Library

The Society library collection was started in 2011 and with regular purchases and donations has become possibly the most extensive resource about Shetland and by Shetlander authors in New Zealand. Members can enjoy the latest material coming out of Shetland, fiction and non-fiction, in the form of books, magazines, DVDs and CDs. Donations of older material provide titles often no longer still in print. These, and a full set of publications of the Shetland Family History Society, are useful for members researching their family history. There is also a small collection for children and young adults.

The library is available for browsing and borrowing at Society functions where that is practical, and borrowing by post is available to members all the time. 

  • To request an item send an email to contact@shetlandwellington.org.nz with your request(s), giving your name and contact details
  • Your requests will be posted to you as soon as they are available. The loan period is approximately 6 weeks, but do ask if you would like it extended.
  • You are responsible for the cost of return postage in protective packaging.
  • Please contact the Librarian at contact@shetlandwellington.org.nz if you have any queries, suggestions, or to discuss donations.

Library Collection List

NON-FICTION

Title

Author

Date

Notes

60 North

2014-2018

4,8-22/23 (2012, 2014-(2018). Ceased publication

The New Shetlander

[1984-2020]

Issues 148,150-151,154-157,174-176, 221, 247,277,279, 293 (1984-2020)

[Tourist information]

Envelope of recent guides and pamphlets. Includes "Shetland Visitor Guide 2022" and "Shetland Accommodation Guide 2021"

Shetland Museum and Archives guidebook

Not dated

Not only a guidebook to the Museum but an introduction to Shetland history and culture

Walking in Shetland: a guide to 20 walks

Promote Shetland

Not dated

Fold out pamphlet with maps and details, including the Outdoor Access Code

Viking Unst: explore Unst's Viking legacy

Not dated

Folder with 6 loose cards describing Viking trails to explore

Up-Helly-A': programmes and information

Pamphlet box containing:1. Official programme 1990, 2000. 2009, 2010, 2023; 2. Up-Helly-A': the fire festival at the turn of the century; 3. Up-Helly-Aa: inside oot

Farewell Fugley Island: changing my life on Britain's most inaccessible inhabited island

Alec Crawford

2022

Alec arrived on Foula at a critical time when the island's survival depended on the tenacity of the 28 islanders. For six years he became absorbed into the island ways and he gives an insight into a disappearing way of life on an island that was clinging to the past as it faced inevitable change

Call of the running tide

Louis Johnson

2022

Louis Johnson tells his life story in this collection of memories of his 90 years, from his birth in East Yell, his schooldays in Yell and Lerwick, student life in Aberdeen, and his experiences as a teacher for 34 years

Tak du date een! A dubious guide to understanding Shetland dialect

Dunnas A. Clowe

2022

"The Shetland dialect is a curious mix of words from all across the globe that has led to some strong sayings and stranger ways of saying them. This book takes a light-hearted look at some of the results."

Hameaboot

Marjory Christie-Johnston

2022

This is an account of the years 1938-1943 and 1946-1950 that the author spent in Shetland, and described as the most enjoyable years of her life

From honky-tonks to helicopters: tales of a rig medic

Douglas M. Sinclair

2022

Lerwick-born author and local historian Douglas Sinclair relates tales of when he took a break from NHS employment in Aberdeen and became the first Shetlander to work offshore on an oil rig

A year in my Shetland garden: a collection of seasonal recipes

Misa Hay (ed.)

2022

A celebration of producing your own food in the challenging conditions of 60° north. Misa's collection of simple seasonal recipes is inspired by her beloved garden, local Shetland produce and wild plants

Shetland Wool Week annual 2022

2022

Volume eight. This annual contains 11 knitting patterns and 1 weaving pattern, and three feature articles, along with many illustrations

The salt roads: how fish made a culture

John Goodlad

2022

This is the story of how salt fish from Shetland became one of the staple foods of Europe, powered an economic boom and inspired artists, writers and musicians. John Goodlad meets those whose lives revolve around the industry in the 21st century and addresses sustainability, climate change and food choices

Shetland wool adventures journal vol. 04

Misa Hay (ed.)

2022

Volume four includes six knitting patterns, eleven essays and four recipes. The focus of several of the articles relates to a visit to the island of Fair Isle

Food made in Shetland

Marian Armitage

2022

A collection of over 60 recipes featuring the best of Shetland produce, and including useful tips and insights into the Shetland food scene

Black & white: my life in photography

Max Bruce

2022

Society member Max Bruce has just published this record of his life, focusing on his family, photography, the outdoors, and Shetland, with a lively text and stunning photos (2 copies)

The ponies at the edge of the world: a story of hope and belonging in Shetland

Catherine Munro

2022

Catherine Munro transforms her life shen she moves to Shetland to study the hardy Shetland ponies. Over the course of her first year, she is welcomed into the rhythms and routines that characterise life at the edge of the world

A Fair Isle nurse

Mona McAlpine

2022

In the mid 1960s a young nurse arrived in Fair Isle to begin working there. She was the sole provider of medical care for the local population, and this is her memoir

Sixty north to sixty south: the lives of Jessie & Tammie Laurenson

Jonathan Wills

2022

This is a tale of three islands - Noss, Bressay and South Georgia - and of two Shetland Islanders whose lives spanned 120 degrees of Atlantic latitude, from Shetland at 60 degrees north to the South Shetland Islands at 60 degrees south

Letters on Shetland

Peter Jamieson

2021

This is the fourth title in the Northus Shetland Classics series. First published in 1949, it is formed from the texts of letters describing Shetland at a critical point in its story - following WW2 and before the huge changes which accompanied the expansion of the oil industry in the 1970s. This version has an introduction by Brian Smith. The original version is also held in the library collection+E262

In days gone by

Charlie Simpson

2021

A series of 20 essays telling a wide range of stories, from salt herrings and wartime sinkings to the development of the islands' infrastructure and services. These were published over a 20-year period in The Shetland Times

Old Lerwick: lanes and lodberries

Douglas M. Sinclair

2021

Local historian Douglas Sinclair explores and discovers the history of the iconic lanes and lodberries in this comprehensive account which includes many photographs

The Sandness story

Sandness History Group

2021

Sandness is on the remotest edge of Shetland's West Side, and this is the story of the parish, put together by members of the Sandness History Group over many years

Shetland wool adventures journal vol. 03

Misa Hay (ed.)

2021

Volume three features six knitting patterns and 16 articles on a wide range of subjects with many colour photographs

Shetland Wool Week annual 2021

2021

Volume seven.This annual contains 12 patterns from 11 designers and 4 feature articles, along with many photographs

Da bonnie isle: Whalsay through the ages

James A. Anderson

2021

A tour around Whalsay and covering the island's history to the present day, with local author James Anderson, who now splits his time between NZ and Whalsay

Foula: island west of the sun

Sheila Gear

2021

"Foula: island west of the sun" was first published in 1983, and has been reprinted as part of the Northus Shetland Classics series, with photographs by Jim Gear and an introduction by Jen Stout. Sheila Gear recorded the passage of a year of Foula life in the early 1980s, and also gave snapshots of the island's history

Tom Henderson: the seaman who founded a museum

J. Laughton Johnson

2021

Tom Henderson (1911-1982) was a seaman, founder of the Shetland Museum, restorer of artefacts, maritime historian, craftsman, hotelier, Council Convenor, writer and the go-to Shetlander throughout the second half of the 20th century on almost any aspect of the islands' story

My journey home: memoirs of a Shetland exile

James A. Pottinger

2021

James 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

The Shetland Bus: transporting secret agents across the North Sea in WW2

Stephen Wynn

2021

This book is a new examination of the story of the Shetland Bus. It looks at the collaboration between Shetland and Norway during the Second World War with the Shetland Bus operation, the men and boats involved, and the operations carried out until Norway was liberated from German occupation in May 1945.

Shetland wool adventures journal vol. 02

Misa Hay (ed.)

2021

A celebration of craft, creativity, adventure and all things Shetland, featuring photographs, knitting patterns, walks, stories, interviews, recipes and some personal insights into the lives of the isles' top knitters and craftspeople

From Errol Flynn to echo-sounders

Billy Williamson

2021

This is the autobiography of an engineering technician's career path in Shetland, working first setting up film shows in village halls, and later employment in marine electronics

It tolls for thee: a guide to celebrating and reclaiming the end of life

Tom Morton

2021

After a close encounter with death, Tom Morton realised he needed a change of pace and perspective. He decided to become the only independent funeral celebrant on the Shetland Islands. This is a thought-provoking guide to celebrating mortality, with lots of references to his Shetland experiences

Fair Isle weekend

Mary Jane Mucklestone

2020

An account of a visit to Fair Isle by the author and a group of friends, featuring a collection of the author's Fair Isle knitting patterns

Dear to me and an important part of my life': ethnic identity and the Shetland descent group in New Zealand

Samuel Moncur

2020

Dissertation for University of Otago Bachelor of Arts with Honours in History. This thesis examines the ways that ethnicity and identity are understood and expressed in descendents of Shetland migrants to NZ in the twenty-first century. It draws on oral interviews with descendants of Shetland migrants, most of them from our Society, as well as secondary sources.

