{ "products":[{ "title":"Wild Shetland Through the Seasons", "handle":"wild-shetland-through-the-seasons", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/files/WildShetlandFC_380x.jpg?v=1698243139", "description":" \nA visually stunning book showcasing Shetland's natural history by one of the islands’ most renowned naturalists and photographers.  Thomason’s passion for both the wildlife and the islands exude from every page as his knowledge and beautiful photographs take us on a magical journey through the seasons.\nBrydon Thomason\nHardback\n288  pages\n \n“I love Shetland in every season. This book, with its stunning photographs, makes me feel I’m there. A must for people passionate about the islands and about natural history in all its forms.”        Ann Cleeves, author of crime series, Shetland.\n \n“Visually stunning, this thought-provoking book is a fitting homage to Shetland’s wildlife by one of the islands’ most celebrated naturalists and photographers. Thomason shares his deep connection with the natural world that has inspired him all his life, introducing the reader to the iconic species of his homeland and reminding us that it is all our interests that our wildlife is protected, treasured and most of all, enjoyed.”   Kate Humble, broadcaster and author.\n \n“A beautiful, intimate and informative celebration of the natural history of this most magical archipelago. Brydon Thomason is a Shetlander and this book shines with deep knowledge, local lore and wonder, as well as the latest science.“      Patrick Barkham, author of The Butterfly Isles, Islander and con-author, Wild Isles.\n ", "price":3699, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":9326362635,"handle":"featured-products","updated_at":"2024-10-14T17:30:36+01:00","published_at":"2018-02-21T11:56:00+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Featured Products","body_html":""},{"id":4536729611,"handle":"general","title":"General","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:23+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"General"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536631307,"handle":"nature","title":"Nature","updated_at":"2024-10-13T23:20:00+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2023-02-25T13:46:26+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Nature"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"The Shetland Bus", "handle":"the-shetland-bus", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/f5d72a41a8f7534f92fa6a586d1eb2ed_380x.jpg?v=1518020937", "description":"Our bestseller now reprinted for a fifth time. \r\n\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t \r\n\t\tA classic story of secret wartime missions across the \r\n\t\t\tNorth Sea. \r\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\tDark winters provided the perfect cover for missions to occupied \r\n\t\t\tNorway during the Second World War, and the closest base was in \r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\tBritain’s most northerly group of islands, Shetland. Most Norwegians knew about the “Shetland Bus”, which did not go overland, but across the North Sea, taking supplies and saboteurs into the fjords under the noses of the Germans, and taking refugees to safety on the return journey – journeys in small fishing boats which covered thousands of miles, testing the skills of the Norwegian seamen who risked their lives in hurricanes, fog and darkness to make the crossing. \r\n\t\t\t\r\n\r\n\r\n\t\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\t\t \r\n\t\tDavid Howarth was a junior naval officer who helped set up and operate the base. His story is of successes and failures, and the courage, skill and adventurous spirit of the men who risked their lives on the Shetland Bus.", "price":899, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536795147,"handle":"history","title":"History","updated_at":"2024-10-13T14:35:38+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:26+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"History"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Call of the Running Tide", "handle":"call-of-the-running-tide", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/CalloftheRunningTide_380x.jpg?v=1669196411", "description":" \nThe call of the running tide has greatly influenced Louis Johnson, his family and friends and is the common thread throughout this life story spanning almost 90 years from boyhood on an East Yell croft to the present day. Now, back in the house where he was born, Louis is enjoying a happy retirement. He recalls school days in Yell and Lerwick, student life in Aberdeen and his experiences as a teacher. With vivid descriptions and humorous anecdotes, he tells of people and places that have shaped his life. The book concludes with a selection of Louis’ own poems and prose, many relating to people and events in the memoirs.\nLouis has touched the lives of many Shetlanders, as a teacher for 34 years in Lerwick, the North Isles and Northmavine and as Methodist lay preacher throughout the isles. He is a member of Yell Writers Group, has contributed to various magazines and had two previous books published, Chapel in the Valley and Wrestlers with the Troubled Sea.