Love Scottish Communities Abroad In The Early Modern Period? Readers share 100 books like Scottish Communities Abroad In The Early Modern Period...

By Alexia Grosjean (editor), Steve Murdoch (editor),

Here are 100 books that Scottish Communities Abroad In The Early Modern Period fans have personally recommended if you like Scottish Communities Abroad In The Early Modern Period. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Scotland: The Global History: 1603 to the Present

Billy Kay Author Of The Scottish World: A Journey Into the Scottish Diaspora

From my list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish.

Why am I passionate about this?

Very little Scottish history or culture was taught in school when I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. When I began to read books on the subject from the local library and then studied Scottish literature at Edinburgh University, I realised what my brother and sister Scots had missed out on, and was determined to rectify that by writing accessible books which would both inform and entertain as well as enrich their lives and change the way they perceived their culture. I love their reaction to my work and the influence my books have had. 

Billy's book list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish

Billy Kay Why did Billy love this book?

In terms of Scottish political and cultural history, this is a hugely important book that will astonish and delight everyone engaged in the matter of Scotland. What impresses is the range and scope of Murray Pittock’s global vision for Scotland, but what engages is the minute human detail of the people in the diaspora that he reveals to us, positive and negative. This is the polar opposite of dry history, it is a magisterial work that Scots will actively return to again and again, as we redefine our role in Europe and the world in the 21st Century. I have interviewed Murray for several BBC programmes and he has always come across as a brilliant communicator, who like me, is passionate about Scotland.

By Murray Pittock,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Scotland as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An engaging and authoritative history of Scotland's influence in the world and the world's on Scotland, from the Thirty Years War to the present day

Scotland is one of the oldest nations in the world, yet by some it is hardly counted as a nation at all. Neither a colony of England nor a fully equal partner in the British union, Scotland's history has often been seen as simply a component part of British history. But the story of Scotland is one of innovation, exploration, resistance-and global consequence.

In this wide-ranging, deeply researched account, Murray Pittock examines the place of



Book cover of The Scottish Enlightenment: The Scots' Invention of the Modern World

Billy Kay Author Of The Scottish World: A Journey Into the Scottish Diaspora

From my list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish.

Why am I passionate about this?

Very little Scottish history or culture was taught in school when I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. When I began to read books on the subject from the local library and then studied Scottish literature at Edinburgh University, I realised what my brother and sister Scots had missed out on, and was determined to rectify that by writing accessible books which would both inform and entertain as well as enrich their lives and change the way they perceived their culture. I love their reaction to my work and the influence my books have had. 

Billy's book list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish

Billy Kay Why did Billy love this book?

The British edition of this provocative book has the modest title The Scottish Enlightenment with the subheading The Scots’ Invention of the Modern World. I have the original in-your-face American edition though, which rejoices in a title that no Scot would have the brass neck to come up with: How the Scots Invented the Modern World with the subheading The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It. It was given to me by a Philipino-Californian surfing lawyer, Jesse Quinsaat, who studied with me at Edinburgh University in the early 1970s and continues his interest in Scottish culture when surf’s not up or the cases are not too demanding! He had bought the book in San Diego, loved it, and passed it on to me during a visit to Edinburgh.

By Arthur Herman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Scottish Enlightenment as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Every Scot should read it. Scotland now has the lively, provocative and positive history it deserves.' Irvine Welsh, Guardian

A dramatic and intriguing history of how Scotland produced the institutions, beliefs and human character that have made the West into the most powerful culture in the world.

Arthur Herman argues that Scotland's turbulent history, from William Wallace to the Presbyterian Lords of the Covenant, laid the foundations for 'the Scottish miracle'. Within one hundred years, the nation that began the eighteenth century dominated by the harsh and repressive Scottish Kirk had evolved into Europe's most literate society, producing an idea



Book cover of The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation

Billy Kay Author Of The Scottish World: A Journey Into the Scottish Diaspora

From my list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish.

Why am I passionate about this?

Very little Scottish history or culture was taught in school when I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. When I began to read books on the subject from the local library and then studied Scottish literature at Edinburgh University, I realised what my brother and sister Scots had missed out on, and was determined to rectify that by writing accessible books which would both inform and entertain as well as enrich their lives and change the way they perceived their culture. I love their reaction to my work and the influence my books have had. 

Billy's book list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish

Billy Kay Why did Billy love this book?

Coming from a wee country with a big global footprint, discovering this groundbreaking book gave me the idea of doing something similar for Scotland. Readable, engaging, and full of surprises, it is a great counterweight to the view that everything important in the world was produced by people from the great nation states.

