Auckland Council Libraries: A journey to the Hebrides

A journey to the Hebrides

​When Dr Samuel Johnson and his friend James Boswell visited Scotland's West in 1773, they influenced a wave of later authors travelling in their footsteps. Learn more with this selection of books or listen to our Meet a Rare Book podcast.

The discovery of the Hebrides

Elizabeth Bray

Book

Elizabeth Bray describes the exploration and exploitation of the Hebrides islands off the Western coast of Scotland using records of 18th and 19th century visitors.

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Boswell's bus pass

Stuart Campbell

Book

Stuart Campbell decided to undertake the same journey as Boswell and Johnson 238 years later, using only his pensioner's bus pass and accompanied on different legs of the journey by various friends. The result is an enjoyable and memorable journey.

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The Summer Isles

Philip Marsden

Book

Philip Marsden’s voyage up the Western coast of Britain, Ireland and Scotland in his wooden yacht Tsambika has memorable historical anecdotes and encounters with local people on the islands he visits.

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A walk to the Western Isles

Frank Delaney

Book

Frank Delany’s travel book retraces Johnson and Boswell’s journey of 1773, including the history of Scotland in the 18th century and comparing Johnson and Bowell’s experiences with his own.

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The frayed Atlantic edge

David Gange

Book

David's journey began from the north, as he spent a year kayaking the Atlantic coastlines from Shetland to Cornwall. His aim was to travel slowly, close to the water and connect with the natural world as well as the communities he visited.

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Love of country

Madeleine Bunting

Book

As a visitor to the Hebrides, Madeleine Bunting is aware of the limitations of her outsider view, but over successive visits she tries to understand the island communities and the challenges of living there, not just of holidaying.

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Hebrides

Peter May

Book

Peter May undertakes a photographic journey through the Hebridean Islands. With extracts from the trilogy and specially commissioned photographs this book places his work in the islands which were his inspiration.

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Tir a'mhurain

Paul Strand

Book

Paul Strand visited South Uist in the Outer Hebrides in 1954 and his visit resulted in the book Tir a'Mhurain, a collection of photographs which capture a moment in time of rural island community life and the wild open landscape in which they lived.

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Into the peatlands

Robin A. Crawford

Book

The peatlands of the Outer Hebrides are half land, half water. Robin Crawford explores these peatlands over the course of a year, explaining their origins and how they have been used by people since the Bronze Age.

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The canoe boys

Alastair MacTavish Dunnett

Book

Dunnett and Adam spent the Autumn of 1934 meandering up the West Coast of Scotland in their canoes. This reprint includes illustrations from archival material and press cuttings from the period, inspiring a new generation of adventure kayakers.

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Auckland Council Libraries:Book list Recommended reading lists about different topics and genres to help you find new books to read.