Geoff Holder

Did you know?Part of the Antonine Wall runs through the course of Cawder Golf Club.The nursery rhyme ‘Wee Willie Winkie’ was written by Glasgow man William Miller.Rab Ha’, a nineteenth-century celebrity known as ‘the Glasgow glutton’, once ate an entire calf.The Little Book of Glasgow is an intriguing, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and hundreds of fascinating facts.Geoff Holder’s new book gathers together a myriad of data on Glasgow. Discover why two archbishops had a fight at the door of the cathedral, find directions to an Egyptian pharaoh and a Native American chief, and learn where you can find half-a-dozen Tardises. A handy reference and quirky guide, this book is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

Did you know?One of the biggest battles between the Scots and the English was fought in France.The success of his first book of poems saved Robert Burns from working on a slave plantation.Six craters on Mars are named after places in Scotland.The Little Book of Scotland is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information that no one will want to be without.Discover the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of other wacky facts. A reliable reference and quirky guide, this book can be dipped into time and tagain to reveal something you never knew.

The Little Book of Edinburgh is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Here we find out about the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts. Geoff Holder’s new book contains historic and contemporary trivia on Edinburgh. There are lots of factual chapters but also plenty of frivolous details which will amuse and surprise. A reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped in to time and time again to reveal something you never knew. Discover the real story of Greyfriars Bobby (he was a publicity stunt), meet the nineteenth-century counterparts of our favourite modern detectives, from Jackson Brodie to John Rebus, seek out historical sites from the distant past to the Second World War, and tangle with the Tattoo and freak out with the Festival. A remarkably engaging little book, this is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

This fun little book, containing 200 fantastic facts about the Christmas season as well as 90 illustrations, will delight readers everywhere this Christmas.

Britain has an incredible history, steeped in all manner of blood, death, disease and horror. From cannibals to concentration camps, Geoff Holder covers events both great and gory from Britain’s terrible past, with kings, queens and pretenders to the throne; sea battles, massacres and attacks from the air. This collection explores it all, with hundreds of amazing true stories, including seven ill-judged attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria and the Gestapo’s secret plans to bring a conquered Britain to its knees. There will be blood ...

The Little Book of Scotland is a funny, fast-paced, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no-one will want to be without. Discover the most unusual crimes and punishments, eccentric inhabitants, famous sons and daughters and literally hundreds of wacky facts.Geoff Holder’s latest book contains historic and contemporary trivia including such gems as the real story of William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace, which king was murdered in a barn, and where the Second World War Commandos were formed. From Sir Walter Scott to Sir Sean Connery and Queen Victoria to Mary Queens of Scots, this is a remarkably engaging little book, essential reading for visitors and Scots alike.

Full details of where to find – and how to kill – all of Britain’s most historic zombies. Fact files on the undead in history, including Roman revenants, people who were buried alive and some resurrected royal corpses! High-profile targets including Jane Austen, Henry VIII, Richard III and William Shakespeare. Are you worried about the zombie apocalypse? Kept awake imagining you’ll only manage to take out a few before that chap at No. 9 gets you? Well, fret no more! Clasp a copy of this book and get a better class of horrible death from one of Britain’s best-loved historical legends. With full zombie-hunting details – including the locations of tombs, any wounds and weaknesses and a carefully calculated difficulty rating – no apocalyptic history lover should leave home without it!

In 1945 the celebrated psi-researcher Harry Price published Poltergeist over England, popularising the word poltergeist (German for ‘noisy ghost’) and making famous the kind of physical haunting characterised by thrown objects, mysterious noises, and damage by fire or water. Now, for the first time, an astonishing array of historical Scottish poltergeist cases are gathered together, from the Middle Ages to the modern period - unearthing many episodes that have remained neglected for centuries. Some were no doubt hoaxes, but in others, multiple witnesses testified to disturbing events enacted over months. Whatever the true cause of the events, the historical evidence from Scotland suggests that poltergeist phenomena is undoubtedly real.

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world – with one of the darkest histories on record. Sweeping through the centuries in a blood-soaked catalogue of assaults, assassinations and all-out attempts at annihilation, this volume reveals the hideous tapestry of death, disease and disaster that lies beneath Edinburgh’s stunning façade. You’ll never see the city in the same way again…

With the country’s oldest university and the ruins of both a magnificent castle and one of the grandest cathedrals of medieval Europe, St Andrews is one of the most beautiful and historic places in Scotland. But it’s also one of the most haunted. Here are investigations into St Andrews’ most famous ghost (the White Lady) and its most famous paranormal location (the Haunted Tower, with its real-life Victorian mystery of mummified bodies); the numerous phantoms, historical and contemporary, that appear to cluster around the medieval quarter of The Pends and St Leonard’s School; and spectres of castle and cloister, town and gown. There is also the Pitmilly House poltergeist, whose fire-raising activities resulted in a payout by an insurance company. Join paranormal expert Geoff Holder in an exploration of the darker side of St Andrews.