\nLouis Johnson\nPaperback\n176 pages\n240 x 165mm", "price":1299, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536598539,"handle":"biography","title":"Biography","updated_at":"2024-10-13T23:20:00+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:18+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Biography"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":9326362635,"handle":"featured-products","updated_at":"2024-10-14T17:30:36+01:00","published_at":"2018-02-21T11:56:00+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Featured Products","body_html":""},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"A Shetland Pattern Book", "handle":"a-shetland-pattern-book", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/AShetlandPatternBook_380x.jpg?v=1662038849", "description":"First published in 1979, A Shetland Pattern Book became a global bestseller, with numerous reprints and revisions. Since the last edition went out of print in the early 1990s it has been highly sought after on the second-hand market. Now, after almost three decades, it is available again so that a new generation of knitters can find inspiration within the covers of this practical book.\nMary Smith and Maggie Liddle\nPaperback\n64 pages", "price":999, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":9326362635,"handle":"featured-products","updated_at":"2024-10-14T17:30:36+01:00","published_at":"2018-02-21T11:56:00+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Featured Products","body_html":""},{"id":4536533003,"handle":"knitting","title":"Knitting","updated_at":"2024-10-13T17:10:04+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:16+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Knitting"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Farewell Fugley Island", "handle":"farewell-fugley-island", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/FarewellFugleyIsland_380x.jpg?v=1668519886", "description":" \nAlec arrived on Britain’s most inaccessible inhabited island of Foula at a critical time, the last cattle had been sold, the shop was due to close and several young people had left. With no mains water or electricity, it was relying on the tenacity of the 28 islanders to survive.\n This spectacular island with the second highest sea cliffs in Britain was often isolated for months due to the stormy weather and had relied on peat, fish and birds for its existence. For six years Alec became absorbed into the island ways and he gives a unique insight into a disappearing way of life on a remote island that was clinging onto the past as it faced inevitable change. Alec’s life is a moving and liberating experience as he falls in love and marries on the island, adapting to the change with warm humour and hard work offering clear sighted observations on the colourful characters encountered. But eventually he has to make a decision whether to stay or leave.\n Alec Crawford has been based on many islands during his work on shipwrecks as a diver. He later operated around the world using remote equipment to recover deep water cargoes and remove oil from shipping casualties. Alec and his wife Moya’s work has been recorded in both the Timewatch documentary ‘The Lost Liner and the Empire’s Gold’ and his first book Treasure Islands.\n Alec Crawford\nPaperback\n240pages\n240 x 165mm ", "price":1499, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536598539,"handle":"biography","title":"Biography","updated_at":"2024-10-13T23:20:00+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:18+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Biography"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":9326362635,"handle":"featured-products","updated_at":"2024-10-14T17:30:36+01:00","published_at":"2018-02-21T11:56:00+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Featured Products","body_html":""},{"id":4536729611,"handle":"general","title":"General","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:23+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"General"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Knitting By the Fireside and on the Hillside", "handle":"knitting-by-the-fireside-and-on-the-hillside", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/KnittingbytheFireside_380x.jpg?v=1620049003", "description":" \nA History of the Shetland Hand Knitting Industry @ 1600-1950\nFirst published 1995. This facsimile edition first published 2021.\nThis book traces the history of the Shetland hand knitting industry from its earliest recorded occurrence in 1618 up to 1950.\nTraditionally the Shetland economy was based on fishing, crofting and knitting, with the knitting being undertaken by women. It was due to the quality of the native wool and to the highly developed knitting skills of the islands' women, that Shetland became renowned for its superb hand knitting. Unlike many others, Shetland women were able to adapt their skills to changing markets, thus the evolution of Shetland lace in the 1830s, fine underwear in the 1880s and Fair Isle knitting in the 1920s, all managed to ensure that handknitting remained an important strand in the Shetland economy.\nLinda G. Fryer\nPaperback\n201 pages", "price":999, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536795147,"handle":"history","title":"History","updated_at":"2024-10-13T14:35:38+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:26+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"History"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536533003,"handle":"knitting","title":"Knitting","updated_at":"2024-10-13T17:10:04+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:16+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Knitting"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Best Days with Shetland's Birds - Paperback", "handle":"best-days-with-shetlands-birds-1", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/BestDayswithBirds_3b6a4409-e170-4a0e-a69d-e5fd2ab3bf11_380x.jpg?v=1648716485", "description":" \nPAPERBACK EDITION\nSpanning decades as well as the seasons, thirty well known figures of the local bird scene share what Shetland's birds mean to them and recount their best days.