Kirjahaku

Spurred on by Fernweh, 'a longing for faraway places', Walter Stephen shares thoughts sparked off by destinations which have intrigued and attracted him. Using these places as inspiration for musings on subjects such as history, culture and science, Walter builds up a unique picture of the world that you won't find in any guidebook. But are these ramblings really as random as they seem? Soon his personal reasons for choosing each location become clear, with an awareness of the duality of man's relationship with the world coming into view. Facing his own mortality, Walter contemplates both the powerful beauty of the world and man's capacity for destruction in a book that is poignant, entertaining, informative and thought-provoking. And just what are Walter's Wiggles? A unique escarpment path leading to Angels Landing in Zion National Park, Utah; one of the many fascinating places on Walter's travels, and part of a journey that is not as random as it first seems.

In the 19th century, Musselburgh was a hotbed of golfing genius and the local links produced five Open Champions. One of these was Willie Park Junior. More than a good golfer, he redefined the image of the golf professional and took the game from being an esoteric pastime to its present status as a world game. As well as winning the Open in 1887 and 1889, Willie played challenge and demonstration matches at home, in Europe and in North America. His workshops turned out golf balls and clubs to his own design and he had retail outlets in Edinburgh, Manchester, London, New York and Montreal. He designed and laid out over 100 golf courses in the British Isles and Western Europe.When he published The Game of Golf in 1896 it was the first book on the game written by a professional. World War I killed off Willie's activities at home, so he moved across the Atlantic. Concentrating on course design he engineered over 40 courses in the US and 20 in Canada. Willie Park was the epitome of Scottish Victorian enterprise. Though not alone, he was the most active of missionaries, taking the skills and equipment of a local game to what were then the two major continents.

In his time his revolutionary ideas appealed to women and he was surrounded by more than a generation of clever and forceful women. One who could say that ‘life is not really a gladiators’ show; it is rather a vast mothers’ meeting!’ could not fail to attract followers. WALTER STEPHENPatrick Geddes – Sociologist, Town Planner, Biologist, Peace Warrior. It is well known that this extraordinary Scot shaped the cityscape of Edinburgh, but for the first time Walter Stephen turns the lens onto the strong, wilful women who influenced the revolutionary man – and who were in turn influenced by him.From his wife and mother in Scotland, to a nun in India and a Marchioness in Ireland, this insightful volume shows the wide range of women across the globe whose lives intertwined with Geddes’s, whether professionally or personally.Delving deeper into Geddes’s personal life than ever before, Walter Stephen and his fellow Modern Geddesians go beyond the surface of the Scotsman’s acclaimed works to reveal the female characters that shaped him throughout his life. Contributors include: Veronica Burbridge, Siân Reynolds, Anne-Michelle Slater, Kenny Munro, Swami Narasimhananda, Sofia Leonard, Kenneth MacLean, Robert Morris and Kate Henderson.A well-researched and thoughtfully written book. SCOTTISH REVIEW OF BOOKS on The Evolution of Evolution[The book] makes the reader realise in what esteem Geddes should be held, not just in Scotland, but across the globe. LALLANS MAGAZINE on A Vigorous Institution

Town planning. Interest-led, open-minded education. Preservation of buildings with historical worth. All are so central to modern society that our age tends to claim these notions as its own. In fact they were first visualised by Sir Patrick Geddes, a largely forgotten Victorian Scot and one of the greatest forward thinkers in history. In turns a gardener, biologist, conservationist, social evolutionist and town planner, he spent many years conserving and restoring Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile at a time when most decaying buildings were simply torn down. With these plans of renovation came the importance of education – as the development of the Outlook Tower, his numerous summer schools and his Collège des Ecossais in Montpellier illustrate. It is in India where his name is most widely known. It was here that possibly the greatest example of Geddes’ belief in ‘people planning’ can be seen and which took the form of pedestrian zones, student accommodation for women, and urban diversification projects in Edinburgh. Indeed, his influence travelled around the world, through the people he met and inspired, and has survived after his death.

Walter Stephen provides an uninhibited look at the misery and toil of World War I through a collection of twelve diverse stories. Providing a Scottish perspective, he takes a look at tales from home and abroad with scepticism, delving deeper to unveil the unencumbered truth. Recalling Siegfried Sassoon’s words, Stephen reveals the failures of those in command as the Great War became known as A Dirty Swindle. The varied accounts chronicle the progress of troops from recruitment to training to the frontline, as well as enlightening historians to a side of Field Marshal Haig never seen before.

Walter Stephen provides an uninhibited look at the miseryand toil of World War I through a collection of twelve stories.

Part of a series of guides following key figures and themes, Walter Stephen explores the life and theories of the Scottish biologist, sociologist, geographer, philanthropist and urban planner, Sir Patrick Geddes. His renewal work in Edinburgh’s Old Town is as visible and impressive today as it was in the 19th and 20th centuries and his concepts such as ‘Think Global, Act Local’ are just as relevant. The author is an authority on Patrick Geddes and this book forms part of the On the Trail series.