By Mark Kurlansky,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Basque History of the World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Basques are Europe's oldest people, their origins a mystery, their language related to no other on Earth, and even though few in population and from a remote and rugged corner of Spain and France, they have had a profound impact on the world. Whilst inward-looking, preserving their ancient language and customs, the Basques also struck out for new horizons, pioneers of whaling and cod fishing, leading the way in exploration of the Americas and Asia, were among the first capitalists and later led Southern Europe's industrial revolution.

Mark Kurlansky, the author of the acclaimed Cod, blends human stories with



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Book cover of Tap Dancing on Everest: A Young Doctor's Unlikely Adventure

Tap Dancing on Everest by Mimi Zieman,

Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.

The team attempts a new route up


Book cover of The Democratic Intellect: Scotland and Her Universities in the Nineteenth Century

Billy Kay Author Of The Scottish World: A Journey Into the Scottish Diaspora

From my list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish.

Why am I passionate about this?

Very little Scottish history or culture was taught in school when I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s. When I began to read books on the subject from the local library and then studied Scottish literature at Edinburgh University, I realised what my brother and sister Scots had missed out on, and was determined to rectify that by writing accessible books which would both inform and entertain as well as enrich their lives and change the way they perceived their culture. I love their reaction to my work and the influence my books have had. 

Billy's book list on proving the world, and the Universe, is Scottish

Billy Kay Why did Billy love this book?

One of the most important works on Scottish intellectual history and not as well known by the reading public as it should be. It was seminal in my own appreciation of Scottish culture and of the necessity to fight to continue the traditions described in the book—the broad-based education, the social egalitarianism, and recogniton of the importance of the vernacular Scots contribution to the unique culture we have. This democratic intellectualism went on to influence universities in America such as Princeton and colleges across Africa where Scots Presbyterian missionaries held sway.

By George Davie,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Democratic Intellect as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An Edinburgh Classic edition of the cornerstone work on Scotland's intellectual identity First published in 1961, The Democratic Intellect provoked a re-evaluation of Scotland's philosophy of itself. George Davie's account of the history of the movements which set Scotland apart from its neighbours, and of the great personalities involved, has proved seminal in restoring to Scotland a sense of the value of its unique cultural identity. Scotland's approach to higher education has always been distinctive. From the inauguration of its first universities, the accent was on first principles, and this broad, philosophical interpretation unified the approach to knowledge - even



Book cover of The Dogs of Riga

Elizabeth Flynn Author Of Game, Set and Murder

From my list on unravelling knotty murder mysteries.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve always enjoyed murder mysteries, with spy novels coming a very close second. I like the puzzle aspect of the story and the unravelling thereof. From early in my childhood I have written and it has never occurred to me to write in any other genre than Crime Fiction. I do like, however, both in my own output and that which I read, to gain an insight into other people’s lives and histories. I like to learn about the surroundings in which the stories are set. Also, for me a must, the characters have to be rounded and three dimensional.

Elizabeth's book list on unravelling knotty murder mysteries

Elizabeth Flynn Why did Elizabeth love this book?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s set in Sweden and takes the reader to Latvia during the disintegration of the Soviet Union, so it touches on another genre that I like to dip into—spy novels. The hero is Kurt Wallander, a sympathetic character, who’s just trying to do his job which, in this case, means dealing with the bodies of two torture victims that have been discovered on the Swedish Coast. Now read on 


By Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Dogs of Riga as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Sweden, winter, 1991. Inspector Kurt Wallander and his team receive an anonymous tip-off. A few days later a life raft is washed up on a beach. In it are two men, dressed in expensive suits, shot dead.

The dead men were criminals, victims of what seems to have been a gangland hit. But what appears to be an open-and-shut case soon takes on a far more sinister aspect. Wallander travels across the Baltic Sea, to Riga in Latvia, where he is plunged into a frozen, alien world of police surveillance, scarcely veiled threats, and lies.

Doomed always to be one



Book cover of Sidetracked

Stephen B. King Author Of Forever Night

From my list on catching a serial killer and how they became monsters.

Why am I passionate about this?

Like most people I know, I have always been fascinated with serial killers, and more importantly why they do what they do. What makes one man murder multiple victims while another with a similar upbringing sells white goods and wouldn’t attract a traffic ticket. In my books, I am as interested in showing my readers why a killer kills, as I am in the hunt to catch him. My goal is to not so much get the reader to ‘like’ the antagonist but to understand, and dare I say even feel sorry for him. We are all products of our environment and upbringing, yet some of us murder others for fun.

