Chapter XXII: Appendix: IV

BOOKS FOR FURTHER STUDY.

The subjoined list of books is given as a guide to further study by those who may wish to extend their knowledge of Orkney in any of the aspects suggested in this book. It is not in any sense a complete list of works relating to the Islands, nor does it, on the other hand, confine itself to such works in subjects where general study is the best foundation for local research. The books marked * are now out of print, and can only be obtained from libraries, or bought, when occasion offers, from dealers in second-hand books. As regards books still current, the list may be helpful to those who are building up school or parish libraries in the Islands. The most complete bibliography of Orkney and Shetland is the =List of Books and Pamphlets relating to Orkney and Shetland=, by James W. Cursiter, F.S.A.Scot. (Wm. Peace and Son, Kirkwall, 1894.)

Archæology and Early History.

*=Orkneyinga Saga.= Translated by Hjaltalin and Goudie. Edited, with Notes, by Anderson. (Edinburgh, 1873.) The historical introduction by Dr. Joseph Anderson is of special value.

=The Orkneyingers’ Saga.= Translated by Sir G. W. Dasent. (London, 1894; Rolls Edition.) A very fine spirited rendering into English, as may be seen from the extracts given in the first part of this book.

=The Saga of Hacon, and a fragment of the Saga of Magnus.= Translated by Sir G. W. Dasent. (London, 1894; Rolls Edition.) This gives the Norse account of the battle of Largs, and events leading up to it.

The Icelandic text of the two preceding books is published in separate volumes in the same series.

=The Story of Burnt Njal.= By Sir G. W. Dasent. (Edinburgh, 1861; also a later and cheaper edition.) This is the finest of the Icelandic sagas. It deals mainly with life in Iceland, but contains several references to Orkney under Earl Sigurd the Stout, and the fine description of the battle of Clontarf quoted in this book.

=The War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill; or, The Invasion of Ireland by the Danes and other Norsemen.= Irish text, with translation and introduction by Jas. H. Todd. (London, 1867; Rolls Edition.) This gives an account from the Irish point of view of the Norse invasions of Ireland up to and including the battle of Clontarf.

=The Heimskringla; or, Chronicles of the Kings of Norway.= Translated by Samuel Laing. (3 vols., London, 1844; new edition, edited by Dr. R. B. Anderson, 4 vols., London, 1889.)

=Heimskringla Saga.= The Saga Library Edition. Translated by Wm. Morris and Eirikr Magnusson. (4 vols., London, 1893-1905.) The sagas included in the Heimskringla form a history of the early kings of Norway, and contain frequent references to Orkney. Snorri Sturlason, the author, ranks among the greatest of historians.

=Corpus Poeticum Boreale.= By Gudbrand Vigfusson and F. York Powell. (2 vols., Oxford, 1883.) This is an almost complete collection of old Norse Eddic and Court poetry, including poems by Torf Einar, Arnor the Earl’s poet, Earl Rognvald, and Bishop Bjarni. In a valuable introduction Vigfusson shows that many of the Eddic lays were written in the western Norse colonies in the British Isles, and some of them presumably in the Orkney earldom.

=Icelandic Primer.= By Henry Sweet. (Oxford, 1886.)

=Icelandic Prose Reader.= By G. Vigfusson and F. York Powell. (Oxford, 1879.)

=Icelandic-English Dictionary.= By R. Cleasby. Edited by G. Vigfusson, with appendix by W. W. Skeat. (London, 1874.)

The preceding three books form the best equipment for studying the language of the Norse period.

=The Dialect and Place-Names of Shetland.= By J. Jakobsen. (Lerwick, 1897.) Many of the place-names explained occur in Orkney.

=The Vikings in Western Christendom=, by C. F. Keary (London, 1891), gives an interesting account of the early Viking age, from 789 to 888 A.D.

=Saga Time=, by J. Fulford Vicary (London, 1887), gives a popular description of society from the ninth to the eleventh century.

=Orcades, seu Rerum Orcadensium Historia.= By Thormodus Torfaeus, Icelandic historian (1697). Translated by Alexander Pope, minister of Reay. (Wick, 1866.) Only a partial translation.

*=Account of the Danes and Norwegians in England, Scotland, and Ireland.= By J. J. A. Worsaae; translation. (London, 1852.) A standard work.

=Monumenta Orcadica: the Norsemen in the Orkneys and the Monuments they have left, with a Survey of the Celtic Pre-Norwegian and Scottish Post-Norwegian Monuments in the Islands.= By L. Dietrichson. (Christiania, 1906.) The most recent and most scientific account of the Norse remains in Orkney, written in Norwegian, but with a very full summary—almost equivalent to a translation—in English. Of special interest is the account of the newly-discovered monastery in Eynhallow.

=The Viking Age.= By Paul du Chaillu. (2 vols., London, 1889.) An account of the manners and customs, as well as the history, of the Viking period; well illustrated, but not accurate or authoritative.

