Chiel o' the Clachan: An Aberlady Boyhood 1862 - 1875

This is an autobiographical account of a schoolboy growing up in the village during the period described in the title. Written when the author was still a teenager, and beautifully illustrated, it offers an intriguing glimpse, through eyes untinted by the passage of time, of a rural way of life and traditions now sadly passed from living memory.

The image on the front cover is of two of Aberlady's 19thC hogmanay guisers.

It is a fascinating read. An extract of An Aberlady Boyhood is available here.

Illustrations Copyright (c) Sally J Collins (sallyjcollins@btinternet.com)

A Historical Guide to Aberlady

This is a re-publication of a historical guide to the village. An extract of  A Historical Guide to Aberlady is available here.

At £8.99 each, or £15 for both (excl. p&p), the publications are available from retail outlets within the village or may be ordered here.

The Gododdin of Aneirin

A new edition of the Dark-Age epic. The oldest core of the Gododdin was composed in the decades around AD 600. The version preserved for us, though ascribed to the 6th-century poet Aneirin, is found in a thirteenth-century manuscript that shows the effects of centuries of oral and scribal transmission and has thus undergone considerable changes.

John T. Koch now investigates the historical context and the process of transmission and for the first time seeks to reconstruct the text to its original form.

Footbridge to Enchantment

This illustrated collection brings together articles from Nigel Tranter's autobiographical country notebook which first appeared in "The Scots Magazine" in 1962. All the author's over 80 novels have been written on walks which started on the 200 paces length of the lowly, but elongated footbridge which leads to Aberlady Bay and the vast, vacant levels where the tides ebb and flow over the mudflats, the saltings and the dune country frequented by waders, terms, eiders and sand martins.

In this book, these walks form a backdrop for Tranter's recounting of his experiences over the years. Although the original was demolished by a storm in February 1990, the bridge which was the inspiration for the title has been replaced, and in its new form is still crossed daily by the writer who was asked to officially open it. Then, as now, it provided him with access to an area of unspoiled beauty. Nigel Tranter is the author of "The Bruce Trilogy", "Balefire" and "The Gilded Fleece".