In Search of Scotland [Paperback]

H. V. Morton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1984

A book by H. V. Morton is more than a travel book: it is a sensitive interpretation of a country's people and their history. The success of his first book on England, established the popularity of something new and refreshing in this type of literature. Mr Morton's travels have gained him thousands of readers in all parts of the world. The author has frequently been requested to define the secret of writing a travel book. He always replies: 'There is no secret. You either enjoy yourself or you do not. If you do, say so if you do not - say so!' This disarming sincerity is, perhaps, responsible for the charm and fascination of his books. The feel and smell of the countryside, also a sense of movement, find their way into these light-hearted wanderings, and, combined with humour, acute observation, sympathy and an engaging curiosity, have justly gained for them a wide and increasing popularity. Contents Include: I Go in Search of Scotland I Explore Edinburgh I See the Castle of Roslin Tells how I go on Through Rain to Lochleven In Which I Climb into the Highlands I Describe a Mystery of Aberdeen Describes a Sincere Scottish Breakfast In Which I Work East to West I Go by Sea to Sky How I Break the Sabbath I Sail up the Clyde into Glasgow In Which I Encounter Men Who Melt Steel

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Dodd Mead (August 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0396083773
• ISBN-13: 978-0396083771
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,444,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Search Of Scotland by H.V. Morton, November 2, 2010

By 

Joan Campion (Fountain Hill, PA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Search of Scotland (Paperback)

In the Lion's Mouth: Gisi Fleischmann & the Jewish Fight for SurvivalJerusalem Journal: Adventures in a Desert LandscapeSmokestacks and Black Diamonds: A History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania
Need a vacation but can't get away? Pick up a book by the great British travel writer H.V. Morton. It is guaranteed to lift you out of your mental doldrums and take you places.
Morton, who lived and worked in the 20th century, continues to have a significant following today--in fact, his readers have formed an international Society, the H.V. Morton Society, which any enthusiast may join. (This enthusiast has.)
"In Search Of Scotland" is the Morton book I first encountered. It had a page or two, right at the beginning, that I found dull--but after that I was hooked. Morton depicted the romantic and tragic country of Scotland in such a way that I felt I was there, seeing things through his eyes. He introduced many of the people. He made me laugh. He made me cry. He made me buy other books by him.
Try him. He is a writer who, if you let him, will become your friend.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining but lacks the magic of its predecessor, April 18, 2008

By 

Andrew S. Rogers (Stamford, Connecticut) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: In Search of Scotland (Paperback)

I have to say at the start that I've read and reviewed maybe a half-dozen H.V. Morton books, and I've yet to find one that's not well-written, interesting, and entertaining. But as with any author, some books are better than others. I started reading "In Search of Scotland" right after finishing Morton's wonderful "In Search of England," and I have to admit I found "...Scotland" something of a letdown.

I've been trying to decide why exactly that is, and I think it may simply be because "...England" was a diverse, you might say, book, with a wider variety of personalities, encounters, and generally interesting things to do and see. It may be, too, that Morton was more familiar with England and so could write about it more broadly and confidently. One of the things I found most surprising about "...Scotland," in fact, was Morton's discussion of how unknown most of Scotland -- particularly the Highlands -- still was to the majority of English people, even as late as the time Morton was writing (1929). Scotland was in many senses a foreign land, making "In Search of Scotland" Morton's first piece of "foreign" travel writing (all his previous books had been about England, and mostly about London).

While parts of "...Scotland" dragged for me, there were still many times when Morton's descriptive skill shined through, and the reader comes away with a strong sense of the role history plays (or played?) in the average Scot's understanding of himself and his place in the world. As with so much of Morton's writing, it would be fascinating to know how much of what he found still remains, eight or so decades later.