St. Kilda: Island on the Edge of the World (Canongate) [Paperback]

Charles MacLean (Author)

Book Description

Series: Canongate | Publication Date: March 1995

A part of Britain but a world apart, St Kilda society existed almost completely isolated from the mainstream of civilization for more than 1000 years. Increased contact with the mainland during the 19th century brought about the downfall of what many once regarded as an ideal society. Missionaries and tourists brought money, disease and despotism. In 1930 the islanders, who could no longer support themselves, were finally evacuated at their own request. The island, which is difficult to access, is now a nature reserve. The island's story was chiefly recorded by outsiders. This book examines the island and the St Kildan society as a microcosm of a process which is consistently taking place, often on a much larger scale, all over the world. St Kilda remains a symbol of the ability of man to survive in the most hostile of environments and it remains a fascination unique among islands. This new edition of Charles Maclean's study of the island contains an introduction highlighting recent findings about St Kilda.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Canongate Books (March 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0862413885
• ISBN-13: 978-0862413880
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,486,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account of life on St Kilda, May 13, 2000

By 

cfenn (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: St. Kilda: Island on the Edge of the World (Canongate) (Paperback)

I have read Charles Mclean's book on St Kilda many times. On one level it is a fascinating account of the inhabited history of St Kilda, a group of islands off the north western coast of Scotland whose population survived until 1930 largely independently of the mainland. On another, it is an insightful analysis of the both the durability and long-term unviability of remote communities. Mclean writes with genuine affection for St Kilda and, one detects, admiration for the physical and physchological endurance of the St Kildans. Yet he avoids overly-romanticising what was often a harsh and ultimately impossible way of life, albeit one that had survived for hundreds of years. The story of St Kilda is genuinely tragic and Mclean delicately captures the collective melancholy of a people who know that they have been overtaken by the pace and demands of modern society. His final reflections on the nature of primitive social organisation remain relevant today as society (often in the form of major oil companies) come to terms with the few remaining truly remote communities left in the world. This is a wonderful book by a gifted and learned writer. I recommend it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Account of a Scottish island before its complete evacuation, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: St. Kilda: Island on the Edge of the World (Canongate) (Paperback)

A fascinating history of a tiny island 110 miles off the coast of mainland Scotland that was evacuated in 1930 and remains a sanctuary to sea birds and a site for archaeological study. MacLean's account is extremely well-written, detailing the simple lifestyle of the people that was made unfeasible over the years by the outside world, the damage being done by everything from disease to which the islanders were not immune, overly zealous missionaries, and an undermining of the islanders' self-reliance. The last chapter, in which the author gives his opinions on utopian society as a concept is a bit dated (pub. date 1972) but overall the book is terrific.