Scottish place-names

Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd, 2001. 1st Edition. Softcover. Very good paperback copy. Particularly and surprisingly well-preserved; tight, bright, clean and especially sharp-cornered. Physical description: xxi, 230 pages ; 22 cm. Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Summary: Scotland's Place-names have fascinating and wide-ranging origins. Although many are thousands of years old, place-names have been assigned and developed throughout every historical period, right up to the present day. Despite coming from a variety of languages - Norse, Brythonic, Anglian, Gaelic, Pictish, and English - many of Scotland's place names derive from a surprising small number of roots - rath, pit, baile and so on. In this handy pocket book, David Ross gives an alphabetical listing of hundreds of Scottish place-names, their derivations, how they were recorded in early times, as well as the history and tradition associated with them. An extensive introduction discusses the different elements associated with different periods and also the recording of names. Biography: David Ross was born in Dingwall and educated at St Andrews University. He is the author of numerous books on Scottish history and culture, including the best-selling Awa' an' Bile yer Heid and Scottish Quotations. He is also the author of numerous books with Appletree. He currently lives in Herefordshire. Subjects: Names, Geographical � Scotland � Dictionaries � Gazetteers. Genre: Bibliography.