Who was St Columba? Why was Mary, Queen of Scots executed? When were the Jacobite risings? Where was the new Scottish Parliament built? Scotland's vibrant and bloody past captures the imagination. But there is far more to Scottish history than murder and mayhem, tragedy and betrayal. In Scotland's History, historian Fiona Watson looks back across thousands of years into the lives of the people of Scotland. She captures the critical moments and memorable personalities known throughout the world - from the Picts to Bonnie Prince Charlie, and from Macbeth to the Battle of Bannockburn - revealing the truth behind the myths.

Few aspects of Scottish history inspire as fervent an interest as the wars with England. The exploits of not one, but two, national heroes - William Wallace and Robert Bruce - have excited the attention of a host of novelists, filmmakers, artists and songwriters, as well as historians. But few have ventured to examine it in depth from an English perspective. Yet there could have been no Wallace or Bruce, no Stirling Bridge or Bannockburn, without the English kings' efforts to subjugate their northern neighbour. This book explores how Edward I attempted to bring the Scottish kingdom under his control during the last years of the thirteenth and early years of the fourteenth centuries. Despite England's overwhelming military might, victory was by no means inevitable, and Scotland's leaders proved able to create a successful front to repel a far more powerful enemy. Packed with detail, description and analysis, Under the Hammer paints a vivid picture of a key period in the history of both nations.

From the early settlers after the last Ice Age, and the myth and ritual that surrounds that prehistoric period, Fiona Watson charts the evolution of the Scottish people - as Scots, Picts and Angles - and their interaction with the world abroad, from invasions by the Romans and Vikings and the medieval wars of independence with England right through to Devolution.

It is easy to overlook how much of our history is preserved all around us - the way the narrative of bygone days has been inscribed in fields, forests, hills and mountains, roads, railways, canals, lochs, buildings and settlements. Indeed, footprints of the past are to be found almost everywhere. The shapes of fields may reveal the brief presence of the Romans or the labours of medieval peasants; while great heaps of abandoned spoil or the remains of gargantuan holes in the ground mark the rapid decline of heavy industry in the recent past. These evocative spaces provide unique evidence for the way this land and its wealth of resources has been lived in, worked on, ruined, abandoned, restored and celebrated - offering valuable clues that bring the past to life far more effectively than any written history. A History of Scotland's Landscapes explores the many ways that we have used, adapted and altered our environment over thousands of years. Full of maps, photographs and drawings, it offers a remarkable new perspective on Scotland - a unique guide to tracing memories, events and meanings in the forms and patterns of our surroundings.

`An indispensable series for anyone who wishes to keep abreast of recent work in the field'. WELSH HISTORY REVIEW Volume VI of Thirteenth Century England sees a new impetus behind this biennial series. The conference which generates the studies - a generous thirteen in this volume - has now moved to Durham, where Professor MICHAEL PRESTWICH is Pro-Vice Chancellor and Professor ROBIN FRAME and Dr RICHARD BRITNELL are members of the History Department. It is the publishers' hope that, like Anglo-Norman Studies, the series will now be recognised as one which any library with a serious interest in medieval history will need to possess. This latest volume in the series takes a broad chronological approach, covering a wide range of topics over a period extending from the late twelfth to the early fourteenth century, the so-called `long thirteenth century'. Embracing different aspects of the economic, social and political history of the period, subjects include naval warfare under Richard I; England's relations with Wales and Scotland; the purchasing practices of great households, and the management of the Winchester estates; the expulsion of Jews in 1290; and the construction and political message of the Vita Edwardi Secundi. Two articles concern women, one looking at the role of queens in granting pardons, the other at the fate of widows in the aftermath of rebellion. Contributors: JOHN GILLINGHAM, BARBARA HARVEY, MARK PAGE, PETER COSS,JENS ROEHRKASTEN, ROBERT C. STACEY, SUSAN CRANE, J.J. CRUMP, FIONA WATSON, JOHN PARSONS, PAULA DOBROWOLSKI, CHRIS GIVEN-WILSON, WENDY CHILDS

A respected historian of medieval Scotland releases the authentic historical Macbeth from a prison of literary and folkloric myth Thanks to Shakespeare, the name Macbeth has become a byword for political ambition realized by bloody violence. Fiona Watson has uncovered, buried beneath the layers of myth, a history that is entirely different from, but just as extraordinary as, that recounted by Shakespeare. As ruler of Alba (Scotland) Macbeth sat on one of the longest-established thrones in Western Europe. It is true that he killed Duncan, the previous king, but this was the normal, if brutal, method of regime change in Dark Age Scotland. The reality is that Macbeth quickly established himself as an effective and popular ruler. As a Celtic warrior-king, he was responsible for the maintenance of his people's dominance of northern Britain. A friend to the Church and valiant protector of his people, the real Macbeth epitomized the contemporary model of vigorous medieval kingship. His fascinating story, long overdue in the telling, is done full justice in this authoritative and compelling narrative.

Within Europe Great Britain and Germany are leading the way when it comes to environmental-historical debates. This volume documents the first explicit exchange between German and British environmental historians concerning their respective topics and methods, which took place at the 24th meeting of the Prince Albert Society under the heading "Environment and History in Britain and Germany." Articles by one renowned German and one renowned British environmental historian are included in each case on each of the following subjects: "Environmental Historiography," "Resources and Sustainability," "The Challenges of Industrialization and Urbanization," as well as "Protecting the Environment." The book provides a fascinating insight into two scientific cultures and documents the central importance of environmental history for the understanding of modern societies.

REVIEWS OF PREVIOUS EDITIONS: 'An authoritative, readable and attractively illustrated book...it is likely to be a much cited, definitive work for a long time to come.' Ian Whyte, Landscape History 'I thoroughly recommend it to ecologists, historians, and anyone liking a good story.' Oliver Rackham, Agricultural History Review 'This well-produced book has been a great pleasure for me to read and, indeed, I wish it had been written years ago so I could have recommended it during my course on Quaternary paleoecology! Every one of the colour plates is appropriate and attractive.!I stress again my admiration of this book.' James H Dickson, Environmental History (January 2006) 'An excellent combination of detailed case studies and more general reviews! a particular strength of the book is that it does not deal with these industries in isolation, but shows how the management, felling and regeneration of trees and woodlands was intricately connected with grazing! The careful analysis by the authors of a wide range of sources is exemplary and the results are of great interest and value. Edinburgh University Press should be congratulated for the high production quality, including excellent colour plates, historical photographs, and maps and diagrams. This important book should be required reading for all interested in the economic and environmental history of the woodlands.' Charles Watkins, Economic History Review '[Tells] the more fundamental story of trees and woods in our history, in great detail, but always with a firm sense of narrative. It is a tribute not only to the authors' multidisciplinary talents but also to the renaissance of woodland studies north of the border.' British Wildlife Now available in paperback, the first modern history of Scottish woodlands explores the changing relationship between trees and people from the time of Scotland's first settlement, focusing on the period 1500 to 1920. Drawing on work in natural science, geography and history, as well as on the authors' own research, it presents an accessible and readable account that balances social, economic and environmental factors. Two opening chapters describe the early history of the woodlands. The book is then divided into chapters that consider traditional uses and management, the impact of outsiders on the pine woods and the oakwoods in the first phase of exploitation, and the effect of industrialisation. Separate chapters are devoted to case studies of management at Strathcarron, Glenorchy, Rothiemurchus and on Skye.