Their names bespeak a rich and varied past, belying their paucity of notice by historians. From the Norse Hjaltland comes the modern Shetland: islands nominally Scottish, steeped in Nordic culture, closer to the Arctic Circle than to London. Important Neolithic sites at Skara Brae and Maes Howe in the Orkneys wallow in anonymity next to Stonehenge. Holy Iona, island center of Celtic Christianity; the Isle of Man, former seat of rule over the Irish Sea; Anglesey and Islay, homes of forgotten Medieval courts at Aberffraw and Loch Finlaggan—these are just a few of the more than 6,000 islands that form the archipelago known as the British Isles. Inhabited for millennia and today home to half a million people, the offshore British Isles demonstrate that Great Britain is far more than just England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. This history of Britain’s other islands sheds light on a fundamental but neglected aspect of the past. Focusing on the eight islands or chains that have long supported substantial populations, it tells the stories of Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides, Anglesey, the Channel Islands, the Scilly Isles, and the Isles of Man and Wight. From their earliest Neolithic settlement, to Roman, Norse and Norman occupation, to the struggle to maintain their unique identities in today’s world, the lives of these islands are a fascinating overlooked slice of European history. A chapter is devoted to each, and maps of the islands are included. Appendices provide geographical descriptions, population statistics, political and economic profiles. A select bibliography and index are included.
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About the Author
British-born David W. Moore, a college history professor, lives in Los Angeles, California.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Other British Isles,
This review is from: The Other British Isles: A History Of Shetland, Orkney, The Hebrides, Isle Of Man, Angelsey, Scilly, Isle Of Wight And The Channel Islands (Hardcover)
Excellent summary of the overlooked history of the main off-shore islands. Fascinating details of an almost parallel universe to the mainland. Their geography often placed them in the way of power struggles taking place beyond their shores. Each island has its own peculiarities with shifting economies based on far-flung trading partners and changing demands. The book zips along, covering a lot of ground but has a terrific index for cross referencing place names and keeping track of the colorful characters that peopled the isles up to and including recent times.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Resource,
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This review is from: The Other British Isles: A History Of Shetland, Orkney, The Hebrides, Isle Of Man, Angelsey, Scilly, Isle Of Wight And The Channel Islands (Hardcover)
This was one of the few books I could find on the Orkneys, and it has been very informative and interesting so far. Highly recommended for anyone interested in another facet of British culture.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To be placed on the Re-Reading shelf,
By John the Reader "John" (Orlando, FL) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Other British Isles: A History Of Shetland, Orkney, The Hebrides, Isle Of Man, Angelsey, Scilly, Isle Of Wight And The Channel Islands (Hardcover)
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Being of Celtic stock and from one of the 6,289 offshore `islands of the archipelagos', but not from one visited or even indexed by David Moore, I could readily accept his statements on the differences of attitude if not cultures of `islanders' to those peoples on the mainland of Great Britain, but I argue with his claim that history readers might be forgiven for forgetting these islands form part of the nation - it is called the British Isles after all! Firstly, the physical book itself, handsomely published by the appropriately named McFarland, a large yet handy volume, regretfully containing in this version just a handful of sketched maps. As I enjoyed the book I longed for photographs, even at one stage - the descriptions of Skara Brae - resorting to Google, so as to actually "see" what I had learned by my reading. I was able to rely on personal memories for several of the islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Orkney, Wright and Mann) in support of the mind-pictures of the prose, but would have liked some pictures, or indeed, more descriptions of these beautiful isles from Professor Moore. Of Skara Brae itself the author firmly establishes its antiquity by creating a mind-picture of a path descending to the foundations past a series of `signposts' recording such historical events as the moon landing, various inventions, the crusades, the Roman Empire, the building of the pyramids until - oldest of all - the founding of Skara Brae itself. Dated to 3100 BCE this `village' had built in closet organizers, sleeping couches and even rudimentary plumbing and drainage - long before the Romans settled. An island occupation from over 5000 years ago that astounds us still. This is a book for history buffs, written by a history professor, so is not for casual skimming, and it requires concentration - almost studying - but the rewards justify one's attention. The work is a deep historical research leading to thrilling and revealing accounts. Despite my visiting many times and often reading about the Channel Isles - those geographical, incongruous anomalies near Brittany - I had little idea of the waves of anthropological storms that had washed around them. Anglesey - again oft visited and, I thought before reading this work, well know - proved to have exciting stories of Roman occupation, Vikings, Druids and Welsh Kings, It was, Moore reveals, called M'n mam Cymru, the Mother of Wales as long ago as the time of Gruffydd in 1081. This is a book that can be strongly recommended to any `history-buff' or even more serious studiers of the history of the British Isles, or of man and Western civilization.
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