Knitting from Fair Isle: 15 contemporary designs inspired by tradition

Mati Ventrillon

2020

Mati Ventrillon's inspiration comes from the technique of creating patterns with multiple colours that was first used by the women of Fair Isle more than two centuries ago. There are 15 patterns, tips on yarns and finishing, and photos of Fair Isle

Moorit: and other sheepish tales

Lindsay Dowding & Alexi Bjornson

2020

A book written especially for Wool Week enthusiasts. A compilation of facts, stories and photos relating to wool and sheep

Shetland Wool Week annual 2020

2020

Volume six. Thirteen patterns and four essays with many photos from a year when because of Covid-19 the SWW was unable to go ahead

Shetland wool adventures journal vol. 01

Misa Hay (ed.)

2020

A compilation of articles on Shetland arts and crafts, history, walks, food and recipes, and knitting and patterns, with lots of colour photos

Seabirds and seals: or, clockwise around Bressay and Noss

Jonathan Wills

2019

Stories from 25 years of wildlife guiding around the Shetland islands of Bressay and Noss

Shetland life

2019

Single issue of this magazine - No 466 (August 2019)

And that's the way of it': the life of Geordie Mainland

Jim Mainland

2019

Geordie was born in 1924, and this is an account of his life as told to his nephew Jim Mainland. It includes his role in the events of D-Day

Shetland Wool Week annual 2019

2019

Volume Five. Sixteen patterns and several essays and photos celebrating ten years of Shetland Wool Week

Simply Shetland lace

Brooke Nico

2018

Featuring three traditional Shetland lace motifs and their variants: Acre & Razor; Feather & Fan and Old Shale' and Horshoe & Leaf. It covers the basics of each stitch pattern and then multiple projects using each one

Shetland Festival of Remembrance commemorating the centenary of the ending of The Great War 1914-1918

2018

Pack containing a DVD recording of the Festival, along with supporting material on a USB stick, and a copy of the Festival programme

The Vikings: lords of sea and sword

Heather Pringle

2018

National Geographic special publication devoted to the Vikings

Aa my mindin

Robert Johnson

2018

A collection of photographs chronicling a wide and varied subject matter ranging from the 1960s to the present day

A town called Toilets: the confessions of a Shetland tour guide

Allen Fraser

2018

Allen Fraser tells of growing up in pre-oil era Shetland on the island of Yell before mains water and electricity, his job with the Meteorological Office which lasted 34 years, and latterly as a Shetland tour guide

Tales from Wullver's Hool: the extraordinary long life and prodigious works of Jessie Saxby

Philip Snow

2018

Jessie Saxby (1842-1940), born in Unst, was Shetland's first professional writer. She wrote on subjects as diverse as the folklore of her islands, romantic fiction, and Boy's Own adventure stories. She was a prolific poet, and had outspoken political views. This volume tells Jessie's story in 98 short chapters, one for each year of her life

A photographic guide to Shetland's history

David Malcolm

2018

The aim of this photographic guide is to give an overall picture of Shetland's history from prehistoric times to the present day and provide basic information about some of the historic sites and landmarks

RAF Catfirth 1918: the story of a First World War air station and the first flight to Shetland

Simon Gun

2018

In WW1 RAF Catfirth was the most northerly air station in Britain, a flying boat station planned to house 450 men and 18 aircraft. The author brings to life the remote base and the men who served there in the last months of the war, including the Canadian pilot who became the first man to fly to Shetland

Shetland merchant mariners in the Great War

J. Laughton-Johnston

2018

At least 1755 Shetland merchant mariners served in the Great War, of whom some 78 lost their lives in action. This is the first account of their ships, their fates, who they were and where they came from

That grim red dawn: Shetland's sacrifice at the Ancre

Jon Sandison

2018

Over 1,600 men from Shetland served in the British Army between 1914 and 1919. Twenty-two were killed or fatally wounded on a single day on the River Ancre during the final phase of the Battle of the Somme

Shetland summer birds

Paul Harvey (text)

2018

A photographic guide to the birds you are most likely to encounter during a Shetland summer. Featuring 74 birds with habitat overviews and helpful information to aid identification

Shetland Wool Week annual 2018

2018

Volume Four. 12 patterns and 5 essays celebrating Shetland Wool Week 2018

Shetland: cooking on the edge of the world

James & Tom Morton

2018

Explores life on an island with food, drink and community at its heart - a book about Shetland and its recipes

Scalloway: Shetland's ancient capital: a pictorial study

Alexi Bjornson & Anne Macdonald

2018

A pictorial introduction to Shetland's ancient capital with historical notes [2 copies]

Shetland: 40 coast and country walks

Paul and Helen Webster

2018

Small format book with a double-page entry for each walk, with map, photo and details of the walk. Includes walks on Unst, Yell, Fetlar, North Mainland, Muckle Roe, Skerries, Central Mainland, Papa Stour, Bressay, Noss, South Mainland, Mousa, Foula and Fair Isle

From myths to meids: maritime heritage of Fair Isle, Papa Stour and Skerries

Charlotte Slater

2018?

This book is part of the Shetland Rural Islands Maritime Heritage Asset Atlas Project. It used field survey techniques on the islands and research in the Shetland Museum and Archives and the Shetland Library to give a fuller picture of the people who lived and worked there

The cod hunters

John Goodlad

2017

The story of the Shetlanders who fished for cod around Faroe, Rockall, Iceland and Greenland. The author was CEO of the Shetland Fishermens' Association

Shetland's open boat days: tales of the fishing under sail and oar

Tom Henderson, Charles Johnson, James J. Laurenson, William Nicolson. Edited by Charlie Simpson

2017

True stories, told by those who were there or who had intimate knowledge of the days when livelihoods and lives depended on the skills and knowledge of the islands' fishermen in the days of sail and oar

Old Lerwick: people and places

Douglas M. Sinclair

2017

Douglas shares his vast knowledge, understanding and love of this unique island town of Lerwick, focusing on the south end. The pieces were originally published in the "Shetland Life" magazine

In Shetland: tales from The Last Bookshop

Tom Morton

2017

Tom's story takes you beneath the surface of Shetland life, into a community which is full of fascinating characters, incredible wildlife, hilarity, tragedy and a lot of extreme weather

A Shetland childhood: memories of the 1950s

Catherine Emslie

2017

See the 1950s through the eyes of a child - a celebration of a long-gone way of life in Shetland

The lanes of Lerwick

Alexi Bjornson

2017

A photographic record of the lanes between Hillhead and The Esplanade on the town's harbour-front. Includes 2 maps and an introduction

Shetland Wool Week annual 2017

2017

Volume three. 11 patterns and 6 essays celebrating Shetland Wool Week 2017

Bobby the Birdman: an anthology celebrating the life and work of Bobby Tulloch M.B.E. (4 January 1929-21 May 1996)

Jonathan Wills & Mike McDonnell (eds)

2016

After his discovery of a pair of snowy owls nesting on Fetlar in 1967 Bobby Tulloch became a national celebrity overnight, then a renowned field ornithologist, tour guide, author and wildlife photographer. In this book some of his friends celebrate their happy memories of his life, illustrated with many photographs

Baby boomers

Erik Young

2016

Erik Young was born in Lerwick in 1946, and this is a recollection of growing up in post-war Shetland. It includes many of his own poems and lots of photographs.

Gravely Shetland

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2016

There are over sixty listed graveyards in Shetland, and many are in places of exceptional beauty and tranquillity. The book illustrates the author's Top 20 favourites and explains why he chose them

Into the Southern Ocean: the perilous voyages of the Elsi Arrub

Andrew Halcrow

2016

The story of two trips attempting to sail around the world single-handed and non-stop in the boat he built himself.

Shetland oo: wool, textiles, work

Tom Barr & Kate Davies

2016

Oo, or wool, has for centuries figured centrally in island life, and this book reveals the many different kinds of work that oo supports, photographed by Tom Barr with accompanying essays and profiles written by Kate Davies

Shetland Wool Week annual 2016

2016

Volume two. Profiles of knitters, patterns, and historical articles to celebrate Shetland Wool Week 2016

Blockade 1914-1918: how Shetland won the war

Ian Tait

2015

A collection of photos and informative text which is intended to show the crucial role that the Shetlad Islands played in the war

Shetland Islands

James A. Pottinger

2015

A collection of colour photographs illustrating the varied and picturesque scenery around Shetland, and some of the many changes seen on the islands over the last fifty years

Herring tales: how the silver darlings shaped human taste and history

Donald S. Murray

2015

Following a journey from Norway to England, Shetland to the Outer Hebrides, to the fishing ports of the Baltic coast of Germany and the Netherlands, and Iceland, here are tales of the importance of the herring, and how it and those who caught it were celebrated in the art, literature, craft, music and folklore of life in northern Europe

Shetland saga: a soothmoother's story

Janet Teal Daniel

2015

In 2004, Janet and her husband left their home in South Wales to live and work in Shetland. This is the story of their experience and explores themes of attachment, relationships, connection, remoteness and belonging

A photographic guide to Shetland's geology

David Malcolm & Robina R. Barton

2015

This book is the first photographic guide to the geology of the Shetland Islands. It is a pictorial guide to many of the more commonly occurring rocks, with some rarer examples and a few minerals. Short descriptive notes accompany each photo, along with a glossary and several maps at the back

Shetland and the Great War

Linda K. Riddell

2015

The author chronicles all aspects of wartime life at home as well as at the battlefronts, including the effects on the economy and social conditions, giving new insights into Shetland a hundred years ago

Safely wounded: Shetland letters from the First World War

Angus Johnson and Isabel Sinclair (eds)

2015

This book of correspondence by Shetland men and women from World War One represents a tiny fraction of those sent. They mainly date from the earlier parts of the war, and most are from soldiers

Shetland doctor: the life of an island GP

Robin Ditchburn

2015

Robin and his family move to Shetland where he becomes the GP in Walls, taking over a practice that includes the remote islands of Papa Stour and Foula

Magical Shetland lace shawls to knit

Elizabeth Lovick

2015

15 patterns and full instructions for delicate shawls to make, plus patterns and instructions for 5 'apprentice pieces' to help hone skills

Changing the world is child's play: inspirations for making everyday moments with children count

Sarah Amy Glensor Best

2015

The author of this book is one of the members of the Shetland Society of Wellington

Shetland's whaling tradition: from Willafjord to Enderby Land

Laureen Johnson

2015

Shetland's involvement in Arctic whaling and whaling around Shetland, with memories from the last Shetland whalers.

