St Kilda and the Wider World

Tales of an Iconic Island

Andrew Fleming

This table gives the books price, published date, ISBN reference and other details
Price:	£20.00
Published:	May 2005
ISBN:	1-905119-00-3
Details:	PB, 240 pp, illus: 45 col, 45 b/w

Synopsis

The story of the St Kilda archipelago - now a World Heritage Site and was once home to the most remote community in Britain - has long been seen as a tragedy. Sepia images of intrepid seabird hunters and abandoned houses have been used to evoke a heroic, ultimately doomed 'struggle for existence' on the edge of the Atlantic. This book, the first general account for thirty years, challenges this conventional wisdom.

Andrew Fleming argues that this tale of inevitability doesn't do the St Kildans justice. They have often been regarded as exotic; but as the photographs of ordinary people in the book show, they were not so different from other Hebrideans. The archipelago was settled well before 2000 BC, and throughout its history its community was well-organised and culturally rich.

Reviews

...A cracking good read... making a strong and vivid case against marginality... What Fleming has done with the skill of a master wordsmith is to bring the genius of the Hirteach [the people of St Kilda] to the world community.' Antiquity 'A nuanced account' The Times 'A convincing reinterpretation that is well-written and attractively illustrated' British Archaeology