Scotland

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Too often Scotland is summed up by the Highlands-or more specifically, the romantic , Victorian view of the Highlands: tartan and deer stalking; bagpipes and whisky; deep brooding lochs, heather-clad glens, and snowcapped mountains. Alternatively, the visitor stops in Edinburgh, the historic royal capital, with its 1,000-year-old castle silhouetted dramatically on its volcanic rock at one end of the Old Town's Royal Mile, and its classical New Town, which has been called the finest example of neo-Georgian left in the world.

Both views of Scotland are real but there is much, much more. The stark, rugged beauty of the Highlands contrasts vividly with the rolling moorlands of the Borders, its forests and the majestic River Tweed. The shallow estuary of the Solway Firth, bordering England in the southwest could be in a different country to the Atlantic storm-lashed wildness of the Western Isles further up the western seaboard. Anyone who has strolled along the "bonny banks" of Loch Lomond, been "over the sea to Skye," or has lingered in the beautiful woodlands of the upper reaches of the River Dee knows the allure of this country.

Discover the beauty of Scotland and the richness of its history in this lavishly illustrated tribute. After an introductory essay on the country's history and the importance of Scotland and the Scottish to world history, the book is split into sections that examine Scotland's highlands and lowlands, cities, islands and towns.

From John o' Groats to Gretna Green; from the magical Western Isles to the "Granite City" of A b e rdeen; from the harsh wilderness of the Highlands to the lush Borders; from Bannockburn to Culloden-this book looks at the people and the places north of Hadrian's famous wall.