Shetland

Ann Cleeves

2015

A year in the life of the islands in photos and text from Ann Cleeves explaining why the place means so much to her

Shetland Wool Week annual 2015

2015

Volume one. Profiles of knitters, patterns, and historical articles to celebrate Shetland Wool Week 2015

Buachaille: at home in the Highlands

Kate Davies

2015

Designed especially for Kate's new yarn, Buachaille, the book has essays, interviews, 12 knitting patterns, 5 recipes and details of a walk up Buachaille Etive Mor

Shetland from the sea

Dick Koopmans

2014

Dutch yacht designer Dick Koopmans and his wife Elly love the Shetland Islands and visit Shetland nearly every year in their yacht. This collection of watercolours is taken from walks or anchorages during their visits, and each one is accompanied by a brief note

The nightmare voyage of the Diana: from the journal of the ship's surgeon Charles Edward Smith

Charles Edward Smith

2014

The whale-ship Diana left Lerwick in 1866, bound for the Greenland whaling. Thirteen of the crew would perish after the ship was trapped overwinter in the Arctic ice.

Born a beachcomber: Thomas Mathieson

Steve Mathieson

2014

The story of Thomas Mathieson as told to Steve Mathieson. Thomas was born in 1918 on a croft in the north of Unst, and became a merchant mariner at the time of the beginning of the second world war.

Michael Powell's The Edge of the World: then & now

David W, Earl

2014

In 1936 British film director Michael Powell made a movie based on the evacuation of St Kilda in the Outer Hebrides. Much of the movie was made on Foula where many of the local folk appeared as extras. In 2006 and 2008 the author visited the isles to view the various locations and the book has photos of these along with information on the folk involved

Unst heritage lace: recreating vintage Shetland lace

Unst Heritage Trust

2014

This book is an attempt to share patterns with knitters, and also features three knitters from the late 1800s, and includes lots of photographs

Shetland: a love story

Mark Sinclair & Kay Wheatcroft

2014

The Shetland courtship of Robert Jamieson and Barbara Laing recorded in their letters from 1858 until their marriage in 1861. Photographs by Mark Sinclair and letters edited by Kay Wheatcroft. First published 2010, this paperback edition 2014

The literature of Shetland

Mark Ryan Smith

2014

The first ever history of Shetland's literature. Covering over two centuries of creative work

These northern shores: articles on the history of Shetland

John Peterson

2014

A collection of short articles about the long and varied history of the Shetland Isles

Mirds o wirds: a Shetland dialect word book

2014

A selection of Shetland dialect words and phrases, together with information and photos

Havera: the story of an island

J. Laughton Johnston, Christine De Luca, Mark Sinclair, Pauleen Wiseman

2013

A portrait of the small isle of Havera, once inhabited and the last to hold a community. This is the story, in text and photographs of the community, along with some poems, music scores, and family tree charts

Shetland textiles: 800 BC to the present

Sarah Laurenson (ed.)

2013

Traces the history of textiles in Shetland through fabrics and garments together with the fibres and tools used to craft them, and the people who made and wore them

The Spitfire "Shetlander": the story of a small community, the Shetland Islands, and their determination to fund a Spitfire in their name

Margaret Stuart

2013

The story, as reported week by week in the Shetland News, of the enormous fund raising effort made by everyone in the islands

The magic of Shetland lace knitting

Elizabeth Lovick

2013

Stitches, techniques and projects for lighter-than-air shawls and more

Shetland vernacular buildings 1600-1900

Ian Tait

2012

A record of the type and succession of Shetland's indigenous buildings, which analyses the characteristics and usage of farmsteads and outbuildings over three centuries

Real Shetland yarns: a collection of woolly tales and memories

2012

A collection of stories and photographs from Shetlanders who were invited to write about their own memories, or stories their ancestors had handed down, about their lives and their links to the wool and textile industries

Small boats of Shetland

Alison Munro

2012

The history of the development of the Shetland boat, picking out from all the research many points of interest

Colours of Shetland

Kate Davies

2012

Ten original patterns plus five essays on aspects of Shetland.

A photographic guide to Shetland's wild flowers. 3rd ed (rev & enl)

David Malcolm

2012

This guide book includes the majority of Shetland's more commonly occurring species with, in addition, a handful of unusual or special plants. Flowers are sorted by colour, and Shetland names are included in the captions where widely used

The Jarl Squad 2012

2012

DVD - the squad "home movie" (174 minutes)

Free-spirit shawls: 20 eclectic knits for every day

Lisa Shroyer

2012

Twenty shawl projects. Features the Shetland technique of construction

The Stewart earls of Orkney

Peter Anderson

2012

For almost a century the islands of Orkney and Shetland were under the rule of the Stewart earls, father and son, a rule remarkable for its infamous reputation in island history

The story of Busta House

Marsali Taylor

2012

The story of Busta House from the earliest records up to the present day, with an account of the 'ghost of Busta'.

Vikings!

Neil Oliver

2012

By the host of the BBC series "Vikings: the story of the real Vikings"

Terror in the Arctic

Bjarnhild Tulloch

2011

A true story from Norway in World War II. This autobiography reveals the bleak conditions in northern Norway as experienced by a child, her family and town during the second World War

Willie's tales & travels

Willie Smith

2011

Stories from Scalloway and beyond giving an insight into times past and a way of life much changed today, brought to life with photographs from Scalloway photographer Clement J. Williamson

Swan LK.243

The Swan Trust

2011

DVD about the Fifie sailing drifter, built in Lerwick in 1900, and its return and restoration

Shetland fine lace

Shetland Amenity Trust

2011

DVD documentary of the Shetland Fine Lace Project [2 copies]

Shetland's heritage of sail

Charlie Simpson

2011

The story of the technology that shaped Shetland's history, from the first settlers to the final years of the sail herring drifters

Shetland pocket guide

Promote Shetland

2011

Pocket travel guide with map

The press gang in Orkney and Shetland

J.D.M. Robertson

2011

The author examines the impact of forced recruitment on the lives of Orcadians and Shetlanders at every level of society

Shetland rambles: a sketching tour of Shetland retracing the footsteps of Victorian artist John T. Reid

Mairi Hedderwick

2011

The text refers to Reid's original along with the author's own observations of her modern-day travels around Shetland, illustrated with sketches and appealing watercolours

Scotland's radical exports: the Scots abroad - how they shaped politics and trade unions

Pat Kelly

2011

About the men and women who took trade unionism and working class politics from Scotland to the main countries that make up the Scottish Diaspora. Includes the story of William Irvine from Shetland

Shetland

2010

Sixty pages of colour photographs of Shetland by Millgaet Media Limited, Lerwick

Shetland words: a dictionary of the Shetland dialect

A. & A. Christie-Johnston

2010

The first new Shetland dictionary for many years. Words of Norn origin are highlighted, there is a list of words once used by Shetland's haaf fishermen, and some quirky modern additions to the dialect

A glimpse of Lerwick's waterfront history

Douglas M. Sinclair

2010

A collection of postcards, photographs and maps with accompanying text mainly covering the period up to the 1930s

Women's suffrage in Shetland

Marsali Taylor

2010

Covers the first suffrage speakers in Shetland in 1873 and the early societies, through the founding of the 1909 society, and up to women's work in World War I.

Da wye I saa it

Robert Johnson

2010

A potted social history in a collection of photographs that chronicle many aspects of life in Shetland from the 1960s - a record of changing times da wye he saa it

Vaila Mae: the making of a sixareen

2010

DVD following the step-by-step construction of the first new sixareen to be built in Lerwick for over a century, as well as telling the story of this unique type of traditional Shetland boat

Guide to Shetland Museum textile collection

Carol Christiansen, comp.

