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Digital Library

Welcome to Am Baile's collection of digitised books.


The full text of important and interesting works on the Highlands and Islands is presented on- screen for you to read. Our new page-turning facility enables you to navigate from page to page just as you would with the real book.

New titles will be added to the collection on a regular basis.

'A Guide to Bowing' by Scott Skinner
'A Guide to Bowing', compiled by J. Scott Skinner, is a blend of fiddle tutor, bowing manual and somewhat opinionated, but patriotic, comment. First published around 1900, it became the definitive guide to the characteristic East Coast style of bowing techniques.

Annals of the Disruption. St Kilda
St Kilda was so remote that the people rarely received a visit from their minister. Dr MacDonald of Urquhart, a well-known evangelical preacher, visited the island to preach to the people and had a profound effect on them.

Annals of the Disruption. The Highlands
'Annals of the Disruption; with extracts from the narratives of Ministers who left the Scottish Establishment in 1843', by Rev Thomas Brown (1893)

Annals of the Disruption. The Ladies' Associations
The Ladies' Association of Edinburgh was established in 1850. It aimed to support the establishment of Free Church Schools in the Highlands.

Annals of the Disruption. The Men
The Patronage Act of 1712 attempted to reintroduce a system of Patronage into the Church of Scotland. There was a group of lay preachers who were known as 'na daoine' or 'the men'. They were itinerant preachers, not usually highly educated but they had an extensive knowledge of the Bible.

Badenoch Reading Club
This is an extract from the minutes of the first meeting of the Badenoch Reading Club.

Balmacaan Castle Sale Brochure
In 1945, Balmacaan Estate was divided into 192 lots, which were auctioned. A brochure was written to provide details of these lots for anyone interested in purchasing them.

Burns Night Programme, 28 January 1905
The Scottish Clans' Association of London was founded in 1898. One of its main functions was to organise concerts and social gatherings to foster Scottish sentiment among its members. This programme is for an association Burns Night concert held in the Albert Hall on 28 January 1905.

Church of Scotland, Kingussie Parish Magazine
The Kingussie Parish Magazine of April 1917 begins with a letter from the Parish minister, D MacFarlane. He writes about the changing circumstances of the parish due to the 'stress and tension' of the First World War.

Collapse of Ness Bridge, 26 Jan 1849
In January 1849 the seven-arched bridge over the River Ness was swept away in floods. This letter from the Alexander Grant collection dates from the time of the collapse of the arched bridge.

Concert Programme, 1905, featuring Scott Skinner
On 25th April 1905 a 'Grand Easter Concert' was held at the Town Hall in Southport, promoted by the Rockley House Hydro. James Scott Skinner, the Scottish fiddler and composer, played at the concert along with his son, Manson.

Constitution of Newtonmore Village Council 1906

Dance Music, Hopwood & Crew
'Hopwood & Crew's Eighth Book of Quadrilles, Waltzes, Galops, Polkas, Etc.' is part of the Alexander Grant collection. It contains music for the violin, arranged for dancing by Carlo Minasi.

Dornoch Light Railway
Programme - 'Opening for Traffic of the Dornoch Light Railway. Monday 2nd June 1902'

Dunachton, past and present
A history of the barony of Dunachton in Badenoch, owned by the Mackintosh family for four hundred years.

Glenurquhart Rural Community Bulletin
Since 1952, the Glenurquhart Community Association has published a newsletter containing local news and items of historical interest.

Glimpses of the Isle of Skye booklet
This little booklet contains eight images of various parts of Skye along with a brief introduction to the island on the inner front cover, and a short description of Prince Charles Edward Stuart's time in the area after Culloden.

HIDB First Annual Report
The Highlands and Islands Development Board (HIDB) was established under the Highlands and Islands Development (Scotland) Act 1965.

Highland Railway Timetable, 1918
By 1903 the Highland Railway Company's system was complete and comprised some 506 miles of track. In addition to local services, the Company hauled coaches and goods wagons belonging to other companies northwards from Perth.

Highland Weapons
In 1970, An Comunn Gaidhealach (the Gaelic society, which worked to preserve the Gaelic language) published a short booklet about Highland Weapons.

'History of Strathspeys and Reels'
This booklet, 'History of Strathspeys and Reels', by Andrew Mackintosh was given to Alexander Grant by the author. It was reprinted from the 'Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, 1914'.

