Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be given your own remote islands? Thirty years ago it happened to Adam Nicolson.

Aged 21, Nicolson inherited the Shiants, three lonely Hebridean islands set in a dangerous sea off the Isle of Lewis. With only a stone bothy for accommodation and half a million puffins for company, he found himself in charge of one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The story of the Shiants is a story of birds and boats, hermits and fishermen, witchcraft and catastrophe, and Nicolson expertly weaves these elements into his own tale of seclusion on the Shiants to create a stirring celebration of island life.

About the Author

Adam Nicolson is the author of many books on history, travel and the environment. He has won the Somerset Maugham Award, the British Topography Prize and the Ondaatje Prize. He lives on a farm in Sussex.

Reviews

'Exceptionally well done, beautifully written, personal yet panoramic.' Observer

'An extraordinarily outward-looking book...a truly passionate attention to detail.... A love-letter no one else could hope to write so well.' Sunday Telegraph

'A passionate evocation, a compression of observation and anecdote which catches you up in its intelligence as well as its enthusiasm, and fill you with homesickness for a place you've never been to.' Daily Telegraph

'Generous, exuberant and a vividly written narrative.... history, travel-writing and memoir of the best sort.' Spectator

'Sharply observed, a finely written work, one to be savoured, turned over and over like a good whisky.' Sunday Times

Book Information
ISBN 9780006532019
Author Adam Nicolson
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Imprint HarperCollins
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Weight(grams) 270g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 25mm