Stephen's book list on catching a serial killer and how they became monsters

Stephen B. King Why did Stephen love this book?

Henning Mankell (RIP) was the master of the ‘troubled detective’ Kurt Wallander, who is trying to find a murderer while his own life is in tatters. This hunt for a serial killer who scalps his victims, is a rich tapestry of character development, police procedure, and a deeply disturbed killer. This is one of the finest stories of the dark Scandinavian crime thriller genre, and spawned a major TV series starring Kenneth Branagh.

By Henning Mankell, Steven T. Murray (translator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Sidetracked as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Midsummer approaches, and Inspector Kurt Wallander prepares for a holiday with the new woman in his life, hopeful that his wayward daughter and his ageing father will cope without him.

But his restful summer plans are thrown into disarray when a teenage girl commits suicide before his eyes, and a former minister of justice is butchered in the first of a series of apparently motiveless murders. Wallander's desperate hunt for the girl's identity and his furious pursuit of a killer who scalps his victims will throw him and those he loves most into mortal danger.

WINNER OF THE CRIME WRITERS'



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Book cover of The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier,

The coaching book that's for all of us, not just coaches.

It's the best-selling book on coaching this century, with 15k+ online reviews. Brené Brown calls it "a classic". Dan Pink said it was "essential".

It is practical, funny, and short, and "unweirds" coaching. Whether you're a parent, a teacher,


Book cover of The Wild Baby Goes to Sea

Charline Davis Author Of Alou: The Martian Agent

From my list on that capture children’s imaginations.

Why am I passionate about this?

I came into the world telling stories. From the age of four you could often find me surrounded by a little cluster of friends, amusing them with a story I was spinning on the spot. When I was nine, I began telling my sisters about a Martian who was living on Earth and who loved his comfy chairs. This Martian eventually became Alou, and it has been such a joy to share his world through my picture book Alou: The Martian Agent and its sequels. One thing I’m passionate about is sparking the potent imagination bottled up inside all our little ones and I hope my books can encourage that. 

Charline's book list on that capture children’s imaginations

Charline Davis Why did Charline love this book?

Make-believe was one of my favorite pastimes as a little girl. When I wasn’t writing a story, chances were, I was off with a sister in a world of imagination. And when I was there, it was as if my fancy was reality. I think that’s why I identify with this charming picture book so much. The main character’s potent imagination pulls his surroundings into his play reality. But the ending leaves us to ponder, along with Baby Ben’s mama
can his imagination conjure things into the tangible world? This translation from the original Swedish expertly converted the rhymes, and the pictures add so very much to the adventure. If you have a little adventurer in your life, this is a must-read!  

By Barbro Lindgren, Eva Eriksson (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Wild Baby Goes to Sea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

While his mother cleans house, rambunctious baby Ben sets sail in a wooden box and has many adventures.


Book cover of Yule Island

H.R. Kemp Author Of Lethal Legacy

From my list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m an Australian writer. I came to creative writing late in life but have been an avid reader since my early school years. My fascination with mystery thrillers started with Enid Blyton and included Raymond Chandler books—not usually recommended for an 11-year-old. I have always had an inquisitive mind, asking difficult questions and seeking understanding. My first degree was a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Chemistry. My diverse working life spanned a variety of roles, building a rich tapestry of experience. I relish layered, complex, and thought-provoking stories both as a writer and a reader. I hope you enjoy my recommended books as much as I have.

H.R.'s book list on complex and thought-provoking thrillers

H.R. Kemp Why did H.R. love this book?

I was enthralled by this dark, terrifying historical thriller, and its being based on a true story made it more unsettling. The gothic horror vibe of Scandinavian dark winters and the island setting heightened my dread as I read. The rising tension had me on the edge of my seat.

Gustawsson has created an atmospheric mystery story that connects past and present murders—9 years apart. I didn’t know who to believe or trust, and I didn’t figure out the motive until the end. Multiple viewpoints and numerous twists and turns kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, another piece of information took me in a different direction, only to be thwarted yet again. I couldn’t have predicted the ending. It’s masterful storytelling.

There are great, believable, but also sinister characters, making it a complex read. The plot is rooted in Viking rites and sinister secrets


By Johana Gustawsson, David Warriner (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Yule Island as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An art expert joins a detective to investigate a horrific murder on a Swedish island, leading them to a mystery rooted in Viking rites and Scandinavia's deepest, darkest winter. The Queen of French Noir returns with a chilling, utterly captivating gothic thriller, based on a true story. FIRST in a new series.