2010

Written overview of the development of Shetland textiles, generously illustrated with photos of examples from the collection

A kangaroo loose in Shetland: excerpts from a diary

Lachlan Ness

2010

2nd edition. The author, a church minister from Australia, travels to Shetland and serves as the Church of Scotland locum minister in the parish of the North Isles (Unst, Yell and Fetlar)

Wrapped in lace: knitted heirloom designs from around the world

Margaret Stove

2010

Patterns and techniques for knitting lace, including wedding ring shawls and the restoration of Granny Cheyne's Shetland shawl

Shetland diaries: otters, orcas, puffins and wonderful people

Simon King

2010

The record of a year spent in Shetland filming the wildlife and experiencing Shetland through the changing seasons

Souvenir guide: Shetland Hamefarin 2010 14-26 June

2010

Gives a brief history of the Shetland Hamefarin, and the programme of events

A pictorial 'dander trowe' Shetland's crofting culture: centenary celebration

2009

This book celebrates the importance of the Shetland coo to the Shetland way of life over the centuries but especially over the last 100 years. Published by the Shetland Cattle from Shetland Breeders Group, the text of this substantial book is full of photos of cows, people and the crofting way of life

Rhubarbaria: recipes for rhubarb

Mary Prior

2009

The author has connections with New Zealand and Shetland, and this book includes 13 recipes from Shetland where rhubarb grows well and is an important part of the diet. The history of rhubarb is given followed by one hundred pages of recipes

Spy fever: the Post Office affair

Margaret Flaws

2009

At the beginning of the First World War, stories of spies abounded throughout the British Isles. It was in this atmosphere that the entire staff of the Lerwick Post Office was marched off to prison and incarcerated for almost a week with no explanation from the authorities

Aald Papa, I'm dine! A collection of stories, tunes, poetry and paintings

George P.S. Peterson

2009

A diverse collection including history, short stories, poetry, trowie tales, and bedtime stories for children, with lots of illustrations

The Shetland dictionary

John J. Graham

2009

This is the first large-scale study of the Shetland dialect since Jacobsen's work in the early years of the last century. It was first published in 1979 and this revised edition was published in 2009

Old Shetland

Guthrie Sutton

2009

A splendid collection of over 200 old postcards and photographs

A Shetland cook's book

Jenni Simmons

2009

The traditional foods of Shetland and ways to prepare them, with photos of life on the croft

A Shetland bible

Charles Greig

2009

Bible stories in the Shetland dialect, along with a CD

Up-Helly-Aa official DVD 2009

2009

DVD (50 minutes plus 32 minutes of bonus features)

Moods of Shetland

VisitShetland

2009?

DVD - collection of Shetland scenes to the music of Fiddlers Bid

An outline of Shetland archaeology

John Stewart

2008

John Stewart made the first attempt to write a chronological narrative that specifically told the story of Shetland's past from earliest times. It began as a series of articles which were published in The Shetland Times in 1956, and these are reprinted in this volume

Memoirs of a Lerwick boy

Bruce Sandison

2008

Bruce Sandison was born at Torry in Aberdeen in 1934 but came to Shetland when only a few weeks old. After an apprenticeship in newspapers he spent 31 years at the BP Oil Depot at the North Ness, and was involved with the Boys' Brigade. These are his memories, some of which appeared in Shetland Life

St Ninian's Isle treasure

David Clarke

2008

This booklet describes and illustrates the circumstances of the discovery in 1958 and the contents of the treasure

The MND crofthouse garden: Shetland to Chelsea and back

2008

DVD about the creation of a 1940s Shetland crofthouse garden at the Chelsea Flower Show

Make a break for it

VisitShetland

2008

30 minute DVD with commentary and music, PC CD-ROM of written information, and a brochure about Shetland

Shetland Islands today

Bjorn Hroarsson (ed.)

2008

An overview of Shetland culture, places, history and industry with many illustrations

Up-Helly-Aa 2008

2008

DVD - the squad "home movie" (113 minutes)

Handbook to Lerwick Town Hall

Charles H. Simpson

2008

History and description of the Town Hall with lots of photos

Between weathers: travels in 21st century Shetland

Ron McMillan

2008

Insights into the islands' wildlife, archaeology, geology and Shetlanders themselves

Old Scatness Broch & Iron Age Village, Shetland: guide book

Val Turner, Jane Outram and Eleanor Pottinger

2007

"A guide to what is perhaps the best preserved, excavated, Iron age site in Britain"

Shetland in statistics 2007

2007

Cover title. Shetland in statistics, 34th edition. Includes maps and graphs, and a range of statistics under the headings: physical, economy, transport, education and services, conservation, politics and local government, culture and media, with a list of Shetland interest publications

The early English settlement of Orkney and Shetland

Graeme Davis

2007

The author proposes that there was a Saxon settlement in both Orkney and Shetland from the fourth century AD, based on extensive linguistic, historical and archeological research

Gardie: a Shetland house and its people

Wendy Scott

2007

Gardie House was built in 1724 on the shores of Bressay Sound, and holds an extensive family archive. This is the story of the house's passage through turbulent times and ethe everyday life of the generations who lived in and around it

Fishing, fishermen, fish merchants and curers in Shetland: episodes in fishing and curing herring and white fish

James R. Coull

2007

Originally written as self-standing independent magazine articles, so each chapter can be read as an entity on its own.

Sips of Shetland: the essence of an archipelago

Didier Piquer and David Cooper

2007

Photographs of Shetland by Didier Piquer, with comments by Shetlander David Cooper

Scotland's northern lights: lighthouses of the Orkney and Shetland Islands

Sharma Krauskopf

2007

This book discusses the 21 major lighthouses  most of which were built by the famous Stevenson family of lighthouse engineers

Skeld Festival of the Seas, 15th-17th June 2007. A celebration of maritime heritage

2007

Booklet which accompanied the festival, centred on Reawick and Skeld and some nearby coastal areas. Includes some history of the district, and how the population and people's work and circumstances have hugely altered

Travels in Shetland 1832-52: Edward Charlton

William Charlton (ed.)

2007

Edward Charlton was a 17-year-old medical student when he sailed from Leith to Lerwick in 1832 and spent three months travelling through the Mainland, Yell and Unst and collecting specimens of birds and rocks. He was so enchanted by Shetland that he returned two years later. His journals give a picture of Shetland in the 1830s, and the changes he found when he came back for a third, more hurried visit in 1852

Reflections of Shetland - simmer (summer)

Frances Taylor

2007

Images of Shetland set to traditional music and poems on 1 DVD

The Orkneys and Schetland in Blaeu's Atlas Novus of 1654

James M. Irvine (ed.)

2006

Subtitle: The map of Timothy Pont and the news descriptions of Walter Stewart, as translated by Ian Cunningham. A translation of the descriptive Latin texts which accompanied the maps, commissioned by the National Library of Scotland to mark the 350th anniversary of Blaeu's publication

Reflections of Shetland - winter

Frances Taylor

2006

Images of Shetland set to traditional music on 1 DVD

Reflections of Shetland - voar (spring)

Frances Taylor

2006

Images of Shetland set to traditional music and poems on 1 DVD

Shetland hap shawls: then and now

Sharon Miller

2006

A history of the Shetland hap, with traditional designs and modern hap patterns

Up Helly Aa: the Centennial Jarl 2006

2006

DVD (60 minutes)

Voices from the past: a history of North Roe

Karen Inkster

2006

In 1894 young Peter Inkster left Shetland to start a new life in western Canada. In the latter years of his life he returned to Shetland and kept a diary of his thoughts and childhood memories. Nearly 50 years after his death, his great-granddaughter has combined extensive research with Peter's recollections to give a picture of the lives of the ordinary people of North Roe.

Mackerel at midnight: growing up Jewish on the Shetland Isles

Ethel G. Hofman

2006

Revised edition. A blend of memoir and cookbook. The author grew up in the only Jewish family on Shetland

Viking cookbook

Fifty recipes which will take you back in time to the Viking era

John Walker's Shetland

Wendy Gear

2005

This book examines the actions of "the Director General of Shetland", as Walker was nicknamed, and looks at his influence on many aspects of life for both the poor, and not so poor, inhabitants of Shetland.

Myth and materiality in a woman's world: Shetland 1800-2000

Lynn Abrams

2005

This book examines how in the 19th century Shetland became a female place, where traditional gender roles were reversed

The sixareen and her racing descendants

Charles Sandison

2005

Fascmilie edition of the book first published in 1954

The North Atlantic Front: Orkney, Shetland, Faroe and Iceland at war

James Miller

2005

The story of operations along the northern front which acquired great strategic singificance during the two world wars

Peter Tait: a remarkable story

John E. Waite

2005

Traces the life of Peter Tait from his birth in Shetland in 1828 to his death in the Russian Empire in 1890

Willie's war & other stories

Willie Smith

2004

The author's memories of the Shetland Bus Boys, and account of life during WW2

Up Helly Aa 2004

2004

Video (107 minutes). Narrated by Guizer Jarl Stanley Manson. Includes Jarl's tune Naddod of Faroe

Local news: life in Shetland as reported in the provincial nespapers. Volume 1: the emigration years 1862-1881

Malcolm Hulme (ed.)

