A walking tour of the border region where England and Scotland meet by the award-winning Scottish writer, meditating on the conflict and union of their relationship through history and in the future Moffat is a great storyteller and his stories are rich, full of interest. One of the many merits of this fascinating book is that it invites us to think about who we are and what our history means or might mean to us. It is also a reflection on what it has meant and may mean in the future
As admirable in its simplicity as it is daunting in its complexity . . . Moffat peers into the farther corners of history as he criss-crosses the border. There he is able to coax other, less well-familiar characters to step out of the shadows
A study in nationalism . . . A journey of 100 miles but one that time travel[s] through 800 years of complex history
Praise for Alistair Moffat: [
To the Island of Tides] is often beautifully evocative of places, the past and the landscape . . . compelling and revealing
Extraordinary . . . There is a powerful, natural beauty in Moffat's writing
[Moffat] is a great teacher . . . Alert though he is to change and to the world we have lived into, he is forever in search of time that is lost and can be recovered. Enthralling . . .
Joyous . . . [
The Secret History of Here] is a delightful meditation on a place, and on the role that humans played in its evolution
Absorbing and thought-provoking
Truly fascinating
Alistair Moffat was born in Kelso, Scotland in 1950. He is an award-winning writer, historian and Director of Programmes at Scottish Television, former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and former Rector of the University of St Andrews. He is the founder of Borders Book Festival and Co-Chairman of The Great Tapestry of Scotland, and the author of The Secret History of Here: A Year in the Valley, The Hidden Ways: Scotland's Forgotten Roads and To the Island of Tides: A Journey to Lindisfarne.
alistairmoffat.co.uk