loss of independence. Our Sovereign Lady who now Reigns at this Hour, The Mighty Lord be ever her Protector And Make Her Marriage as He thinks Best, That Her Liege may Reign in Peace and RestTHE FORMAN ARMORIAL, C.1562

The garden is an oasis, a pocket of nature in our busy modern lives, full of plants, animals, insects - and a fair bit of magic. Folk Tales from the Garden follows the seasons through a year of stories, garden lore and legends. Explore the changing face of nature just outside your front door, from the tale of the Creator painting her birds and the merits of kissing an old toad, to pixies sleeping in the tulips, and an unusually large turnip.

Two extraordinary women come back to full-bodied life. Flora McIvor has been rescued from the pages of Sir Walter Scott, who sent her to a nunnery. Her close friend, the real life Clementina Walkinshaw, was the love of Bonnie Prince Charlie, and mother of his only child. Both are caught up in a tangle of espionage and treachery following the defeat of the 1745 Jacobite Rising in Scotland. The novel ranges over Europe, and finally to America, showing the international reach of Scotland’s culture and politics. Flora struggles through political failure and personal tragedy towards creative fulfilment in the arts of theatre, and a late discovery of love. In this drama, which combines storytelling with opera, she defies Scott who wrote her out of ‘Waverley’ as a woman without a future.

In the bicentenary year of the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s first novel Waverley, this is a timely republication of Buchan’s work The Man and the Book, originally published in 1925. Buchan’s treatment is sympathetic but perceptive, and at points critical. Whilst acknowledging Scott’s weaknesses, the book also touches upon the creative pulse of his great predecessor’s achievement. Interspersed with superb extracts exhibiting Scott’s narrative arts, as a short introduction to and sampling of Scott, John Buchan’s work has never been bettered. To this day, this book remains the ideal advocate and guide to the great Sir Walter Scott.

Experience the scenery and folklore of Edinburgh's iconic Old Town through new eyes in the latest installment in the Journeys and Evocations series. This blend of prose, poetry, photography and history is the perfect gift for any visitor to Scotland's capital city.

Introduced by Donald Smith. Set in Rome during Nero's reign of terror, The Blood of the Martyrs is a disciplined historical novel tracing the destruction of one cell of the early church. With a cast of slaves, ordinary Roman people, exiles and entertainers, it is thorough in its historical interpretation and in its determination to make the past accessible and readable. Written in 1938-9, the novel contains many symbolic parallels to the rise of European fascism in the 1930s and the desperate plight of persecuted minorities such as the Jews and the left-wing activists with whom Naomi Mitchison personally campaigned at the time. With the invasion of Britain a real possibility, she felt compelled to write a testament to the power of human solidarity which, even faced with death, can overcome the worst that human evil can achieve. The Blood of the Martyrs is the least autobiographical of Mitchison's major works of fiction, yet, with its implicit credo, is her most passionately self-revealing.

This tale of intrigue and betrayal goes to the heart of events surrounding the Treaty of Union in 1707. Daniel Foe (better known as Defoe), sent to Scotland to sway opinion towards Union, reports to his English spymaster. But Edinburgh is already a hotbed of counter-plots and nascent rebellion. Foe's encounters with a landlady who is not what she seems, and with a beautiful Jacobite agent, lead him to become a novelist, against his better instincts.

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Storyteller Tim Porteus brings together stories from the rugged coastlines, golden beaches, rolling countryside and dramatic Lammermuir Hills of the ancient county of East Lothian. In this treasure trove of tales you will meet Scottish kings and queens, saints and sinners, witches and wizards, ghosts and giants, fools and tricksters - all as fantastical and powerful as the landscape they inhabit. Retold in an engaging style, and richly illustrated with unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.

Lord Cockburn, Victorian defender of Edinburgh’s beauties, describes Calton Hill as ‘the Glory of Edinburgh’. ‘It presents us,’ enthused Cockburn, ‘with the finest prospects both of its vicinity and the city… it is adorned by beautiful buildings dedicated to science and to the memory of distinguished men.’ Following on from the success of Arthur’s Seat, the Journeys and Evocations series continues with a look at the events and folklore surrounding Edinburgh’s iconic Calton Hill. Standing only 338 ft (103m) high, this small hill offers a fascinating view of Edinburgh both literally and historically. The book brings together prose, poetry and photographic images to explore the Calton Hill’s role in radical and nationalist politics through the centuries, as well as taking a look at the buildings, philosophy and intrigue of a central part of Edinburgh’s landscape.

Fionn Cycle: A loose collection of tales originating in Scotland, Ireland and the Isle of Man which surround hunter-warrior leader Fionn, his band of men and his poet son, Ossian. Old Grey Magician: A mystical, morally ambivalent figure who appears throughout Celtic mythology; in Ireland he is the Dark Druid, and often he appears as a seabird. The shapeshifting sorcerer is a thorn in Fionn’s side, solving impossible problems but always asking too much in return. George W Macpherson has been telling the traditional tales of Fionn and the Fianna for years, artfully drawing in audiences with his storytelling talent. Gathered from sources all over the country and occasionally beyond, and collected here for the first time, the Old Grey Magician’s exploits offer a fascinating insight into the traditions of Scotland and the development of oral storytelling. Introduced and situated in physical and literary history by Donald Smith, this collection reminds us of the importance of retaining the stories that shaped us.

Born in 1861 to a Methodist family, William Henry Jackson grew up in Ontario before moving to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where he sympathized with the Métis and their struggle for land rights. Jackson became personal secretary to Louis Riel. After the Métis defeat, a Regina court committed the young English Canadian idealist, who had become a Catholic in the Métis camp, and who had later accepted Louis Riel as the prophet of a reformed Christian church, to the lunatic asylum at Lower Fort Garry. He eventually escaped to the United States, joined the labour union movement, and renounced his race. Self-identifying as Métis, he changed his name to the French-sounding "Honoré Jaxon" and devoted the remainder of his life to fighting for the working class and the Indigenous peoples of North America. In Honoré Jaxon, Donald B. Smith draws on extensive archival research and interviews with family members to present a definitive biography of this complex political man. The book follows Jaxon into the 1940s, where his life mission became the establishment of a library for the First Nations in Saskatchewan, collecting as many books, newspapers, and pamphlets relating to the Métis people as possible. In 1951, at age ninety, he was evicted from his apartment and his library was discarded to the New York City dump. In poor health and broken in spirit, he died one month later. Heavily illustrated, Honoré Jaxon recounts the complicated story of a young English Canadian who imagined a society in which English and French, Indigenous and Métis would be equals.