2003

This is a collection of excerpts from provincial newspapers illustrating the life in the small community of Shetland over the twenty years from 1862 to 1881, presented in chronological order

The further north you go

Tom Morton

2003

This is the story of Tom Morton's journey into the heart of a remote island community. It is about the nature of home, what happens when you abandon it, and the possibility of finding a new one

Landscape mysteries: the Tower People of Shetland

Aubrey Manning

2003

DVD - investigating the brochs of Shetland and the people who once inhabited them

Kippers for breakfast

Millie Vigor

2003

Moving house from Cornwall to Shetland was to be the start of seven years of new and exciting experiences for Millie Vigor

Trawler: a journey through the North Atlantic

Remond O'Hanlon

2003

Two weeks aboard a deep-sea fishing trawler in the North Atlantic

A stitch in time: Unst's fine lace knitting

Christine Brown

~2003

The story of lace knitting in Unst, with many photos, put out by the Unst Heritage Trust

Old rock to castle rock

Vaila J. Irvine

2002

Published for the 75th anniversary of the Edinburgh and District Shetland Association

Inside the postcard: working life at Adie's, Voe

Laureen Johnson

2001

This book draws chiefly on the personal recollections of 50 people who, between the years of 1925 and 1991, were all associated with the firm - from the 19th century sail-loft and fishing smack, the old shop and the later shop, the 1920s Voe House kitchen, the knitting-machine, the weaving-loom, the vans and the bakery

In da galley: sixty essays in seafood philosophy

Charlie Simpson

2000

This is a 2022 reprint of the regular monthly articles on seafood that Charlie Simpson wrote over five years for "Shetland Fishing News" documenting his passion for fishing and fish cooking

Images of Shetland

Bill Jackson

2000

A tour around the northern isles with Bill Jackson who recorded with the camera some of his favourite Shetland scenes of everyday life, the wildlife, the folk and the changing seasons, along with his thoughts and observations

Toons and tenants: settlement and society in Shetland, 1299-1899

Brian Smith

2000

This book of essays deals with the rural communities of Shetland over six centuries

Rural life in Shetland & guide-book to the Croft House Museum

Ian Tait

2000

Contains many photos and drawings. Published by the Shetland Museum

The last lighthouse

Sharma Krauskopf

2000

After a long search for a Scottish lighthouse to live in, the author succeeds in buying Eshaness Lighthouse

A Viking voyage

W. Hodding Carter

2000

The re-enactment of a voyage made 1000 years ago from Greenland to North America

Shetland documents 1195-1579

John H. Ballantyne and Brian Smith (eds)

1999

A collection of texts from the medieval and early modern period. This volume contains more than 250 documents concerning the administrative and economic affairs of Shetland, and the private transactions of numerous Shetlanders, during several centuries

Yell past & present

David Nisbet

1999

A collection of 142 black and white photographs showing the contrast and change in Yell over the last 100 years

The Swan: Shetland's legacy of sail

James R. Nicolson

1999

The story of a Shetland fishing vessel from the days of the sail herring drifters

Celtic calligraphy

Vivien Lunniss

1999

The basic principles are covered in detail, with simple projects and over 35 step-by step photographs

The lighthouse Stevensons

Bella Bathurst

1999

The story of the buildinjg of the Scottish lighthouses by the ancestors of Robert Louis Stevenson (including Muckle Flugga)

Norway - in a class of its own!

1999?

An introduction to Norway in coloured photos with accompanying text

A vehement thirst after knowledge: four centuries of education in Shetland

John J. Graham

1998

The history of education in Shetland over four centuries from the slow development from early days to the schools of today (up to 1990).

Ancient Shetland

Val Turner

1998

The archeology of ancient Shetland, published by Historic Scotland

In a world a wir ane': a Shetland herring girl's story

Susan Telford

1998

The true story of a Shetland fisher lassie

Happy days in Muckle Flugga

Dame Pat Evison

1998

The autobiography of this well-known New Zealander of Shetland descent

Shetland. 2nd ed

Anna Ritchie

1997

This volume in the Exploring Scotland's Heritage Series provides an authoritative introduction to Shetland's rich archaeological and architectural heritage. It includes details of seven excursions and has many illustrations and maps

Chips off the auld rock: Shetlanders in New Zealand

Susan Butterworth with Graham Butterworth

1997

The history of Shetlanders in New Zealand commissioned by the Shetland Society of Wellington for the 75th anniversary of the Society

A Shetland nature diary

Joyce J.M. Gammack

1996

This book takes the reader through the seasons, month by month, covering all aspects of Shetland wildlife. The author's articles have appeared in "Shetland Life"

Drifting alone to Norway: the amazing adventure of Betty Mouat and tales of others who drifted to Norway

T.M.Y. Manson

1996

Centenary booklet describing the event  along with details of Betty Mouat's background and environment

Knitting by the fireside and on the hillside: a history of the Shetland hand knitting industry c.1600-1950

Linda G. Fryer

1995

This book is based on Linda Fryer's thesis researching the history of the Shetland hand knitting industry from its earliest recorded occurrence in 1618 up to 1950. This is a facsimile edition published in 2021

Looking back: recollections by Ruby Sandilands

Ruby Sandilands

1995

The second collection of reminiscences from Ruby Sandilands' experiences as a nurse and stories of her life. She was born in Colvister, North Yell in 1915 and died in 1995

Flitting peats in Fetlar: a photographic history

Fetlar Interpretive Centre

1994

The story of the process of flittin the peats by boat or by pony in Fetlar is shown in 37 black and white photographs, accompanied by a 6-page description and maps

The ancient monuments of Shetland

Noel Fojut & Denys Pringle

1993

An illustrated tour of the important surviving sites in Shetland's history, focusing on Shetland's distinctive heritage. Each site is placed in its historical context and described in detail with many illustrations

A guide to prehistoric and Viking Shetland

Noel Fojut

1994

3rd edition. An archeological journal of over five thousand years tracing the earliest evidence of life in prehistoric communities in Shetland to the Norse settlement

A Lerwick lifeboatman's story

George Leith

1993

The history of the Lerwick lifeboat station, the lifeboats, the crews, the rescues and personal recollections over 30 years' service

Souvenir post cards from Shetland: Shetland in picture postcards

Norman Hudson, comp.

1992

A compilation of almost 200 postcards depicting Shetland and the way of life over one hundred years

A picture guide to Shetland

1992

A pictorial guide to Shetland produced by The Shetland Times, consisting of 63 colour photographs

The giving years: Shetland and Shetlanders 1939-1945

James W. Irvine

1991

This book attempts to give a taste of what life was like for those Shetlanders in uniform between 1939 and 1945, and also what it was like for those at home

Grammar and usage of the Shetland dialect

T.A. Robertson & John J. Graham

1991

Analysis of the structure of the Shetland dialect

Fabulous Fair Isle

John Allen

1991

A designer's overview featuring both traditional and modern designs

Shetland: an illustrated architectural guide

Michael Finnie

1990

This guide is intended as an introduction to the character and history of Shetland through the medium of its architectural heritage. The aim is to illustrate the building types constructed by people at each stage of the islands' settlement

The Bod of Gremista: birthplace of Arthur Anderson

Bod of Gremista Management Committee

1989

Small booklet giving an outline biography and a guide to the building

Old Rock: Shetland in pictures

Jonathan Wills

1989

The author says this is a collection of images of some of the scenes that he holds most dear, and which he suggests are typical of the best of these islands

The Shetland story

Liv Kjorsvik Schei & Gunnie Moberg

1988

Writer and historian Liv and Swedish photograher Gunnie tell the story of an island community as seen from the outside in this very comprehensive story

Bobby Tulloch's Shetland: an islander, his islands and their wildlife

Bobby Tulloch

1988

This is an islander's view of his islands - through the lens of a wildlife photographer and the voice of a storyteller

Traditional island knitting

Pam Dawson

1988

Collection of traditional hand-knitted designs from Aran, Channel Isles, Fair Isle, Falkland Isles, Iceland and Shetland

Ahint da daeks

1987

This book is based on the work of Phase II of the Archives History Project, with the bulk of the book taken up with quotations of reminiscences and memories from the eariest recollections of the older generation. It focuses on Whiteness, Weisdale, Scalloway and Tingwall, and  over 30 early photos are included

Lerwick Harbour

James R. Nicolson

1987

Revised edition. The first edition of this book was published in 1977 to mark the centenary of the founding of Lerwick Harbour Trust. This revised edition covers the changes of the next ten years. It is a complete history of the port of Lerwick from Viking times to the age of North Sea oil

Folk & Fairisle: over 100 designs

Wendy Phillips

1987

Designs suitable for punchcards, electronic and chunky machines

The story of P&O: the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company

David Howarth & Stephen Howarth

1986

The authors who are naval historians tell the story of the birth and development of one of Britain's greatest companies. Shetland's Arthur Anderson was co-founder, when in 1837 he and Brodie Willcox won their first contract to carry mail

George Washington Wilson in Orkney & Shetland

John S. Smith

1986

Photographs from the Aberdeen University Library George Washington Wilson Collection

The traditional sweater book

Madeline Weston

1986

Over 40 classic designs including Fair Isle and Shetland lace, with Australian and NZ yarns specified

Lerwick: the birth and growth of an island town

James W. Irvine

1985

This book traces the story of the town from its early, tentative beginnings, through the good years and the bad years, through to the oil age

Shetland notebook number two

J. Peterson

1985

A collection of photographs and notes by J. Peterson, published by the Shetland Library and Museum after his death

New directions in Fair Isle knitting

Patty Knox

1985

Modern designs for vivid, colourful garments for men, women and children

Varangian

Gordon B. Smith

1983

Gordon Smith, born in Lerwick in 1946, recounts the voyages on his cruising yacht Varangian around the world to New Zealand, after turning his log books and diary into this story

The brochs of Mousa and Clickhimin. 2nd ed.