\nEdited by Andrew Harrop and Rebecca Nason\n“I love the format of this book because it shares those moments of passion and excitement. This is no dry examination of facts or statistics. It helps us to understand the joy to be found in the natural world. These are the stories told and retold, while sheltering inside during westerly gales and horizontal rain. They’re much more interesting than bird name scrabble!\nFair Isle, and later the rest of Shetland, taught me that nature is an intrinsic part of landscape. To fall in love with a place, without an understanding of the wildlife inhabiting or visiting it, is a limited kind of affection. The accounts of very special birding days give us a real and wider sense of these beautiful islands.”   Ann Cleeves\nPaperback\n134 pages\n240 x 165m\nColour illustrations", "price":1799, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":4536631307,"handle":"nature","title":"Nature","updated_at":"2024-10-13T23:20:00+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2023-02-25T13:46:26+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Nature"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"From Honky-Tonks to Helicopters", "handle":"from-honky-tonks-to-helicopters", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/FromHonky-tonkstoHelicoptersRGB_380x.jpg?v=1668519549", "description":"Lerwick born author and local historian, Douglas M. Sinclair, is well-known for his detailed and informative writing about Old Lerwick. In this publication however, he proves to be a witty and capable raconteur, relating tales of when he took a break from NHS employment in Aberdeen and became the first Shetlander to work offshore on an oil rig.\nWhen offered the post of rig medic Douglas expected to be based in Shetland but instead found himself in Texas, USA. There he discovered honky-tonks, was involved in a bar room brawl, enjoyed country and western music, gumbo and T-bone steaks, before having the remarkable experience of crossing the Atlantic Ocean on board the rig.\nWhile working in the North Sea oilfields to the north and east of Shetland Douglas found himself dealing with diverse situations, both humorous and tragic. On shore leave in Lerwick he gives a vivid account of visits to the Planets Ballroom, North Star Cinema, and the Lounge. Participation in Up-Helly-A' and a fishing expedition is also included.\nFrom his unique perspective Douglas recounts tales of a time of change and opportunity in Shetland, and has provided a hugely entertaining and enjoyable book, full of easy to read and often amusing anecdotes relating to this interesting chapter of his life.\nDouglas M Sinclair\nPaperback\n60 pages\n210 x 148mm", "price":799, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536598539,"handle":"biography","title":"Biography","updated_at":"2024-10-13T23:20:00+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:18+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Biography"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Shetland's Boats: Origin, evolution and use", "handle":"shetlands-boats-origin-evolution-and-use", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/Shetland_sBoats_2_380x.jpg?v=1648035268", "description":" \nThe popular view is that Shetland's graceful double-ended boats are direct descendants of the Viking longship. This unbroken linking of the Shetland boat to the Norse era was fuelled by nineteenth-century romantic visions of Shetland's Viking past.\nThe reality is more complex as this major new study confirms. Economic and social conditions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to changes both in fishing patterns and to the boats needed to meet these conditions.\nThere are many similarities between boats built in Shetland and those of western Norway but they became a true Shetland product when islanders began to diverge from that tradition around 1780. No longer were they Norwegian boats in Shetland, but true Shetland vernacular boats.\nThis book is a voyage of discovery into the origin , development and use of these unique open boats. It explores the central role these four- and six-oared boats played in everyday Shetland life, meeting the boatbuilders and the people whose way of life was centred on, and dependent upon, these seaworthy craft.\n \nMarc Chivers\nPaperback\n293 pages\n \nBook review from The Shetland Times, 25th March 2022. By Charlie Simpson. Copyright © The Shetland Times Ltd.\nShetland’s Boats – Origin, evolution and use by Marc Chivers\nIt is generally agreed that more than 6,000 years have passed since humans first arrived to inhabit our peerie isles.\nIt’s also indisputable that they arrived by sea, using a boat of some kind, seaworthy enough to safely make the journey most probably from other islands further south.\nOnce settled, the incoming hunter-gatherers – pre-dating agriculture by many centuries – would have been heavily reliant for subsistence on the resources of the seashore and inshore waters, and the boats that allowed their exploitation.