This fascinating book contains a terrifying collection of true-life tales from in and around Dundee. Featuring stories of unexplained phenomena, apparitions and poltergeists, including the tale of the White Lady of Coffin Mill and Balgay Bridge, the hauntings of the historic ships Discovery and Unicorn, and a host of modern ghost sightings - this book is guaranteed to make your blood run cold. Drawing on historical and contemporary sources and containing many tales which have never before been published, Haunted Dundee will delight everyone interested in the paranormal.

Paranormal Glasgow digs into the strange and peculiar stories of Scotland's greatest city. Here are tales of contemporary ghosts and historical hauntings, UFO and big-cat sightings, time slips, spontaneous human combustion, bizarre beliefs and urban legends. There is a thorough and shocking expose of the city's gory history of witchcraft trials, the story of the 'Gorbals vampire' of 1954, which saw hundreds of schoolchildren hunting for 'a monster with iron teeth', and the case of John Scott, the Glasgow Fasting Man who allegedly survived without food or water for 106 days - and was proved to have done so by the Vatican. With more than 50 photographs, this collection by writer and paranormal specialist Geoff Holder will delight, unnerve and surprise visitors and residents alike.

Standing on a lonely Perthshire road is the only historic monument to a named witch in the whole of Britain. But did ‘Maggie Wall’ actually exist? This book reveals the controversial truth for the first time. (Even more surprising results come from a quest to uncover the reality of Perthshire’s other famous witch, Kate McNiven.) Other strange tales in this book include direct evidence for the big cats roaming the county, a catalogue of the area’s UFO sightings, the story of the Fairy Rock that halted a housing development and the tale of the notorious Victorian scandal involving Ballechin House, allegedly ‘the most haunted house in Scotland’. With contemporary eye-witness accounts of ghosts, psychic episodes and encounters with supernatural beings, as well as more than fifty photographs, this book will delight all lovers of the mysterious and the paranormal.

Aberdeen is full of mysteries, marvels and strangeness, and this book is a comprehensive guide to them all. Here you will encounter magic, witchcraft, folklore and superstitions; contemporary urban legends; gargoyles and graveyards; graverobbers and murderers; stone circles and prehistoric burial sites; UFOs and freak weather; and tales of horror, madness, humour – and dangerous porridge. Many forgotten aspects of the city’s strange history are here, from the disturbing (spontaneous human combustion, William Wallace’s dismembered limbs, the man who died of fright after a mock execution, and the bodysnatching professors) to the downright bizarre (a talking statue, a wedding celebration which was mistaken for an alien invasion fleet, and golf with giant skulls).The Guide to Mysterious Aberdeen is the tenth in Geoff Holder’s acclaimed series. As with the previous volumes, it is profusely illustrated with over 100 photographs and draws on both ancient and modern sources. Full access and location details are given for both driver and walker alike, making this the indispensable companion for anyone exploring the Granite City.

From ancient mysteries to modern weirdness, this fascinating volume contains countless strange and terrifying places and episodes from across Dundee and Angus. Anyone with an interest in the paranormal will be delighted to find here a full history of all of Dundee's witches, UFO and Big Cat sightings, as well as Gothic horrors such as the man who claimed to be Jack the Ripper, the genesis of Frankenstein, a ‘vampire’ murder, and an outbreak of modern zombies. From the tramp discovered – still breathing – inside the belly of the famous Tay Whale, to the Dundee lass who became queen of a cannibal tribe, it will surprise, entertain and delight residents, visitors and lovers of the Fortean alike. With more than fifty modern and archive illustrations and photographs, no Dundee bookshelf is complete without it.

Graverobbing was a dark but profitable industry in pre-Victorian Scotland – criminals, gravediggers and middle-class medical students alike abstracted newly-buried corpses to send to the anatomy schools. Only after the trials of the infamous murderers Burke and Hare and the passing of the Anatomy Act of 1832 did the grisly trade end. From burial grounds in the heart of Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh to quiet country graveyards in the Scottish Borders and Aberdeenshire, this book takes you to every cemetery ever raided, and reveals where you can find extant pieces of anti-resurrectionist graveyard furniture, from mortsafes, coffin cages and underground vaults to watchtowers and morthouses. Richly illustrated, filled with hundreds of stories of ‘reanimated’ corpses, daring thefts, black-hearted murders and children sold to the slaughter by their own mothers, and with Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic short story The Body Snatcher at the end, this macabre guide will delight everyone who loves Scotland's dark past.