=The Early Kings of Norway.= By Thomas Carlyle. (London, 1875.) A short account of the period from 860 to 1397; of no great historical value.

Norse Mythology.

*=Northern Mythology.= By Benjamin Thorpe. (3 vols., London, 1851.) The best and most complete work on the subject.

=Northern Antiquities.= By P. Mallet; translation. (London, 1770; edition in Bohn’s Series.)

=The Mythology of the Eddas.= By C. F. Keary. (London, 1882.)

=Norse Mythology: the Religion of our Forefathers.= By R. B. Anderson. (Chicago, 1875.)

=Asgard and the Gods: a Manual of Norse Mythology.= By Dr. W. Wägner. (London, 1880.) The best popular book on the subject.

=The Tragedy of the Norse Gods.= By R. J. Pitt.

=Heroes and Hero-Worship.= By Thomas Carlyle. (London, 1841.)

=The Earthly Paradise.= By William Morris. (London, 1868-70.)

=Sigurd the Volsung.= By William Morris. (London, 1877.)

=Epic and Romance.= Essays on Mediæval Literature by W. P. Ker. (London, 1908.) An authoritative and very readable account of the old Icelandic literary art.

Later History.

*=History of the Orkney Islands.= By the Rev. George Barry. (Edinburgh, 1805; reprinted, with prefatory account of the Islands, Kirkwall, 1867.) One of the standard works dealing with the history of the Islands.

*=Odal Rights and Feudal Wrongs.= By David Balfour of Balfour. (Edinburgh, 1860).

*=Oppressions of the Sixteenth Century in the Islands of Orkney and Zetland.= (Edinburgh, 1859; Abbotsford and Maitland Clubs publications.)

The above two books give an account of Orkney under Scottish rule.

*=Monteith’s Description of the Islands of Orkney and Zetland.= (Edinburgh, 1711; reprinted 1845.)

*=General View of the Agriculture of the Orkney Islands.= By John Shirreff. (Edinburgh, 1814.) An exceedingly interesting account of the state of the Islands in the early nineteenth century.

=Description of the Isles of Orkney.= By the Rev. James Wallace (minister of Kirkwall). Published by his son. (Edinburgh, 1693; reprinted, with notes by John Small, M.A., Edinburgh, 1883.)

=The Present State of the Orkney Islands Considered.= By James Fea (Surgeon). (Edinburgh, 1775; reprinted, Edinburgh, 1884.)

=Orkney and Shetland Old-Lore Series.= A miscellany issued quarterly by the Viking Club, London; contains numerous articles of historical interest.

Descriptive.

*=The Orkneys and Shetland.= By John R. Tudor. (London, 1883.) The best descriptive work on the county; at once popular and systematic.

=Kirkwall in the Orkneys.= By B. H. Hossack. (Kirkwall, 1900.) An extremely full and detailed descriptive and historical account of the town of Kirkwall.

*=History of the Orkney Islands=, by the Rev. George Barry (Kirkwall edition, 1867), contains a well-written description of the Islands.

*=Summers and Winters In the Orkneys.= By Daniel Gorrie. (Kirkwall, N.D.) A valuable series of sketches of Orcadian scenery and the conditions of life about the middle of last century.

=Rambles In the Far North.= By R. M. Fergusson. (Paisley, 1884.)

=Our Trip North.= By R. M. Fergusson. (London, 1892.)

=Handbook to the Orkney Islands.= (W. Peace and Son, Kirkwall.) Full of interest.

=Orkney and Shetland.= By M. J. B. Baddeley, B.A. Thorough Guide Series. (Thomas Nelson and Sons, London.) The best tourist guide to the Islands.

=Orkney and Shetland Almanac and County Directory= (W. Peace and Son, Kirkwall; issued annually) contains statistical and other material of value.

=The North Sea Pilot. Part I.= (London, 1894.) A Government publication for the use of mariners. Of much value to Orcadians interested in boating or in navigation.

=Tour through the Islands of Orkney and Shetland.= By the Rev. George Low, with introduction by Dr. Joseph Anderson. (Kirkwall, 1879.) An interesting account of the appearance of the Islands at the end of the eighteenth century.

Geology.

There is no book dealing specifically with the geology of Orkney. Recourse must be had either to books dealing with the science generally, or to those dealing with the Islands in which their geology is included.

=The Orkneys and Shetland= (Tudor) contains an account of the geology of the islands, written by Drs. Peach and Horne, with a useful geological map.

The most recent and complete geological survey of Orkney is that by Dr. J. S. Flett, an account of which is contained in two papers in the =Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh=.

Some of Hugh Miller’s works, such as =The Testimony of the Rocks=, =The Old Red Sandstone=, =Rambles of a Geologist=, and =Footprints of the Creator=, contain numerous references to the geology of Orkney.