\nFishing was the absolutely vital life-dependent means of supplementing an otherwise inadequate plant-based diet, and this reliance on boats began to lessen only a mere two centuries ago, when vessels propelled by anything other than man or wind-power first appeared over Shetland horizons.\nToday in Shetland there’s no reliance left: open boats, for so long an essential means of subsistence for most, are mere playthings of recreation for a decreasing portion of our population, while the skills that created and maintained them are vocational no longer, surviving only on a dwindling domestic scale and quite liable to become extinct in a generation or two.\nFor all that, there has been an almost disproportionate level of interest – sentimental, nostalgic, call it what you will – throughout the time of recorded history on the subject of our Shetland boats, an interest which in many quarters is as strong as it has ever been.\nAs far back as the 18th century, visitors to the isles invariably noted with surprise the unique style and seaworthiness of the “native” craft they saw – totally different from boats anywhere else round the British coast – and the skills of those who manned them. \nEducated landsmen published what they learnt of the fisheries, the fishermen and especially their boats, as recently as the last decades of the last century but most prolifically while the last of the true open-boat fishermen were still alive into to the 1930s. Thus, for anybody interested in the subject of our native boats there’s a mass of relevant published material in existence.\nApart from Charles Sandison’s The Sixareen and her Racing Descendants and single chapters or sections in various other books, most of it lurks in archives and libraries hither and yon, ranging between short journal articles and fragmentary mentions in various books on wider topics.\nMany of its elements contradict one another – few present anything other than an island or even district-related perspective and there are many gaps in the narrative.\nUp to now, therefore, making  a “big picture” from the many pieces has been a long and time-consuming exercise to say the least.\nFor this reason alone, I was delighted to be asked to review a new book which lays out virtually the whole story from earliest days right up to the present under one cover, thanks to Marc Chivers whose PhD thesis was sponsored by Lerwick Port Authority and Shetland Amenity Trust back in 2013.\nHis painstaking research over four years mined just about every relevant source, and its adaption into book form now gives us arguably  the most thorough account yet produced of the origins  of the “Shetland Model” – the double-ended fourareens and sixareens that were the essential tools in our fishing industry for a very long time – and traces its evolution right into the present day. The result is Shetland’s Boats: origin, evolution and use – it’s a pretty impressive work.\nThe opening chapter sets the scene for us, outlining the very earliest settlement of the isles, and the sparse boat-related evidence from archaeological and saga sources, into the Norse settlement era.\nThe settlers from western Norway obviously brought their boats with them, boats of a style that endures to the present day.\nOnce the realms of recorded history are reached, the bare bones of the story are soon clad in an increasing volume of archival detail – which represents a testament to the huge expansion of archives and their accessibility over the past seventy years or so.\nThis access enabled the author to explore in great detail many aspects of the centuries of importing boats from Norway into Shetland, of the kinds of boats from whillies to “great boats” pulling eight oars, along with the four- and six-oared craft in most common use, and all the accessories such as oars, spars, scoops, cordage, tar and whatnot.\nBesides their use for fishing, boats were essential tools for travel between isles for many centuries until the creation of roads from the 1840s onwards.\nAfter Earl Patrick’s day the system was governed by statute, with fares prescribed for the multitude of routes between islands, and also between many mainland places in order to avoid steep hills or shorelines.\nWhen native Shetlanders filled the trading vacuum after the retreat of visiting German traders in the early 18th century, we learn of their triangular trade route – fish to Hamburg, then domestic and fishing-related goods of every kind homeward, including a diversion along Norwegian ports to top up the cargo with timber goods – especially boats and boat parts.\nNaval blockade during the Napoleonic wars stifled this trade and expanded the practice of building the necessary boats in the isles using native skills; skills often developed and honed through the earlier need to assemble the partly-built or even kit-form boat imports. A later chapter provides an intriguing comparison between Shetland- and Norway-built boats and the contrasts in design, building practices and materials.\nThe Custom House records reveal the extent of the boat-import trade over time – and in combination with merchants’ letter-books reveal the extent to which avoiding import duty was a common practice.\nIt confirms that fourareen imports generally outnumbered sixareens, and the sheer quantity of boats involved is an indicator that haaf sixareens had short working lives, seldom lasting  ten seasons before wearing out. As the 20th century came in, of course, the last fishing sixareens were retired for ever, leaving only a few to survive as flit-boats over the following decades – or as roofs for sheds.