Review 577: Scotland: An Intimate Portrait

Scotland: An Intimate Portrait by Geddes MacGregor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a slightly dated book with the original copyright of 1980 and first published in 1985 under the name: Scotland Forever Home. This edition was published in 1990, but hard to say if anything was changed from the original. It reads like this was written in the 1980s.

The later chapter about Scottish politics and outlook on independence was where the age showed itself the most. As part travel guide it there may be some changes there. Then again, some buildings, castles, and bridges have been around for centuries so a few decades may not make much of a difference.

The book is partly history, partly travel guide, partly cultural guide and partly entertaining. MacGregor has a way of writing that made sure the book wasn’t dull. Peppered throughout were small vignettes, stories, or tales that would help give the flavor of the people of Scotland.

One I found hilarious, paraphrased here found in the description of Aberdeen and tradition of fishing. A “fishy story” of a fishwife and a man asking about the freshness, who also happened to be a ventriloquist. He asks if the large cod she was carrying around to be sold was fresh, of course she answered yes, “I’ve just brocht it in fae the sea.” The cod replied “Sh’es a lee-ar. I’ve been here for a week!”

Just about all aspects of Scotland was covered, although not thoroughly as that would be way too much to fit all in. Such as the section on islands, MacGregor had to pick some to describe and provide some information, but many of the 787 islands had be overlooked.

The book concludes with 9 appendices, two are for Scottish words, two for historic dates, one on cuisine, another on whisky and a few others. It does feel like MacGregor covers it all.

I would be remiss not to mention how MacGregor is writing this for the Scottish Diaspora, particularly the American with Scottish ancestry, which would mean myself. Several times he says you must visit the homeland, perhaps like a pilgrimage. I’ve had this book many years, perhaps since the mid-1990s and I’m not sure why I neglected to read before. It certainly would have been a good book to read before either of my visits to the homeland.