John Hamilton

1983

A guide with photos and plans of the history and current state of these two brochs

Open boats of Shetland: South Mainland and Fair Isle

Adrian G. Osler

1983

Cover title: The Shetland boat. This monograph published by the National Maritime Museum concentrates on technical aspects of Shetland's boats

A Shetland cook book

Jenni Simmons

1983

The traditional foods of Shetland and ways to prepare them, with lots of old photos (not the same content as the author's 2009 book)

Shetland and the outside world 1469-1969

Donald J. Withrington (ed.)

1983

14 essays on a wide range of topics to do with Shetland history over 400 years

A practical handbook of traditional designs: Fair Isle knitting

Sarah Don

1982

Historical background, techniqes and patterns for Fair Isle knitting

The art of Shetland lace

Sarah Don

1981

A detailed reference book on the history and techniques of lace knitting, with many patterns and photographs

The complete book of traditional Fair Isle knitting

Sheila McGregor

1981

An introductory history and a source book of techniques and patterns

Lerwick Boating Club: the first hundred years 1880-1980

1980

A history of the Club with many black and white illustrations, and a copy of the programme of the regatta held 20 August 1880

Life in Shetland

Tom Kidd

1980

Black and white photographs of Shetland in 1980, focusing on the people, and highlighting the difference between the old and the new by Tom Kidd, with an introduction by James Nicolson

The Vikings and their origins: Scandinavia in the first millennium

James Graham-Campbell & Dafydd Kidd

1980

Published by the British Museum in conjunction with the mounting of an exhibition

Footprints: aspects of Shetland life over the last 100 years

James W. Irvine

1980

This edition published 2007, provides historical resource material on Shetland - the sea, the land, the home, the school, and the oil

Vikings!

Magnus Magnusson

1980

The author explores the myth and reality of Viking culture

The Shetland dictionary

John J. Graham

1979

An authoritive reference work and a working dictionary

Shetland from old photographs

Tom Henderson

1979

Over 160 black and white photographs with introduction and notes by Tom Henderson

A Shetland pattern book

Mary Smith & Maggie Twatt

1979

A practical textbook of selected knitting designs

The Vikings

Robert Wernick

1979

This is a substantial book in The Seafarers series by Time-Life Books. It is illustrated in black and white, and colour, and each chapter is accompanied by an essay

Scandinavian Shetland: an ongoing tradition?

John R. Baldwin (ed.)

1978

A collection of papers from the third conference of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies in Lerwick in 1975 addressing the extent the old Scandinavian relationship can still be found in Shetland life, and new Scandinavian dimensions identified

Traditional life in Shetland

James R. Nicolson

1978

Deals with every aspect of traditional life in Shetland

The Brendan voyage

Tim Severin

1978

An epic crossing of the Atlantic via the Hebrides, Faroes, Iceland and Greenland, by leather boat

A guide to Shetland mammals

Bobby Tulloch

1978

A guide intended mainly to help the visitor learn about Shetland's native wild animals

The windswept isles: Shetland and its people

Elizabeth Balneaves

1977

An extensive coverage of the history of the islands, along with the ecology, scenery, wildlife, land and people, with photographs and a glossary

The North Sea earls

Ian Morrison

1973

The story of an expedition in pursuit of the wrecked Viking Earls and the Norse legacy of present day Shetland

Shetland

James R. Nicolson

1975

2nd revised edition. An historical and contemporary account of Shetland covering early history, landlords and crofter-fishermen, makings of modern Shetland, communications, agriculture and fishing, other industries, the sea, the people, Lerwick and Scalloway, Shetland today, and places to visit

The Shetland Times 1872-1972

1972

This centenary supplement contains articles and photos , and a list of events that made headlines during the one hundred years of the newspaper

Like a mantle, the sea

Stella Shepherd

1971

An account of life on the island of Papa Stour, by a teacher who went there in 1962 and left 8 years later when there were no longer any children of school age left to teach

The trading voyages of Andrew Cheyne 1841-1844

Dorothy Shineberg (ed.)

1971

This is the record of one man's voyages in the Western Pacific in the 1840s, told by himself. At an early age, Andrew Cheyne came from the Shetland Islands to seek his fortune in the Pacific area, and was engaged in a series of trading voyages for different ship owners. "This is one of the earliest documents of the Western Pacific by a European".

The Vikings and their origins: Scandinavia in the first millennium

David M. Wilson

1970

The history and culture of the Vikings from the beginning of the Christian era to the end of the Viking age in about AD 1100

Everyday life in the Viking Age

Jacqueline Simpson

1967

Investigates the fundamental elements of Viking life with special emphasis on the great Viking Age

Northwards by sea

Gordon Donaldson

1966

This book gives an account of all the steamers and motor vessels which have plied to Caithness, Orkney and Shetland since the 1830s. It is a piece of transport history, and a picture of a way of life, with 42 illustrations of craft and plans

The far-flung isles: Orkney and Shetland

Garry Hogg

1961

Garry Hogg and his wife spent two summer months in Orkney and Shetland, collecting material and photos for a book, and  spent many evenings in Islanders' homes. This readable travel book includes 30 black and white photos

Sir Robert Stout: a biography

Waldo Hilary Dunn & Ivor L.M. Richardson

1961

The story of Robert Stout's life which began in Lerwick in 1844 and continued in New Zealand from 1863 until his death in 1930. He was the first patron of the Shetland Society of Wellington

The Shetland bus

David Howarth

1957

Epic story of escapes by small boats between Norway and Shetland in WW2. Cadet edition which omits passages of a technical nature

Life in Shetland: a world apart

Ursula Venables

1956

The experiences of a couple who settle in Noss, in the southwest of the Mainland. Illustrated with photos and the author's sketches

We die alone

David Howarth

1955

The story of a Norwegian resistance fighter's mission, escape and survival in WW2

None but the brave: the story of "Shetlands" Larsen

Frithjof Saelen

1955

Lief Larsen, a young Norwegian, was a leading member of the notorious Shetlands Gang, working between Shetland and Norway in WW2

The Shetland bus

David Howarth

1951

Full version which includes technical passages omitted from the cadet edition

The Shetland Isles

A.T. Cluness

1951

An account of the Shetlanders and the Shetland Isles as they appear to a native of the islands

The Viking ships: their ancestry and evolution

A.W. Brogger and Haakon Shetelig

1951

The English edition of the 1950 Norwegian original which describes the ships, their historical signifcance and the everyday life of the people who built them, sailed them and were buried in them

The sail fishermen of Shetland and their Norse and Dutch forerunners

A. Halcrow

1950

First published in 1950, this facsimile edition of Captain Halcrow's book was published in 1994, and covers the days of working sail in Shetland

Letters on Shetland

Peter Jamieson

1949

The letters describe Shetland at a critical point in its story - following WW2 and before the huge changes which accompanies the expansion of the oil industry in the 1970s. This book has been reproduced in 2021 in the Northus Shetland Classics series, and a copy is in the library

A Shetland parish doctor: some recollections of a Shetland parish doctor during the past half century

Harry Pearson Taylor

1948

Dr Taylor was Medical Officer for Yell and Fetlar from June 1890 to November 1935. Includes pen and ink drawings, and colour paintings by the author, plus some photographs

Shetland: a photographer's notebook

J. Peterson

1948

Black and white photos of Shetland arranged by the seasons

Shetland and the Shetlanders

W.P. Livingstone

1947

Described on the slip cover as "A true and human book about the Shetland Islands. The first really complete account of these attractive islands and the life and work of the people"

The historical geography of the Shetland Islands

Andrew C. O'Dell

1939

Traces the main factors that have led to the present state of evolution of the human geography of the Shetland Islands

Shetland: the isles of nightless summer. 2nd ed.

William Moffatt

1934

The author has given lectures on Shetland, and wrote this book for people who know little of Shetland but would be interested to read about it, and in an attempt to answer some of the questions which arise from his lectures

An island rooing

Joan Grigsby

1933

An account of the author's experiences during the time spent in the Northern Isles; part of the period on a small uninhabited island off the west coast of Mainland with a companion who was making a film of bird life

Shetland incidents and tales

John Nicolson

1931

Collection of articles. (Rare)

Cookery for northern wives

Margaret B. Stout

1925

This 2013 reprint contains "practical recipes for old-time and modern dishes, all suited to the Highlands and islands of Scotland", and is a facsimile version of the original published in Lerwick

Lerwick during the last half century

Thomas Manson

1923

This volume comprises the greater part of a series of articles which appeared in the Shetland News in 1917 and 1918. The author was the editor of that newspaper. It includes 24 illustrations

Lerwick: the official guide of the Town Council

1921

This small format guide looks to have been produced in 1921, with advertisements from that time included, along with a descriptive text, photos and a map of Shetland

Manson's Shetland almanac and directory for 1919

1919

This is the 28th issue of this directory which covers a vast and fascinating array of information about Shetland. This issue includes "Shetland's roll of honour", listing the names of Shetlanders who died in the Great War 1914-1918. This copy is in a fragile condition

The log of the 'Blue Dragon II' in Orkney and Shetland 1909-1910

C.C. Lynam

1911

The second of the Blue Dragon trilogy recounting easter and summer cruises to the northern isles in the 43' gaff-rigged yawl. (Rare)

Examples of printed folk-lore concerning the Orkney & Shetland Islands

G.F. Black

1903

County folk-lore Vol. III - printed extracts no. 5, collected by G.F. Black and edited by Northcote W. Thomas. This is a facsmile reprint, 1994. It comprises five parts titled: Superstitious beliefs and practices, traditional customs, traditional narratives, and folk sayings

The Parish of Lerwick: an ecclesiastical and historical sketch

James M. Crawford

1901

This small book traces the history of the church since the erection of the Parish in 1701, and an account of the present work of the church in the Parish. The cover title is "The Parish of Lerwick 1701-1901"

Orkney & Shetland: with approaches from Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Thurso and the Western Highlands. 4th ed.