\nAlso from the Custom House, the Register of Fishing Boats dating from 1869 is a valuable source of information on individual boats, a virtual census giving owner, dimensions, rig and location. Again, the author’s detailed analysis of the register confirms the predominance of fourareens and shows the slightly uneven distribution of sixareen ownership which contrasts markedly with the ubiquitous fourareen.\nThe twentieth century brings much more archival detail, with many builders’ and fishermens’ accounts of boat construction and use – and photographic illustration aplenty.\nMany of the well-known boatbuilders from the late nineteenth century onwards are still subjects of living memory, and many of their boats have happily survived, with some of  their memoirs preserved  in print.\nThis enabled the author to produce a detailed account of the progressive evolution of the “Shetland Model”, including an overview of the boats developed and kept purely for racing, right up to the present day.\nThe tale of the rise and fall of country regattas and the fleets of Maid class boats will evoke fond memories – and probably some regrets – in an age where the dinghy rules and the “Shetland” boat is an expensive sailing machine for a well-heeled few.    Although wooden boatbuilding is a career no longer, the author’s recording of the memories of its last professional practitioners and their teachers are worthily recorded for posterity – and not before time. \nAll in all, as I said before, Marc Chivers has produced the first comprehensive all-embracing account of our Shetland boats and is to be congratulated along with his far-sighted sponsors and its publisher.\nI remember being of the opinion when the project was first promoted that there was enough stuff on record already, which ignored the fact that it was dispersed piecemeal throughout a huge number of archive sources here at home, along with all the others in Scotland and Norway.\nHis gathering of all this material together into a coherent big-picture narrative is nevertheless a commendable achievement, and although there are – as expected perhaps – no startling revelations, the analysis is painstaking and thorough, and the end result a very welcome addition to the bibliography of its vast subject.\n \n ", "price":4000, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":9326362635,"handle":"featured-products","updated_at":"2024-10-14T17:30:36+01:00","published_at":"2018-02-21T11:56:00+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Featured Products","body_html":""},{"id":4536795147,"handle":"history","title":"History","updated_at":"2024-10-13T14:35:38+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:26+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"History"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536664075,"handle":"nautical","title":"Nautical","updated_at":"2024-10-13T14:35:38+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:21+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Nautical"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Grottie-Buckie an Tirli-Wirli", "handle":"grottie-buckie-an-tirli-wirli", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/Grottie-Buckie_380x.jpg?v=1623937718", "description":"Grottie-Buckie lives alone in his little old house with only the company of mouse Tirli-Wirli, with whom he shares his food and conversation.\nTirli-Wirli feels sorry for Grottie-Buckie, who has always been so kind to him, and, despite being only a tiny mouse, decides to make him a new jacket and cap.\nChristine de Luca\nIllustrated by Kenneth Blues Wilson\nPaperback\n38 pages", "price":799, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536696843,"handle":"children","title":"Children's Shetland","updated_at":"2024-10-01T18:05:02+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:23+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Children"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Fair Isle Designs from Shetland Knitters Volume 2", "handle":"fair-isle-designs-from-shetland-knitters-volume-2", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/Fair_Isle_Knitting_vol_2_gif_380x.gif?v=1568364806", "description":" \nFollowing the huge success of Volume One, the Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers are back with 12 new designs. Patterns range from peerie projects to full size garments and suit a variety of abilities; whether you are just starting out on your journey with traditional colour-work and Shetland wool, or looking for your next challenge in Fair Isle this book will guide and inspire you. As well as showcasing the skills and talents of the featured designers, there is a Q\u0026amp;A section with Guild members and a history of the formation of the Guild and its development over the last 30 years.\nShetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers\nPaperback\n112 pages\n297mm x 210mm", "price":2199, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536533003,"handle":"knitting","title":"Knitting","updated_at":"2024-10-13T17:10:04+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:16+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Knitting"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"Kirstie's Witnesses", "handle":"kirsties-witnesses", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/Kirstie_sWitnesses_380x.jpg?v=1623936800", "description":"In the hungry 1840s, the town of Lerwick is struggling with massive social problems, and Kirstie Jamieson, widow, is trying to feed three children. Like the town she lives in, she has a fighting spirit, but will that be enough?