Canna: The Story of a Hebridean Island [Paperback]

John Lorne Campbell (Author), Hugh Cheape (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

An account of Canna, a beautiful Hebridean island. Small though it is, many of the major historical trends of the Hebrides have touched it, from St Columba through the Benedictine monasticism of Iona to the Lordship of the Isles. Following the Reformation the island was of considerable importance to the Irish Franciscan mission of the 1620s and also the Jacobite risings before being swept up in the tragedies of depopulation and clearance of the 19th century. Gifted to the National Trust in 1981, the island is undergoing something of a revival, with the creation of the St Edward Centre on Sanday, and the proposed developments of Canna House. Archaeological surveys and historical research has uncovered more evidence about the island. Hugh Cheape of the Royal Museum of Scotland, who has been intimately involved with the Canna project, has edited this volume. This edition contains new contributions which update and fill out the account of the island.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The scholarly dignity of this book is impressive, yet delightfully unforbidding. It makes splendid reading' - Country Life 'The story of Canna is one of optimism, memorably written by a man who cares passionately for people, their language and their landscapes' - The Scotsman

About the Author

John Lorne Campbell was one of the foremost scholars of the Gaelic world. His library on Canna is possibly the finest collection of Gaelic material in existence and has now become a study centre. He was the author and editor of many books and was responsible for putting into print some of the major figures of the Gaelic world, such as The Coddy, from Barra and Angus Maclellan, from South Uist. His wife, Margaret Fay Shaw, still lives in Canna House. Canna was first published in paperback by Canongate in 1994.

Product Details

• Paperback: 361 pages
• Publisher: Birlinn Ltd; 4 edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184158200X
• ISBN-13: 978-1841582009
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,162,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource of info about the MacDonald's of Canna, April 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Windsor, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canna: The Story of a Hebridean Island (Paperback)

There are few books about this small Hebridean island, but J.L. Campbell has written a fully detailed book, giving the history of the people who lived on Canna as far back as the 13th century. As well, he explains their leaving and where they landed in America.

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good history written by the owner of the island, November 3, 2007

By 

K. J. Broekema (Roosendaal Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Canna: The Story of a Hebridean Island (Paperback)

I visited Canna twice in 2003 during a one week sailing trip on a classical ship with the name Edda Frandsen. We also sailed close to Rum and Eigg and visited several of the outer islands. I have dear memories of the loneliness of the environment and I have been reading about its history ever since.
John Lorne Campbell owned Canna before he donated it to the National Trust for Scotland. I like the idea of now knowing the persons living in the manor house that is so visible from the harbour. The manor house owned most of the penny lands. These are small farms stocked with seven cows and two horses. The arable land was fertilized by carrying seaweed onto it. Most inhabitants lived at subsistence level. The people in the manor house usually were the only ones on the island who were literate. This is a well written and complete history starting 4000 BC and carrying us through Columba, the Vikings and Culloden into modern times. Like the other islands and mainland Scotland, people lived in a social system called servitude until very recently. Their life at subsistence level became unacceptable in modern times and many inhabitants emigrated from the overpopulated island. There is a high degree of personal involvement from the writer who clearly loves his island and its Gaelic culture. It is a very good book.