M.J.B. Baddeley

1900

In the Thorough Guide Series, this small book was intended for use by those wishing to visit Orkney and Shetland. It includes 10 fold-out maps, and descriptions of the islands pre-1900

Annals of a Shetland parish: Delting

P.W. Greig

1892

A collection of articles on the places, people and history of the Parish of Delting. Some appeared previously in the Shetland Times

Art rambles in Shetland

John T. Reid

1869 [2011]

2011 reprint of this account of a 19th century journey around Shetland, with many sketches

A description of the Shetland Islands, comprising an account of their scenery, antiquities, and superstitions

Samuel Hibbert

1822 [1891]

The spine title is "Hibbert's Shetland Islands". Reprinted in 1891, this book comprises four itineries through the isles

FICTION

Title

Author

Date

Notes

Death in a Shetland lane

Marsali Taylor

2023

This is the eleventh murder mystery in the Shetland Mysteries series featuring Cass Lynch, this one following the death of a young woman on one of the Lerwick lanes. [2 copies]

Shetland: the complete series 7 [DVD]

2022

Two disk set of the six episodes in Shetland series 7, the last in the series featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Shetland mist: a Shetland family in the Methodist Movement

Heather Leslie Hammer

2022

Ann Leslie, wife of a fisherman-famer and mother of nine, faces one tragedy after another in a two-room crofthouse in the Dunrossness area. This historical novel set between 1829 and 1873 captures the hard life of a crofting family in this period, and how their deep-rooted faith sustains them

Rock-bound: a story of the Shetland Isles

Jessie M.E. Saxby

2022

This reprint of Jessie Saxby's novel first published in 1877, is the fifth in the Northus Shetland Classics series. It is the story of a young woman discovering herself through her hitherto hidden past, and her maturing understanding of the costs and compromises of love

The trials of Mary Johnsdaughter

Christine De Luca

2022

In this fictionalised retelling of historical events, young Waas lass Mary Johnsdaughter stands accused of having sinned in the eyes of the church after the Batchelor, a ship bursting with emigrants seeking new lives in Carolina, is left stranded upon Shetland's shores. Almost all of the characters are real and the broad narrative of this tale is documented in parish and other records

Blood in the oil

James A. Anderson

2021

The Queen is coming to Shetland to officially open the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal and security services have got wind of an IRA plot to assassinate her. The discovery of a body and a bomb are investigated by Detective Inspector John Peterson, leading the police investigation

Is yun dee. Robbie? (Is that you, Robbine?)

James A. Anderson

2021

A novel based on real events in the author's family history in Whalsay in 1868, and continued in a fictional tale set a century later in Hong Kong and Canada

A Shetland winter mystery

Marsali Taylor

2021

The tenth in the Shetland Mysteries series featuring Cass Lynch is set over the Christmas season, primarily on the west side around Aith and Voe [2 copies]

To own a fig tree: from Shetland crofters to New Zealand settlers

Wendy Hamilton

2021

Based on family stories, documents and history, this is an account of a Shetland family named Johnson, who settled in Karamea in 1874

The Shetland sea murders

Marsali Taylor

2021

This is the ninth in the Shetland Sailing Mysteries series featuring Cass Lynch, this time set on Papa Stour and Foula [2 copies]. Also available is a CD with the songs mentioned in the text

Broken lights: poems and reminiscences of the late Basil Ramsay Anderson

Jessie M.E. Saxby (ed.)

2021

The second in the Northus Shetland Classics series. After the early death of Basil Anderson, Jessie Saxby was asked to edit his works for publication. Broken lights, a collection of his poems, extracts from his letters and tributes was published in 1888. It has been reprinted in 2021 with the addition of an introduction by Robert Alan Jamieson

Tang: a Shetland story

J.J. Haldane Burgess

2021 ed

This classic Shetland novel was first published in 1898, and has been published again in 2021 as the first in the Northus Shetland Classics series of reprints of some of the keystones of Shetland's literature. The 2021 edition includes an introduction by Brydon Leslie

Shetland: the complete series 6 [DVD]

2020

Two disk set of the six episodes in Shetland series 6, featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Death from a Shetland cliff

Marsali Taylor

2020

This is the eighth in the series of murder mysteries featuring Cass Lynch [2 copies]

Footsteps in the dew. 2nd ed.

Marsali Taylor

2020

A Norse murder myster set in Shetland in 1150. A half-length novel of adventure and romance in Norse Shetland. First appeared in serial form in "Shetland Life"

Northern alchemy: Shetlandic poems with versions in English

Christine De Luca

2020

This is a bi-lingual collection of 40 poems, each in Shetlandic along with a version in English. The poems are selected from several of Christine De Luca's collection along with some as yet unpublished poems

From the Auld Rock to a hard place

Wendy Cheyne

2019

The story of a group of Shetlanders embarking on a life-changing journey to New Zealand in search of a better life

Shetland: series 5 [DVD]

2019

Two disc set of the six episodes in Shetland series 5, featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

The Ninian plate (previously untold chapters)

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2018

These chapters are a continuation of the book of the same name published in 2012

Death on a Shetland isle

Marsali Taylor

2018

The seventh in the series of murder mysteries featuring Cass Lynch - not to be confused with the sixth title called "Death in Shetland waters". Starting on board  the sail-training ship in Norway, Cass travels to Shetland with time onshore in Mousa, Lerwick and Fetlar [2 copies]

And darkness fell

Christian S. Tait

2018

Lerwick, Shetland, 1917. The Jacobson family has known grief and loss in this long war, and welcomes back their son Jamie to convalesce. But Jamie has a secret - an inner darkness that could destroy them [2 copies]

Wild fire

Ann Cleeves

2018

The eighth and last Ann Cleeves murder mystery in the Shetland series [2 copies]

The valley at the centre of the world

Malachy Tallack

2018

Malachy Tallack's debut novel is set on Shetland's west coast, and tackles issues of love, grief and a community on the edge of extinction

Across the Sound: an Unst anthology

The Unst Writers' Group (ed.)

2017

This is an anthology of prose and poems specifically about Unst. Some works are new, while others have been drawn from historical accounts of life on the island

Death in Shetland waters

Marsali Taylor

2017

The sixth in the series of murder mysteries featuring Cass Lynch, this time set during the Tall Ships race from Norway to Ireland [2 copies]

Shetland: the complete series 4

2017

Two disc set of the six episodes in Shetland series 4, featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

The sixteen trees of the Somme

Lars Mytting

2014

Edvard's desperate quest to unlock the tragic secrets of two families takes him on a long journey, following a trail of clues from Norway, to Shetland, and to the battlefields of France. Translated from the Norwegian 2017

Cold earth

Ann Cleeves

2016

The seventh Ann Cleeves murder mystery in the Shetland series [2 copies]

Ghosts of the Vikings

Marsali Taylor

2016

The fifth murder novel featuring Cass Lynch; the series now called The Shetland Sailing Mysteries. Treasure hunters and opera stars collide in the north of Shetland in this one [2 copies]

Too good to be true

Ann Cleeves

2016

In the Quick Read series, this short book features Shetland detective Jimmy Perez investigating a death in the Scottish Borders

Shetland create : issue #1 home

2016

A new literary magazine which is a collection of stories, poems and essays that explore the meaning of home

Dreaming in Norwegian

Frankie Valente

2015

A modern day love story set in Shetland and Norway, but with connections to the Shetland Bus

Fair Isle ghosts

Carol Tweedie

2015

This book follows the fortunes of two families on Fair Isle, the Irvines of Quoy and the Wilsons of Taft, as they fight to save their way of life in the nineteenth century

Shetland: the complete series 1-3 [DVD]

2015

Four disc set  of the ten episodes to date of the series featuring Detective Jimmy Perez. Note can be played on region 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Sea-girt vigil

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2015

A story of pilgrims bringing Christianity to 7th century Shetland

The body in the bracken

Marsali Taylor

2015

The fourth murder novel in the Cass Lynch Mystery series, this one set in the Highlands of Scotland and in Shetland [2 copies]

Sixty degrees north: around the world in search of home

Malachy Tallack

2015

Tallack travels westward exploring the landscapes and people of the parallel, to finally be reconciled with Shetland, the place he calls home

Shetland humour: twartree selections

John J. Graham

2014

The stories in this selection have given the author many a laugh over the years

Thin air

Ann Cleeves

2014

The sixth Ann Cleeves murder mystery set in Shetland - this one in Unst [2 copies]

A handful of ash

Marsali Taylor

2014

The third murder novel in the Cass Lynch Mystery series, this one set in Scalloway [2 copies]

The trowie mound murders

Marsali Taylor

2014

Another thriller set in Shetland - Book two in the Cass Lynch Mysteries [2 copies]

Shetland: the complete series 1 & 2 [DVD]

2014

Two disc set based on Ann Cleeve's books Red Bones, Raven Black, Dead Water and Blue Lightning, as broadcast on BBC in Britain. Note can be played on region 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Through a croft window

Stella Sutherland

2014

The fictional journal of "A Crofter's Wife" first published as a series in The New Shetlander between 1953 and 1966

Byssus

Jen Hadfield

2014

Jen Hadfield's third collection of poetry, in laguage strongly rooted to the names found in her adopted Shetland.

