{"title":"Donald S Murray","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the evocative landscapes and rich history of the Scottish islands through the works of Donald S Murray. Perfect for readers who appreciate lyrical prose and insightful storytelling.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"guga-hunters-book-donald-s-murray-9781839830211","title":"The Guga Hunters","description":"Every year, ten men from Ness, at the northern tip of the Isle of Lewis, sail north-east for some forty miles to a remote rock called Sulasgeir. Their mission is to catch and harvest the guga; the almost fully grown gannet chicks nesting on the two hundred foot high cliffs that circle the tiny island, which is barely half a mile long. After spending a fortnight in the arduous conditions that often prevail there, they return home with around two thousand of the birds, pickled and salted and ready for the tables of Nessmen and women both at home and abroad.    The Guga Hunters tells the story of the men who voyage to Sulasgeir each year and the district they hail from, bringing out the full colour of their lives, the humour and drama of their exploits. They speak of the laughter that seasons their time together on Sulasgeir, of the risks and dangers they have faced. It also provides a fascinating insight into the social history of Ness, the culture and way-of-life that lies behind the world of the Guga Hunters, the timeless nature of the hunt, and reveals the hunt's connections to the traditions of other North Atlantic countries.    Told in his district's poetry and prose, English and - occasionally - Gaelic, Donald S. 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These include such events as the sinking of the Iolaire, the ship which went down with over 200 soldiers as they returned home from World War I, the departure of the Metagama to Canada in 1923, packed with islanders on their way to start a new life in North America, and the dramatic arrival of the fishing boat the Astrid, with 29 refugees from Soviet Estonia, in 1948.    Accompanying the work are 20 striking and distinctive illustrations from, Douglas Robertson, as well as over 30 photographs. All of this comes together to capture both the past and present of the port, making the book a delight both for those who know the town well and the many holiday-makers who explore its harbour during summer months.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49515965284625,"sku":"GOR006718672","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49646861451537,"sku":"GOR012456277","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50471044514065,"sku":"GOR006799886","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/178027260X.jpg?v=1751090617"},{"product_id":"guga-hunters-book-donald-s-murray-9781841586847","title":"The Guga Hunters","description":"Tells the story of the men who voyage to Sulasgeir each year and the district they hail from. 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Lighthouses punctuate Scotland’s coastline – a stoic presence on the edge of the landscape. Since the earliest of these hardy structures were raised, they have been a lifeline for seafarers at the mercy of treacherous weather and uncertain navigation. Today over 100 of Scotland's lighthouses are listed buildings.     The lighthouse is now one of many maritime resources which act ‘for the safety of all’. But we are still drawn to the solitary life of the keeper, the beauty of the lens of the lamp and the calm reassurance of a flashing light on a distant shore.    Donald S Murray explores Scotland’s lighthouses through history, storytelling and the voices of the lightkeepers. From ancient beacons to the work of the Stevensons and the Northern Lighthouse Board, and from wartime strife to automation and preservation, the lighthouses stand as a testament to the nation’s innate connection to the sea.    Published in partnership between Historic Environment Scotland and the Northern Lighthouse Board.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49522223907089,"sku":"GOR011974911","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1849173109.jpg?v=1750768025"},{"product_id":"salt-and-the-flame-book-donald-s-murray-9781915089892","title":"The Salt and the Flame","description":"April 21, 1923. The SS Metagama is inching out of Stornoway harbour on the Isle of Lewis, bound for Canada. On board are Finlay and Mairead; they are young and hopeful, leaving behind a community that has been touched by tragedy to change their lives forever…   On the other side of the Atlantic, though, they face the realities of an uncaring industrial society. The effects of the Great Depression are inescapable, prejudice and division are rife, and though they remain bound by a shared past, their own lives soon diverge.   In an adopted country that is tense with both opportunity and loss, social progress and violent backlash, can Mairead and Finlay keep their promises to one another, to look only forward, and resist the constant pull of home?   From the author of the prize-winning As the Women Lay Dreaming comes a poignant and deeply evocative novel of the 20th-century emigrant experience in the New World. 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Following a journey from the western edge of Norway to the east of England, from Shetland and the Outer Hebrides to the fishing ports of the Baltic coast of Germany and the Netherlands, culminating in a visit to Iceland's Herring Era Museum, Donald S. Murray has stitched together tales of the fish that was of central importance to the lives of our ancestors, noting how both it - and those involved in their capture - were celebrated in the art, literature, craft, music and folklore of life in northern Europe. 