Scottish Archaeology Guidebooks and Esoteric Titles

The Exploring Scotland's Heritage guides published by Mercat Press are a well-illustrated and authoritative introduction to Scotland's archaeological heritage, tracing the human impression on the landscape from the time of the early settlers to the last century. There are 10 titles in the series covering the country from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway.

The Area Guides and Souvenir Colour Guides from Historic Scotland are Concise, fully-illustrated introductions to the many sites in their care.

The best guide to the whole country is Scotland: an Oxford Archaeological Guide by Anna and Graham Ritchie. There are many excellent guidebooks which describe the archaeology and early historic sites of a particular area. One of the finest is Kilmartin by Rachel Butter which is a splendid introduction and guide to one of Scotland's most historic landscapes, including the many prehistoric sites and the Iron Age fort at Dunadd, seat of Scotland's earliest kings. The Archaeology of Argyll edited by Graham Ritchie is a close look at the rich heritage of the region for the non-specialist.

Mull and Iona by Peter Macnab is one of a series guides from Luath Press on parts of the Highlands and Islands which describe the sites which can be visited, along with all the other attractions of these two accessible islands. Good guides to various parts of Scotland include Iona by Anna Ritchie, Ancient Shetland by Val Turner, Lochaber: a Historical Guide by Paula Martin, Upper Clydesdale: a History and Guide by Daniel Martin, The Orkney Book edited by Donald Omand and Aberdeen and North-East Scotland by Ian A. G. Shepherd

The Scottish Burgh Survey is designed to identify which areas of Scotland's historic burghs are of archaeological interest, describing the geography of each town, its known history and archaeology and its historic buildings. These handsome volumes will appeal to local residents, visitors, students and scholars. Titles published so far include Historic Aberdeen, Historic Stornoway and Historic Dalkeith.

There are many fine books on the archaeology and ancient history of the Classical World. Though mainly for students, academics and specialists, many of them will be of interest to anyone with a serious interest in archaeology and ancient history. Memories of Odysseus, Frontier Tales of Ancient Greece by Francois Hartog and The Gods of Ancient Rome by Robert Turcan are fine examples of modern readable scholarship. Treasures of Tuscany: the Etruscan Legacy is a lavishly illustrated catalogue of treasures from the Etruscan civilisation, exhibited at the National Museum of Scotland. Ancient Glass by C S Lightfoot describes the wide collection of early glass in the Royal Museum, Edinburgh.

The success of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code has lead to a great deal of interest in Rosslyn Chapel and the Templars, Scottish Freemasonry and the like, which can be described as part of the esoteric history of Scotland. The Quest for the Celtic Key by Karen Ralls-Macleod and Ian Robertson looks at Scotland's place in Western spiritual traditions. In Rosslyn, The Secret Scroll and The Sword and the Grail, Andrew Sinclair takes the reader through the mysterious and fascinating world of the Holy Grail, the Templars and the Freemason and their role in the history of Scotland and the rest of the world.