Curious Scotland: Tales from a Hidden History

by George Rosie

"The history may be hidden, but it's there if you look --- and it's well worth finding."
---Daily Mail (Scotland)
 
Scottish history isn't just about Robert Burns and Braveheart. In fact, it's far more complex than some might think. In Curious Scotland, journalist George Rosie digs deeper into Scotland's past, unearthing some of the lesser known but more surprising details, including:
 
·        Who was behind the military's "Operation Vegetarian"?
·        What became of the Glasgow Frankenstein?
·        Why do Scots always spit on a certain Edinburgh street?
·        And how did John Ross become the greatest Cherokee chieftain?
 
Rosie answers these and other questions, illuminating corners of Scottish lore that have never been explored before. With a dry wit and unflagging curiosity, he shows us that Scotland's history is full of far stranger stuff than your average plate of haggis.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Scotland, Travel

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

Born in Edinburgh in 1941, George Rosie has had a prolific media career. He has worked as a television reporter, producer and writer for Channel Four, ITV and STV and has worked as a journalist for a number of newspapers, including The Sunday Times, The Herald, Sunday Herald, The Guardian, The Scotsman, The Independent and was the founding editor of Observer Scotland. His documentary After Lockerbie won a BAFTA in 1998. Rosie is also the author of numerous stage and radio plays and of seventeen other books. He is married with three children and lives in Edinburgh.

Reviews

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up Curious Scotland with the expectation that it would be a fun, popular history read. What else would one expect from a book that has a kilted man wearing a Highland cow mask on the cover? Unfortunately, the fun was lacking more often than not. George Rosie alternates between interesting stories about bootleggers and the Scotch industry, and less amusing chapters about the political red tape involved in trying to get a six lane ring road built in Edinburgh. The subject of quirky Scottish history has great potential, but the author lacks the ability to consistently choose good historical anecdotes. If you just want to read a few more anecdotes about Scottish history without much preference for what they are, read this book. If you want something more directed in Scottish history or something that does not occasionally move around the globe (with questionable relevance to the Scottish theme), then keep looking. This book is cute, I would say, but by no means a knock out.

[Loudon McAndrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has lived in Scotland all his life, I am saddened by the emphasis put on so many negatives about Scotlands past.
Some of it is no doubt true and as someone who is very interested in history, I can verify most of the details. But what about all the positives about Scotland? The engineers,literary giants, men of great medicinal ability,etc;etc;
Many people reading this book and unfamiliar with Scotlands past would think that we were a nation of cheating,greedy savages.
The word curious describing the book is indeed CURIOUS ( but not in the conventional meaning )

[Jbussen · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair the author does say what the book is from the very beginning. He is a writer and these are some of his writings, in no particular order of importance, or grouping by subject, or well, any order at all. I really couldn't get into it. I may try to pick this up again sometime. But this book didn't grab my attention in the slightest.

[K Ascalon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is far less about Scotland itself than I had hoped. It was far more like reading a number of mini biographies about interesting Scots, many of whom did not live most of their lives in Scotland. Not uninteresting, but I didn’t finish a number of the stories, as I lost interest. What might happen if an atomic bomb went off in Glasgow? I’m sorry, but I really don’t care.

[Mark Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good historical facts and some boring ones about religion

[Sarah Lewis Winterscheidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of hidden history facts, famous Scottish individuals, local delicacies and libations, geography, etc. I almost did 3.5, but I would recommend this to folks traveling to Scotland! Each chapter was anywhere from 2-15 pages long of a given story.

[Luc De Coster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little book full of facts and things to know about Scotland you won't find in standard historical overviews of the region. Daniel Defoe was an English spy in Scotland in the period preceding the "Union of the Crowns". The leader of the Cherokee Indians at the time of their removal from their ancestral ground in the US was a Scot, listening to the name of John Ross. The wars conducted by the British Empire in the 1840s in China to protect "the China trade" was the making of cunning Scottish drug barons selling Indian and Afghan opium to countless Chines drug addicts. The sad end of Bonnie Prince Charles in Florence, the inspiration provided by the Scottish Clans for the formation of the Ku Klux Klan, the unsuccesful war against the midges by Scottish authorities and many more stories harvested and well told by George Rosie.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just some historical side trails about Scotland. For example: the KKK was had Scottish origins; the Scots were concerned about the tainting of their national purity due to the influx of too many Irish; the man who got the Indian Congress started (before Gandhi and Nehru picked it up and ran with it) was a Scot; the chief of the Cherokee nation who oversaw their transport out of the south and into the Midwest (fought it first, then did what he could to keep them alive)-John Ross- was 7 parts Scottish and 1 park Cherokee. So some good history, some bad/uncomfortable history. Interesting, but I guess I was expecting more humor.

Best line:
I often yearn/For the land of Burns/the only snag is/the haggis. (he cited the poetess, but I've returned the book to the library.)

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in a batch of books I read in preparation for a trip to Scotland, this is a collection of short chapters on little known people, events, and issues. I really should be called "Curious Scots", because it's not really about the land but about the people....even people who never set foot in Scotland.

There were some stories that I found fascinating, but many that were, perhaps, brutally honest about religious and racial discrimination and even brutality at various points in Scotland's history. In light of current events, it makes me despair that the human race will ever live in harmony.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been dipping in and out of this book for years. That's what I think it's best for.
A bedside table book to pick up and read one small entry each night before going to sleep. It's full of fun and interesting bits about Scottish history.
I'd highly recommend it to the trivia-inclined :)

[Echo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of these stories fell sort of flat for me, but there were a few I really enjoyed (especially at the very end). I was surprised to see mention of my home state in two different stories. When you pick up a book about Scotland, you don't expect to find mention of Oklahoma in its contents.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because of the title and the picture...yes, it was interesting to me. I mean, a cow in a kilt?!?!?! It was not as interesting as a thought.

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this gives good insight into Scottish history. I love walking around and replaying the short stories in my head to match the place I am in.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quirky, largely entertaining, stories of varied interest.

[Patti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some very interesting little tid-bits about Scottish History that isn't well known or taught!

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read.