Two lighthouses - Stroma in the Pentland Firth and Buchan Ness off the Aberdeenshire coast - were Orkney-born Margaret Aitken's life and home between 1954 and 1966, while her husband, Jimmy, was a lighthouse keeper. This is the story of the peculiar problems of everyday life which these strange homes threw up: shopping, cooking and keeping stores, having visitors and occupying leisure time - all acquired a new dimension. With just a handful of neighbours onStroma for comppany and a wild stretch of water separating the island from Caithness and Orkney, she and her husband became deeply interested in the natural history of their island home. She vividly recalls the abundant wildlife and flora and fauna around her and reveals much of the lore, legend and history of this now deserted island.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
'... a revealing insight into the daily responsibilities and relationships of those make sure the warning beam never falters... captivating, extremely informative' - The Orkney View '... an essential chapter in the history of the lighthouse service' - The Orcadian 'This is a book to treasure' - The Shetland Times
Margaret Aitken was born in Kirkwall, Orkney and studied to be a teacher at Moray House, Edinburgh. After many years living in lighthouses, she was a teacher in Peterhead. She is now retired and lives in Cruden Bay. Ian MacInnes, the illustrator, was headmaster of Stromness Academy, Orkney, and has exhibited his work widely.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
£ 4.80
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Hardback. Condition: USED_VERYGOOD. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR003401564
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: WeBuyBooks, Rossendale, LANCS, United Kingdom
Condition: USED_GOOD. Most items will be dispatched the same or the next working day. Ex library copy with usual stamps & stickers. Seller Inventory # wbs2273052681
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Cocksparrow Books, Salisbury, WILTS, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: USED_VERYGOOD. y First Edition. HARDBACK "HARD TO FIND," SHIPPED FROM THE UK* Edition: 1st. Thus. * Impression: 1st.* Date of Publication: 1988* Publisher: Albyn Press.* Binding and cover condition: Blue cloth, gilt title to spine. No bumps or rubs bu tslight lean to spine, no major faults. VG+* Jacket condition: Colour illustrated dust wrapper. NOT PRICE CLIPPED, showing shelf price of £7.95. Slight shelf wear to top & bottom edge and to head & tail of spine. In protective film library jacket. VG+* Contents condition: ex-library copy with the usual stamps & labels to prelims. Clean, crisp, tight and bright with very light reading wear, no marks to text. VG* Illustrations: B/w photos, prints and line drawings within text. Nice B/w vignettes by Ian Macinnes to Chapter heads.* Pages: 156 pp. text. iii pp. Blank pages at rear.* Description: Two lighthouses - Stroma in the Pentland Firth and Buchan Ness off the Aberdeenshire coast - and Orkney-born Margarete Aitken?s life while her husband was a lighthouse keeper between 1954 and 1966, form the background to this charmingly written autobiography. All over Britain lighthouses have been robotised. They may indeed disappear altogether if modern technology and satellite positioning become even more generally used. So this memoir is all the more fascinating as a piece of history.* A NEAR FINE copy with library stamps and light wear reducing it to VG+*. n. Seller Inventory # 3446
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Jim's Old Books, Kirkwall, United Kingdom
Hard Cover. Condition: USED_GOOD. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. MacInnes, Ian (illustrator). First Edition. Hardback edition. Some creasing to edges of unclipped dustwrapper and a half-inch tear to the left-hand side of front panel of same; minor bumping to corners of blue boards, otherwise a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. The author's account of her life as a lighthouse-keeper's wife at two Scottish lighthouses between 1954 and 1966, firstly on Stroma in the Pentland Firth, then Buchan Ness near Peterhead. 156pp, b&w frontispiece, b&w drawings at chapter heads. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Seller Inventory # 010611
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: B and A books, Banff, United Kingdom
Hardcover. Condition: USED_NEARFINE. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. Ia Macinnes (illustrator). 1st Edition. a good clean tight copy of this hard-cover book. The author's account of her life as a lighthouse-keeper's wife at two Scottish lighthouses between 1954 and 1966, firstly on Stroma in the Pentland Firth near Peterhead.; b&w frontispiece, b&w drawings. Seller Inventory # 000510
Quantity: 1 available