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People are drawn to the harbours and boats of Scotland whether they
have a seafaring background or not. Why do boats take on different
shapes as you follow the complex shorelines of islands and
mainland? And why do the sails they carry appear to be so many
shapes and sizes? Then there are rowing craft or power-driven
vessels which can also be considered 'classics', whether they were
built for work or leisure. As he traces the iconic forms of a
selection of the boats of Scotland, Ian Stephen outlines the
purposes of craft, past and present, to help gain a true
understanding of this vital part of our culture. Sea conditions
likely to be met and coastal geography are other factors behind the
designs of a wide variety of craft. Stories go with boats. The
vessels are not seen as bare artefacts without their own soul but
more like living things.
Adventure, memoir, storytelling and celebration of all things
maritime meet in Waypoints, a beautifully written account of sea
journeys from Scotland's west coast. In the book Ian Stephen
reveals a lifetime's love affair with sailing; each voyage honours
a seagoing vessel, and each adventure is accompanied by a
spell-binding retelling of a traditional tale about the sea. His
writing is enchanting and lyrical, gentle but searching, and is
accompanied by beautiful illustrations of each vessel, drawn by his
wife, artist Christine Morrison. Ian Stephen is a Scottish writer,
artist and storyteller from the remote and bewitching Isle of Lewis
in the Outer Hebrides. He fell in love with boats and sailing as a
boy, pairing this love affair with a passion for the beautiful but
merciless Scottish coastline, an inspiration and motivating force
behind his poems, stories, plays, radio broadcasts and visual arts
projects for many years. This book will be a delightful and
absorbing read for anyone with a passion for sailing and the seas,
Scotland's landscape and coastlines, stories and the origins of
language and literature.
"A bright book and a brilliant book." - Robert Macfarlane. 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.
Western Isles Folk Tales is a representative collection of stories
from the geographical span of the long chain of islands known as
the Outer Hebrides. Some are well-known tales and others have been
sought out by the author, but all are retold in the natural voice
of a local man. You will find premonitions, accounts of uncanny
events and mythical beings, such as the blue men of the stream who
test mariners venturing into the tidal currents around the Shiant
Islands. Also included are tales from islands now uninhabited, like
the archipelago of St Kilda, in contrast to the witty yarns from
bustling harbours. The author was the inaugural winner of the
Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship (1995) and his Acts of Trust
collaboration with visual artist Christine Morrison won the
multi-arts category in the first British Awards for Storytelling
Excellence (2012). Both author and illustrator live in Stornoway,
Isle of Lewis.
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Nadine Gordimer
Paperback
(2)
R383
R318
Discovery Miles 3 180
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