=Robert Dick=, by Dr. Samuel Smiles, is an interesting account of a Thurso baker who devoted his life to the study of geology in Caithness, where the rook formation is the same as that of Orkney.

Among general works in geology suitable for beginners may be mentioned Huxley’s =Physiography= and Sir Archibald Geikie’s =Outlines of Field Geology=, his =Class-book of Geology=, and his =Scenery of Scotland=.

Botany.

=The Orkneys and Shetland= (Tudor) contains a list of the rarer British plants found in Orkney, compiled by W. I. Fortescue.

Volume xviii. of the =Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh= contains a complete list of Orkney plants by Prof. J. W. H. Traill. Another list is in preparation by Mr. Magnus Spence.

=The Marine Algæ of the Orkney Islands=, by G. W. Traill (Edinburgh, 1890), contains a list of the seaweeds of Orkney.

The following are some general works on botany which may be of service to the beginner:—=Open-air Studies in Botany=, by R. L. Praeger (London, 1897), a study of wild flowers in their homes, with illustrations; =Flowering Plants, their Structure and Habitat=, by C. L. Laurie, illustrated (London, 1903); =Nature Studies=, by G. F. Scott-Elliot (London, 1903); =A Plant Book for Schools=, by O. V. Darbyshire, illustrated (London, 1908); =Flowers of the Field=, by C. A. Johns (London, 1894).

=Common Objects of the Seashore=, by the Rev. J. G. Wood (London, 1866), contains good descriptions and illustrations of the seaweeds.

For identification of plants perhaps the best books are the =British Flora=, by Bentham and Hooker (London, 1904), and =Illustrations to Bentham and Hooker’s British Flora=, by Fitch and Smith (London, 1905).

For mosses, the best book is Dixon and Jameson’s =Student’s Handbook of British Mosses=.

Zoology.

For a general introduction to natural history the best books are—=Life and her Children= (London, 1880), and =Winners in Life’s Race= (London, 1882), by Miss A. B. Buckley (Mrs. Fisher), and Professor Arthur J. Thomson’s fascinating =Study of Animal Life=, which gives a list of other books on zoology.

The animals of the seashore are dealt with in Rev. J. G. Wood’s =Common Objects of the Seashore= and =Fresh and Salt Water Aquarium=; =Seaside Studies=, by G. H. Lewes; =The Aquarium=, by P. H. Gosse; and =The Aquarium, its Inhabitants, Structure, and Management=, by J. E. Taylor.

Gosse’s =Manual of Marine Zoology for the British Isles= (2 vols., London, 1856) still remains the best book for the identification of marine animals.

For the study of birds the best works are the following:—=The Birds of Shetland=, by H. L. Saxby (Edinburgh, 1884); =The Birds of the West of Scotland=, by Robert Gray; =Bird-Watching= and =The Bird-Watcher in the Shetlands=, by Edmund Selous.

Saunders’s =Manual of British Birds= (London, 1889) is the best single book for the identification of birds, each species being illustrated.

=The Vertebrate Fauna of the Orkney Islands=, by J. A. Harvie Brown and T. E. Buckley (Edinburgh, 1891), is in greater part a list of the birds of Orkney, with a short account of each.

=Orcadian Papers: being Selections from the Proceedings of the Orkney Natural History Society from 1887 to 1904.= Edited by M. M. Oharleson, F.S.A. Scot. (Stromness, 1905.) The selections are not confined to natural history, but include historical and other contributions.

Fiction, Poetry, etc.

=The Pirate.= By Sir Walter Scott.

=Poems, etc.= By David Vedder. Edited by the Rev. G. Gilfillan. (Kirkwall, N.D.)

=Poems, Tales, and Sketches.= By Lieutenant John Malcolm, with introduction by the Rev. G. Gilfillan. (Kirkwall, N.D.)

*=The Orcadian Sketch-Book.= By Walter Traill Dennison. (Kirkwall, 1880.) A unique collection of stories and poems written in the “North Isles” dialect of the Orkney vernacular.

=Orcadian Sketches.= By W. T. Dennison. With introduction by J. Storer Clouston. (Kirkwall, 1904.) A selection from the preceding.

=The Pilots of Pomona.= By Robert Leighton. (London, 1892.)

=Sons of the Vikings.= By Dr. J. Gunn, M.A. (Edinburgh, 1893. Cheaper edition, 1909.)

=The Boys of Hamnavoe.= By Dr. J. Gunn, M.A. (Edinburgh, 1894.)

=Vandrad the Viking.= By J. Storer Clouston. (Edinburgh, 1897.)

=Garmiscath.= By J. Storer Clouston. (Cheaper edition, London, 1904.)

* * * * *

In addition to the material available in book form, much excellent literature in prose and in verse, with more or less direct relation to Orkney, has appeared in various magazines above the names of Duncan J. Robertson, J. Storer Clouston, and others, specimens of which are included in the pages of this volume.

THE END.

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