Inaugural Address of the Celtic Chair of the University of Edinburgh
This address was given by Professor MacKinnon at his inauguration to the Chair of Celtic Studies at Edinburgh University

Kingussie Water Works
Specification, dated 1906, for a water works to be built at Kingussie. The schedule is produced by J Wedderspoon, Engineer, The Castle, Inverness, and lists in detail the work and materials required

Letter (1773) from John Alves, Inverness to William Baillie, Fort St George, India
This document is dated 28 January 1773. It is a letter from John Alves in Inverness to William Baillie at Fort St George in India. William (1737-1782) was employed as an army officer in the British East India Company.

Letter (1775) from John Alves, Inverness to William Baillie, Fort St George, India
This document is dated 16 April 1775. It is a letter from John Alves of Inverness to William Baillie at Fort St George in India.

Letter (1777) from Lieutenant Alex Godsman, Dunain to Col Baillie, Madras, India
This document is dated 15 October 1777. It is a letter from Lieutenant Alex Godsman, Dunain to Colonel Baillie of Dunain, Madras, India. In it, there are references to various important Highland issues such as farm improvements and Highland Clearances.

Letter (1854) from Isabella Innes to Anne Baillie on subject of Florence Nightingale
This document is dated 21 December 1854. It is a letter from Isabella Innes of Inverleith, Edinburgh to her aunt, Anne Baillie.

Letter concerning the railway construction of Skye Marble Ltd
The letter-writer is a member of the Institute of Civil Engineers and a Director of Skye Marble Ltd. Skye Marble Ltd began quarrying marble in Strath, using Belgian workers, in 1904. They later built a railway that linked the quarries at Kilbride with the pier at Broadford.

London Inverness-shire Assoc. Concert Programme
The London Inverness-shire Association was founded in 1881 to encourage literary, social and charitable education in the country. Their 'Coming of Age' concert, which took place on 3rd July 1902 in the Queen's Hall, Langham Place, London, was held in aid of funds for university bursaries for Inverness-shire boys, and the establishment of a club for Highland youths coming to London.

Management of Highland Landed Property
This book is a collection of articles which had appeared at various times in the 'Inverness Courier' newspaper. The collection aimed to advance the commerce, culture and peasantry of the Highlands.

Mary MacPhail, careful writing
This school book belonged to Mary MacPhail of Class V. On the front cover of the book is written 'for careful writing see within'. In the book Mary has copied out a number of poems in her best handwriting.

Meikle Ferry Fund
'Third Report to the Committee for Managing the Meikle Ferry Fund' (Dornoch, 5th November 1811)

Ministers of the Disruption
'Annals of the Disruption; with extracts from the narratives of Ministers who left the Scottish Establishment in 1843', by Rev Thomas Brown (1893)

Moral Statistics of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland
'Moral Statistics of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, compiled from returns received by the Inverness Society for the Education of the Poor in the Highlands.'

Mutiny in the Black Watch
'Narrative of the Mutiny in the Black Watch in 1743, compiled by His Grace the Duke of Athole, K. T., from the original proceedings of the General Courts-Martial ...', published by John Christie of Perth in 1893.

Old Tracks - Cross country Routes and "Coffin Roads" in the North West Highlands
A E Robertson, the President of the Scottish Rights of Way Society wrote a guide to pathways in the North West Highlands.

People's Journal Supplement of National Songs
The 'People's Journal' was one of many popular weekly papers which appeared in Scotland following the repeal of the Stamp Duties in the 1850s.

Petition of John Maclean of Boreray
This official petition states the wish of John Maclean to show that he possesses the island of Boreray and other lands in North Uist.

Regarding the Publication of the Poems of Ossian in the Original
James MacPherson was born in Badenoch in 1736. He was educated at Aberdeen and Edinburgh and showed a talent for poetry. In 1760 he published 'Fragments of Ancient Poetry' translated from the Gaelic, and two years later published his translation of 'Fingal, an Ancient and Epic Poem', said to have been written by Fingal's son Ossian.

Report of progress on the building of the Trotternish Road
Letter detailing the progress of the building of the Trotternish Road in Skye in 1817.

Report on the Damage to the Caledonian Canal, 1849
Records the damage done by the floods of 24th & 25th January, 1849.

Report on the Island of Lewis by the Rev Mr Headrick
'Report on the Island of Lewis by the Rev Mr Headrick, contained in a letter to the Right Honourable Lord Seaforth, the Proprietor'.

Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster's 'Account of Improvements'
In 1812, the Board of Agriculture (London) published a 'General view of the agriculture of the County of Caithness', together with maps and an appendix relating to the agricultural works of Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster entitled 'An Account of The Improvements carried on by Sir John Sinclair, Bart., on his Estates in Scotland'.

Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster's 'Miscellaneous Papers'
Between 1807 and 1816, Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster produced a set of 'Miscellaneous Papers' on various topical issues, drawn up for interest and as a relaxation from some of his more serious works.

Something from the Gold Diggings in Sutherland
Pamphlet entitled "Something from the Gold Diggings in Sutherland" by Dr. John Brown. April 20th 1869. This pamphlet gives some details on the gold rush in Sutherland in the 1860s/70s.

State of Skye Inns
A report to Lord MacDonald regarding the present situation of the inns on his property.

Strathnaver Trail, The Story of a North Highland Landscape
Strathnaver is a region in the North Highlands of Scotland.

The Ancient and Honourable Family of Calder
The manuscript begins 'This family has been among the most ancient and most considerable in the North'. It is bound together with a set of watercolour paintings of Cawdor and other castles, in a volume contained in the Fraser-Mackintosh collection at Inverness Library.

The Cathedral of Caithness at Dornoch
Since it was built in the 13th Century, Dornoch Cathedral has changed both as a structure and in its denominational use. This is the front cover of a brochure which was published in the early 20th century, and described the history of the building.

The Clans of the Scottish Highlands
James Logan's "The Clans of the Scottish Highlands" was published to celebrate the centenary of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. It was illustrated by Robert R McIan.

The Estate of Skibo Sale Catalogue, 1890
Handwritten across the top of the cover page is 'Mr Carnegie's copy'.

The Flora of Croy Parish and District
A paper on the botany of Croy, including a list of 360 specimens, by the Rev. Thomas Fraser of Croy.

The Gaelic Origin of Local Names
This is an extract from volume 3 of the Transactions of the Inverness Scientific Society and Field Club in which Alexander Mackenzie discusses the Gaelic origins of placenames in the Inverness area

The Glenurquhart Yearbook
Glenurquhart Past and Present is a short book and the topic headings that are used are indicative of the features which make Glenurquhart a distinctive village for the place and time.

The Highland Regimental Feather Bonnet
Part of the uniform of a soldier in a Highland Regiment in the 1880s was a feather bonnet. The bonnet was unique to the Highland Regiments but was in danger of being replaced by a helmet similar to other British regiments. The threat of the abolition of the bonnets led to various arguments for their retention. This essay of letters and reports sets out some of the arguments.

The Massacre of the Rosses
The forced clearance, by police, of the tenants of Greenyards, Strathcarron in 1854.

The Military Expedition to the Isle of Skye
This letter was written to The Right Honourable Sir William Vernon Harcourt MP, Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Home Department. It refers to a decision in November 1884 to send military personnel to Skye to deal with unruly crofters.

The Scenery of Scotland
Sir Archibald Geikie was born in Edinburgh in 1835. In 1865 he published 'The Scenery of Scotland, viewed in connexion with its physical geology'. He described it as 'the first attempt to elucidate in some detail the history of the topography of a country'

The Scottish Violinist, J. Scott Skinner, 1900
In 1900 the Glasgow publishers Bayley & Ferguson published 'The Scottish Violinist', a compilation of traditional and original tunes composed and arranged by Skinner for unaccompanied solo violin.

The Songs and Hymns of the Scottish Highlands
'The Songs and Hymns of the Scottish Highlands' by Lachlan MacBean was published in 1888. The book is in two parts, sacred and secular.

The Woollen Trade in Wick
Pamphlet entitled "The Woolen Trade in Wick by J.M. A Visit to Harrow Wool Mill" taken from the Northern Ensign newspaper of September 9th and 16th 1902.

Unveiling of Glenfeshie war memorial
Order of Service for the Unveiling and Dedication of the War Memorial at Glenfeshie

Wick Herring Queen Souvenir Programme 1938
Souvenir programme of Wick Herring Queen Crowning Ceremony and Carnival Procession, 23 July 1938

Wick Herring Queen Souvenir Programme 1950
Souvenir programme of Wick Herring Queen Crowning Ceremony and Carnival Procession, 1950

William Campbell's Handwriting Book
The book belonged to William Campbell of Dalcross and was used to practise copperplate handwriting.

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