'A dark, dark slice of Scandi Noir' Heat magazine *Book of the Month*

'Gustawsson's writing is so vivid, it's electrifying' Peter James

'Remember her name. Johana Gustawsson has become a leading figure in French crime fiction [and] Yule Island is impossible to put down' Le Monde

***Winner of



Book cover of With the Lapps in the High Mountains: A Woman Among the Sami, 1907a 1908

Barbara Sjoholm Author Of By the Fire: Sami Folktales and Legends

From my list on the Sami and SĂĄpmi.

Why am I passionate about this?

Although I’d been to Scandinavia many times as a translator and travel writer, it wasn’t until about twenty years ago that I spent significant time above the Arctic Circle, writing my travel book, The Palace of the Snow Queen. Over the course of three different winters spent in Lapland, I discovered a world of Sami history, politics, culture, and literature. I was particularly interested in the friendship between Emilie Demant Hatt and Johan Turi. It’s been inspiring over the past years to see a new generation of artists and activists shaping and sharing their culture and resisting continued efforts to exploit natural resources in territories long used by the Sami for herding and fishing. 

Barbara's book list on the Sami and SĂĄpmi

Barbara Sjoholm Why did Barbara love this book?

If you’re curious about the woman who collected the Sami folktales, you’ll want to read Emilie Demant Hatt’s story of living in a tent with a Sami family in a community in Northern Sweden. You’ll be fascinated by her grueling journey with a group of Sami herders and their hundreds of reindeer over the icy mountains in the spring of 1908 to find summer pastures on the Norwegian coast. I’ve long loved the adventure, humor, and visual feast in this book, first published in 1913, and was eager to translate it and share it with readers curious about the high north of Scandinavia. Demant Hatt was a brilliant observer and an early immersive journalist who didn’t shy away from hard work, rough conditions, and learning the Sami language. 

By Emilie Demant Hatt, Barbara Sjoholm (translator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked With the Lapps in the High Mountains as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

With the Lapps in the High Mountains is an entrancing true account, a classic of travel literature, and a work that deserves wider recognition as an early contribution to ethnographic writing. Published in 1913 and available here in its first English translation, With the Lapps is the narrative of Emilie Demant Hatt's nine-month stay in the tent of a Sami family in northern Sweden in 1907-8 and her participation in a dramatic reindeer migration over snow-packed mountains to Norway with another Sami community in 1908. A single woman in her thirties, Demant Hatt immersed herself in the Sami language and



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Book cover of Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS

Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS by Amy Carney,

When I was writing this book, several of my friends jokingly called it the Nazi baby book, with one insisting it would make a great title. Nazi Babies – admittedly, that is a catchy title, but that’s not exactly what my book is about. SS babies would be slightly more


Book cover of How the Wise Master Life: 51 Essential Truths Clarified

Luis de Miranda Author Of Philosophical Health: A Practical Introduction

From my list on improving your philosophical health.

Why am I passionate about this?

Choosing philosophy at 18 raised a few eyebrows: friends and family thought I was a bit mad and a little lost. Later, when I decided to write philosophical stories and essays, I heard the same refrain: “Most people are afraid of philosophy.” But those voices never swayed me. Deep down, I knew that thinking is a powerful tool for healing, a way to mend what’s broken within us and in the world. Ideas, I believe, can spark change and make the world a better place.

Luis' book list on improving your philosophical health

Luis de Miranda Why did Luis love this book?

Truth doesn’t have to be flashy to captivate. I was instantly drawn to the mystique of this book’s manuscript and the secretive author who sent it to me. In it, I discovered that beauty is a feeling, and anxiety is a prelude to exhilaration.

Normally, I'm not one for self-help, but the poetic wisdom in this book resonated on a personal level, a comforting reminder that healing isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey.

By Miranda Healer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked How the Wise Master Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't Wait Another Day to Live the Life You Deserve

Imagine unlocking the secrets to a life filled with purpose, unwavering resilience, and deep inner peace. In How the Wise Master Life: 51 Essential Truths Clarified, spiritual guide and wisdom teacher Miranda Healer offers a blueprint for achieving this extraordinary way of living. This isn't just a book – it's a catalyst for profound transformation.

Healer's deep, clear and compassionate voice guides you through timeless yet timely truths that have empowered the world's wisest and most powerful individuals. With each insightful chapter, you'll gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your



Book cover of Scotland: The Global History: 1603 to the Present
Book cover of The Scottish Enlightenment: The Scots' Invention of the Modern World
Book cover of The Basque History of the World: The Story of a Nation

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Interested in Sweden, Lithuania, and Scotland?

Sweden 83 books
Lithuania 20 books
Scotland 346 books