John McGregor

The West Highland Railway, which opened to Fort William in 1894 and to Mallaig in 1901, follows a scenic route by Loch Lomond, Breadalbane and Lochaber to the west coast of Scotland and is one of the most famous railway lines in the world. This book describes the late-nineteenth-century ‘railway mania’ in the Highlands, addressing the politics of promotion and the disputes over state assistance for the Fort William–Mallaig line, rather than the heroics and the romance of construction and operation. It discusses the uneasy alliances and battles between the railway companies of Scotland, as well as those between Scottish lines and their English counterparts. It also reviews other schemes, more or less successful, and examines the expectations bound up with railway development, asking how far these had been achieved, or remained relevant, by 1914. ‘This is a meticulously researched book . . . a unique and comprehensive history of the origins of the West Highland Railway . . . an essential addition to the library of anyone with an interest in Scottish railway history.’ Ewan Crawford, University of Glasgow ‘a fascinating and revealing study of rail development issues in the western Highlands between the 1840s and 1914’ Tom Hart, University of Glasgow

Plans, Politics and People

The West Highland Railway

Popular Maori Songs

D.W. Wilson

Alison MacLeod

M.J. Hyland

K.J. Orr

‘We are living through a golden moment in the history of the short story,’ wrote The Guardian recently, and the annual BBC National Short Story Award is both a testament to this, and one of the reasons why we are. Now in its sixth year, the Award supports and showcases Britain’s best new short fiction and continues to champion the short story as a central literary form. Themes of desire, envy and disconnection provide recurring motifs for the five shortlisted stories presented here – the extremes that love can endure and what happens when love is not enough. The panel of judges this year included novelist Tessa Hadley, novelist and critic Geoff Dyer, poet and author of Submarine, Joe Dunthorne and BBC Editor of Readings, Di Speirs. The panel was chaired by broadcaster Sue MacGregor who also introduces the selection.

John McGregor

Books

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