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Its great literary traditions were often discussed in his home village, while the political unrest and religious fervour that marked its past and present were occassionally reflected in his life on the island. Inspired by the Russian canon, the songs, verse and stories contained within these pages draw upon the experiences of his youth, shifting continually between myth and history, the absurd and moving, the satirical and everyday. Its extraordinary and diverse narratives underline the truth of its opening line: 'I can see these islands mirror Russia.'","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49545887973649,"sku":"GOR013454954","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49743573778705,"sku":"NGR9781739207717","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1739207718.jpg?v=1750962498"},{"product_id":"man-who-talks-to-birds-book-donald-s-murray-9781913393144","title":"The Man Who Talks to Birds","description":"Donald S Murray is widely recognised for his empathy and remarkable ability to convey emotion with restraint and poignancy. In this short collection of poems written during lockdown at his Shetland home, Murray explores the changing geography of the island and how it has, in turn, changed him.  On his daily walks through the village, Murray found himself noting shifts in the wind and weather, the imperceptible widening of the sea, and the way time has slowed. Noting the way, too, in which flocks of sheep or birds congregated in a field in anticipation of the arrival of a storm.  With beautiful imagery and lyricism, The Man Who Talks to Birds taps into a deep connection with nature, and its ability to ground us, that many of us have rediscovered during 2020.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49546884841745,"sku":"GOR012195915","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49739857035537,"sku":"NGR9781913393144","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1913393143.jpg?v=1750964750"},{"product_id":"dark-stuff-book-donald-s-murray-9781472942753","title":"The Dark Stuff","description":"An evocative social history of Europe's peatlands, moors, bogs and heaths.  Donald S. Murray spent much of his childhood either playing or working on the moor, chasing sheep across empty acres and cutting and gathering peat for fuel.   The Dark Stuff is an examination of how this landscape affected him and others. Donald explores his early life on the Isle of Lewis together with the experiences of those who lived near moors much further afield, from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland to the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland and even Australia. Examining this environment in all its roles and guises, Donald reflects on the ways that for centuries humans have represented the moor in literature, art and folktale, and he reveals how in some countries, these habitats remain an essential aspect of their industrial heritage and working life today.   On his journey, Donald confronts the unexpected – how Europe’s peatlands are part of the dark heart of that continent, playing a crucial role in the history of crime and punishment in several countries. He also examines our current perception of moorland, asking how – for the sake, perhaps, of our planet’s survival – we can learn to love a landscape we have all too often in our history denigrated, feared and despised.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49553743905041,"sku":"GOR009370421","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49733245731089,"sku":"NGR9781472942753","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50810785005841,"sku":"GOR009069879","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52822017147153,"sku":"GOR012359302","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52996827382033,"sku":"GOR014687772","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1472942752.jpg?v=1751272909"},{"product_id":"for-the-safety-of-all-book-donald-s-murray-9781849173278","title":"For the Safety of All","description":"'There have always been lighthouses in my life. There has been a closeness and steadiness to our relationship, as if they have kept pace and in close contact with me.'    Lighthouses punctuate Scotland’s coastline – a stoic presence on the edge of the landscape. Since the earliest of these hardy structures were raised, they have been a lifeline for seafarers at the mercy of treacherous weather and uncertain navigation. Today over 100 of Scotland's lighthouses are listed buildings.     The lighthouse is now one of many maritime resources which act ‘for the safety of all’. But we are still drawn to the solitary life of the keeper, the beauty of the lens of the lamp and the calm reassurance of a flashing light on a distant shore.    Donald S Murray explores Scotland’s lighthouses through history, storytelling and the voices of the lightkeepers. From ancient beacons to the work of the Stevensons and the Northern Lighthouse Board, and from wartime strife to automation and preservation, the lighthouses stand as a testament to the nation’s innate connection to the sea.    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