\nChristina Inkster Jamieson, a.k.a. Kirstie Caddel, was a real person. This is her story. It is also the story of her enterprising, problem-ridden, unpredictable town and the men who found themselves trying to shape its future.\nSheenagh Pugh used to teach creative writing at the University of Glamorgan but is now retired and living in Shetland. he has published many collections of poetry, two novels and a critical study of fan fiction.\nFirst published1998. Reprinted 2021\nSheenagh Pugh\nPaperback\n138 pages", "price":899, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536500235,"handle":"fiction","title":"Fiction","updated_at":"2024-10-13T11:30:05+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:15+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Fiction"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536795147,"handle":"history","title":"History","updated_at":"2024-10-13T14:35:38+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:26+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"History"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"1915 War", "handle":"1915-war", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/1915Peace_War_380x.jpg?v=1612880453", "description":" \nFollowing on from 1914 Peace and War.\nExtracts from the Shetland Times.\nCompiled by Gordon Johnston\nPaperback\n236 pages", "price":1999, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536795147,"handle":"history","title":"History","updated_at":"2024-10-13T14:35:38+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:26+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"History"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"A Shetland Knitter's Notebook", "handle":"a-shetland-knitters-notebook", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/AShetlandKnittersNotebook_380x.jpg?v=1662038793", "description":"A Shetland Knitter's Notebook is the companion volume to the bestselling A Shetland Pattern Book. First published in 1991, it contains more words and pictures from Mary Smith and photographs by Chris Bunyan.\nMary Smith and Chris Bunyan\nPaperback\n138 pages", "price":1099, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":9326362635,"handle":"featured-products","updated_at":"2024-10-14T17:30:36+01:00","published_at":"2018-02-21T11:56:00+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"published_scope":"web","title":"Featured Products","body_html":""},{"id":4536533003,"handle":"knitting","title":"Knitting","updated_at":"2024-10-13T17:10:04+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:16+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Knitting"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] },{ "title":"My Journey Home: Memoirs of a Shetland Exile", "handle":"my-journey-home-memoirs-of-a-shetland-exile", "featured_image":"//shop.shetlandtimes.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/MyJourneyHome_380x.jpg?v=1623936151", "description":" \nJames Pottinger's travels from his birthplace in a croft house in pre-war Burra have taken him full circle and he is \"home\" again, after a career in engineering, the merchant navy, sales and management.\nThis gentle memoir reflects the vast difference in life-styles and opportunities for a youngster born in modest circumstances then and those prevailing today.\nEducated at Hamnavoe school and then the Lerwick Central Public School, his first job was as a builders labourer in Burra. Seeking a career meant leaving home and taking on a marine engineering apprenticeship in Greenock before sailing sailing as an engineer in the last gasp of the \"great\" British merchant marine. Then followed marriage, work in Scandinavia and Holland throughout the oil era and, eventually, a happy retirement in Aberdeen.\nA keen artist, draughtsman and boating enthusiast James decided, after the death of his wife, to return to Shetland and \"with inevitable mortality drawing ever nearer\", as he puts it, finally records his\" journey home\".\nJames A. Pottinger\nPaperback\n134 pages", "price":999, "compare_at_price":0, "collections": [{"id":161185005638,"handle":"advertised-books","title":"Advertised Books","updated_at":"2024-10-13T22:15:34+01:00","body_html":"","published_at":"2020-09-03T16:48:09+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","disjunctive":true,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Advertised Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536598539,"handle":"biography","title":"Biography","updated_at":"2024-10-13T23:20:00+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:18+00:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Biography"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":4536369163,"handle":"books","title":"Books","updated_at":"2024-10-15T00:40:01+01:00","body_html":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","published_at":"2018-02-07T16:21:11+00:00","sort_order":"best-selling","template_suffix":null,"disjunctive":false,"rules":[{"column":"tag","relation":"equals","condition":"Books"}],"published_scope":"web"},{"id":149941846086,"handle":"st","updated_at":"2024-10-12T22:40:10+01:00","published_at":"2019-09-25T17:09:54+01:00","sort_order":"manual","template_suffix":"","published_scope":"web","title":"st","body_html":""}] }] }