The Jacobites and the Supernatural offers a whole new perspective on the well-known Jacobite period and also allows the reader to explore the battlefields and other sites of the period in a completely new way. Here are tales of witchcraft, spirits, psychic powers, portents, prodigies, magical talismans and potent curses. Bonnie Prince Charlie practices the healing magic of 'touching' for the King's Evil and 'impresses' his good looks onto an unborn child. A queen attributes her pregnancy to a saint. Rocks split at the moment Culloden is lost. We meet angels, demons, fairies, guardian Black Dogs and other otherworldly beings. The cast of human characters includes John Graham of Claverhouse, 'Bonnie Dundee', said to have sold his soul to the Devil and then been killed by a silver bullet; the 'Galloping Earl' of Dilston whose phantom is said to still ride through his Northumbrian estate; and the gentle Lord President Forbes, who had a vision of the slaughter at Culloden months before the Jacobite dream was extinguished on that terrible day. As well as setting the occult beliefs in the religious, political and military contexts of the Jacobite Risings of 1689, 1715, 1719 and 1745, this book gives a site-by-site guide to all the battlefields and buildings associated with the Jacobites and the supernatural. The battles of Culloden, Sheriffmuir, Killiecrankie, Dunkeld, Glenshiel, Falkirk and Prestonpans are well represented, but there are also allegedly haunted castles and hotels, plus everything from an English vicarage (home to a Jacobite poltergeist) to a Highland loch and a Hebridean beach. Sites across Scotland and England are comprehensively described, with a full history of their 'supernatural' events and descriptions of on-site access and facilities.

The old horse pulled the baker's van along its daily route, stopping and waiting for its usual customers in the peaceful village. But the driver's seat was empty, and the cart was drenched with blood...So began the Blairingone Bread Cart Murder, a gruesome case of highway robbery that ended with poacher Joseph Bell being hanged for ambushing John Miller and blasting him with a shotgun. This is just one of the bloody crimes that shocked the peaceful citizens of nineteenth-century Perthshire. Among the files liberated from the archives are: The Dunning murder of 1818, Scotland's oldest unsolved homicide; The six-month nationwide police manhunt for the murderer of a tollkeeper at Braco and the labourer who killed his former landlady near Blackford; The trio of armed robbers who threatened to burn a family alive - but escaped with only forged banknotes. There are also revelations from inside Perth's three successive jails - the High Street Tolbooth, the Speygate, and the modern prison - with secrets of daring escape attempts that didn't quite make it. The rogues' gallery includes footpads, wife-beaters, brutal aristocrats and ruthlessly violent whisky smugglers. There are tales of arson, assault, and theft - with one man finding that stealing sheep led straight to the gallows. All the executions that took place in nineteenth century Perth are described, some with heart-rending detail on the prisoners' last moments. The illustrations include the never-before-published death warrants for all those who were sentenced to be 'launched into eternity'.

From reports of haunted castles, hotels, public houses, chapels and churchyards, to heart-stopping accounts of apparitions, poltergeists and related supernatural phenomena, this collection of stories contains both well-known and hitherto unpublished tales from around the city of Aberdeen. This spine-tingling selection includes Fyvie Castle, home to the Green Lady; Aberdeen Central Library, where the ghost of a former librarian still helps customers; the Four Mile Inn, whose staff have heard ghostly footsteps; and His Majesty’s Theatre, said to be haunted by a ghost named Jake, a theatre hand who was killed in a stage accident. Richly illustrated with over seventy-five photographs and ephemera, Haunted Aberdeen is sure to appeal to all those interested in finding out more about Aberdeen’s haunted heritage.

From the dark corries of the mighty Cuillin Hills to the dramatic caves and cliffs of its stunning coastline, the beautiful Isle of Skye is alive with tales of ghosts, fairies, clan battles, Celtic mythology and witchcraft, and they are all collected in this essential guide to everything supernatural and strange on the most spectacular of Scottish islands. Also taking in the Isle of Raasay, and Glenelg and Eilean Donan Castle on the Lochalsh mainland, here are comprehensive place-by-place entries on every historic site, ancient monument and hidden treasure. Find out about the Fairy Flag of Dunvegan Castle, the giant Angus MacAskill, and the skeleton of a water-horse at Ord. Marvel at sightings of sea-serpents and discover which loch hosted a Victorian monster-hunt. Learn about the folklore and feuds of the MacLeods and MacDonalds. Uncover the links between Ring of Bright Water author Gavin Maxwell and the supernatural. Revel in stories of phantom cars, ghostly clansmen, saintly miracles, gateways to Hell – and the dozens of fairy sites on the island.The Guide to Mysterious Skye and Lochalsh is the ninth in Geoff Holder’s acclaimed series. As with the previous volumes, it is profusely illustrated and draws on both ancient and modern sources. Full access and location details are given for both driver and walker alike, making this the indispensable companion for anyone exploring the glorious and mysterious realms of Skye and Lochalsh.