PIPING TRADITIONS OF SCOTLAND by Bridget Mackenzie - 1998: Complete Set of Five

Between 1998 and 2013, the Scottish academic and Scots culture expert Bridget Mackenzie wrote five books documenting the history of piping in Scotland. They were all published in soft cover, and in limited print runs (my copy is the only copy of Piping Traditions of Argyll that I can find). Four were published by John Donald; the fifth by the College of Piping, which is why they don't match.

The books are broken down by region, and each book contains full details of piping traditions, the music, the composers, the players, the pipe-makers, the teachers, the competitions, the bands, the literature and the legends of the area. The text is enhanced by numerous photographs of places, people and events, by maps and family trees, and by separate lists of all the people associated with piping, and of all the pieces of pipe music mentioned. They are thick, heavy books but are written in a light and readable style, and are full of entertaining anecdotes. I attach photos of the contents.

Piping Traditions of the North of Scotland

1998

369 pages.

Covering all of mainland Scotland north of a line drawn from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh.

Condition: Crease to front cover and a small doodle on the front endpaper. One thumbprint. Otherwise perfect.

Piping Traditions of Argyll

2005

336 pages

Covers mainland Argyll, home of the MacDougall Gillies, MacLellan of Dunoon, the MacColls and the Lawries.

Condition: Near-mint. One smudge to book's edge.

Piping Traditions of the Inner Isles of the West Coast of Scotland

2012

372 pages.

Covers Scotland's Inner Isles, from Arran to Raasay, excluding Skye.

Condition: Mint.

Piping Traditions of the Isle of Skye

2012

314 pages. From the background of all the tunes prescribed for the Skye competitions to discussion of the MacCrimmon and MacArthur schools, it contains entertaining anecdotes about a host of Skye players.

Condition: Mint.

Piping Traditions of the Outer Isles of the West Coast of Scotland

2013

275 pages.

The fifth and last book in the series covers the Outer Isles from Mingulay to Lewis. It includes many renowned 20th-century pipers such as 'Wee Donald' MacLeod and the Peters MacLeod, as well as pipers from the 18th and 19th centuries. Old Gaelic poems about pipers give a glimpse of piping in the Uists and Benbecula in the 18th century.

Condition: Mint.