Scottish Clans and Tartans

by Ian Grimble

150 tartans in full color with historical origins of clans and plaids. 150 full-color illustrations.

Genres: Reference, History, Nonfiction, Scotland, Art

271 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Dr. Ian Grimble (1921 - 1994) was a Scottish historian.

Reviews

[Angie]

Wow this book is so packed full of historical background on each clan. Where their tartan orginated from and the photos are very vibrant and many clans had like 2 or 3 different tartans to represent their clan on different ocassions.

[Kelly (Maybedog)]

This is the classic book on tartans and their meanings. First published in 1973, the book continues to be reprinted because it is such a great reference. It contains a closeup of the tartan print with a short history of the clan it belongs to. The two things that would improve the book would be a few more tartans and list of the names that fall into different clans. There are only 150 tartans represented but there are at least 3000 tartans in existence and there are many more names that fall into each. For example, my maternal grandmother's family name, Allan, a tiny little clan (note the spelling is not with an "e") has been identified with a couple of other clans, depending on which website you use, most commonly under Grant but also MacFarlane and MacDonald of Clanranald. It would be nice to have a list of some of the less common names and the clan tartans they adopted. But despite this lack, the book is solid and fascinating reading.

[Iván Izquierdo]

Una guía gráfica para identificar los tartans y clanes.

[Matt]

Straight from Scotland for my Scottish pride. Braveheart.

[Marie Andersson]

Very interesting book!