The Shetland eagle

Anne Taylor

2013

Set in the second world war time, with the action taking place in Shetland and Russia

Dead water

Ann Cleeves

2013

The first of a second quartet of detective novels set in Shetland; this set based on the elements [2 copies]

Death on a longship

Marsali Taylor

2012

Hollywood glamour comes to the Shetland Islands - with deadly results. A detective novel. The first in the "Cass Lynch Mystery" series [2 copies]

The Ninian plate

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2012

"From the day the Ninian Plate arrived in Shetland in 600AD it brought strange and terrible events into the lives of all who touched it." See also the 2018 publication of previously untold chapters

Sea view: a year of reflective glimpses into life in Shetland

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2011

Writing every day for a year, the author gives a new insight into life by the sea in one of Shetland's north isles, from otters to orcas, seals to solans and tirricks to trows.

And then forever

Christine De Luca

2011

Part historical, part contemporary quest - two stories which intertwine on a journey to discover what happened to a Shetland grandfather who emigrated to Winnipeg around 1900 [2 copies]

Dancing with the ferryman

Frankie Valente

2011

Described as "a 21st Century romantic comedy". A young woman runs away to Shetland, and finds a new life and love in these unique islands

White below: poems and stories from Shetland's fishing industry

2010

Six Shetland writers have contributed to this collection of poetry and short stories about fishing, the sea, and the people who live and work in fishing communities

Bright pebbles : poetry and prose from Shetland

Mary Blance & Laureen Johnson

2010

Contributions from 50 writers with an accompanying CD, designed as part of the 2010 Hamefarin

The storm child

Kari Williamson

2010

Set in the early 1900s, a young girl leaves school and goes into service at the local manse.

Da happie laand

Robert Alan Jamieson

2010

The strange tale of a man's search for his missing father, woven into the fate of a Zetlandic community, and tales of people who emigrated to New Zetland in the South Pacific

Blue lightning

Ann Cleeves

2010

The final book in the Ann Cleeves quartet. This one is set in Fair Isle [2 copies]

Red bones

Ann Cleeves

2009

The third mystery novel of the quartet by Ann Cleeves. This one is set in Whalsay [2 copies]

Sacrifice

S.J. Bolton

2008

Gripping thriller set in Shetland

White nights

Ann Cleeves

2008

A crime story set in Shetland - the second in the quartet by Ann Cleeves [2 copies]

Da book o trows

Shetland Folklore Development Group

2007

Collection of accounts of trows, with a CD of stories and music

Berries on the heather

Kari Williamson

2007

Novel set in the late thirties which describes the situations and day-to-day events, humorous and serious, which occur in the lives of a three-generation family on an island croft

Poems united: a Commonwealth anthology

Diana Hendry & Hamish Whyte (eds)

2007

Poems from countries of the Commonwealth

Aald smucks'

Linda Agnes Miller

Entertaining poetry in the Shetland dialect

The foy and other folk tales

Lawrence Tulloch

2006

A collection of folk tales told by one of Shetland's foremost storytellers

Raven black

Ann Cleeves

2006

The first of a quartet of mystery novels by Ann Cleeves set in Shetland [2 copies]

A dream of silver

J. Laughton Johnstone

2006

An old man shares the story of his life in Scotland and Shetland, and the influence of two great Scottish authors, with his grandson

Jeemsie da Jarl: a grand old Viking century

M. Moncrieff

2005

A collection of 100 cartoons

Spinnin yarns

2005

CD of poems and stories from Shetland read in the dialect

Tales of the seal people: Scottish folk tales

Duncan Williamson

2005

Stories of these half-seal, half-human creatures known as "silkies"

Life in Scalloway Castle

D.Hilda Peterson

2004

Historical novel of life under the rule of Earl Patrick Stewart

Nor heard the clock strike

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2004

Novel about a would-be writer's introduction and assimilation into Shetland life

Intimate expanses: XXV Scottish poems 1978-2002

Ken Cockburn & Robyn Marsack (eds)

2004

An anthology of 25 Scottish poems, one from each year from 178 to 2002, presents an alternative view of how the past quarter century has unfolded in Scotland

Metal rose: the different shall inherit the earth

Jessie Lovie Watt

2003

The last wanderer

Meg Henderson

2003

This novel tells the story of a young woman from Shetland who finds herself in the small fishing community of Acarsaid on the west coast of Scotland, where she spends the rest of her life

Shetland black

Laureen Johnson

2002

This short novel set in the 1990s begins with a stranger's death in tiny Whalevoe, and its effect on the nine inhabitants

From Böd to boardroom: an historical novel on th life of Arthur Anderson

D. Hilda Peterson

2001

Arthur Anderson rose from humble beginnings in Lerwick to become a prominent businessman and co-founder of the P&O Shipping Company. This is a fictional account of his life in Lerwick in the 1800s and introduces other well-known stories in Shetland's history

A merchant's tale: the life of William Hay (1787-1858)

Margaret Rose

1999

A fictional account of the life of William Hay and the companies he established - Hay and Ogilvy, the Shetland Bank, and Hay and Company

Kirstie's witnesses

Sheenagh Pugh

1998

This story of a widow, trying to feed her three children in Lerwick in the 1840s is the story of a real person and the town of Lerwick at that time

Tochts on Shetland life

Tom Laurenson

1997

Poems in Shetland dialect from Tom Laurenson who moved to Nairn, and has a son who lives in Wellington

Told around the peat fire

Andrew T. Cluness

1994

New ed. "Probably the most popular Shetland book ever published… an incomparable blend of historical fact, vivid scenic detail and treasured folklore."

Holm sweet holm

Jessie Lovie Watt

1994

A family of Scottish fisherfolk move to Shetland in the early years of the 20th century

Shadowed valley: a novel based on the Weisdale Evictions

John J. Graham

1994

The main purpose is to convey an impression of life in rural Shetland about the middle of the 19th century and the shattering effect on one community of a policy of clearances

Strife in the valley: a novel set in 18th century Shetland

John J. Graham

1992

Set in the troubled times of late 18th century Shetland, when the shadow of destitution, disease, the Press Gang, and exploitation by lairds and merchants darkened the lives of local people

Lowrie: being a humorous account in the dialect of incidents in the life of a Shetland crofter

Joseph Gray

1991

This is the third edition of a collection which went out of print in the 1950s. Most of these stories were originally published in The Shetland Times. They are illustrated with sketches by F.S. Walterson

A celebration and other poems

Stella Sutherland

1991

A collection of 44 poems with a glossary of Shetland words

Thin wealth: a novel from an oil decade

Robert Alan Jamieson

1986

This author's second novel is about the impact on a Shetland community of the discovery of oil in the North Sea in 1973

Bess: tales of a middle aged sheepdog

Willie Leask

1985

Originally a series in Shetland Life, it depicts life in rural Shetland as seen through the eyes of a sheepdog, Bess

Soor hearts

Robert Alan Jamieson

1983

This Shetland writer's debut novel - a fast-paced tale of murder and mystery

Shetland folklore

James R. Nicolson

1981

The wealth of folklore - beliefs, legends and customs - that make Shetland so unique

Aa my selves: poems 1940-1980

Stella Sutherland

1980

A collection of 33 poems. Aa my selves was placed third in the Scottish Open Poetry Competition of 1976

Shetlandic

Rhoda Bulter

1977

The second CD in a trilogy of Rhoda Bulter reciting her own poetry in the dialect

Caald clods an tinder

Rhoda Bulter

1976

The third CD in a trilogy of Rhoda Bulter reciting her own poetry in the dialect. The recording was made in 1976, but "lost", until it came to light in 2006

Bide a start wi' Me

Rhoda Bulter

1976

The first CD in a trilogy of Rhoda Bulter reciting her own poetry in the dialect

The collected poems of Vagaland

M. Robertson (ed.)

1975

Poetry in the dialect and in English by Shetlander T.A. Robertson who signed all his poems "Vagaland"

North star

Hammond Innes

1974

Story of infiltration and sabotage on an oil platform off Shetland

Old Shetland! A tale of love and land-hunger

John Herries McCulloch

1969

Set in the harsh period of Shetland history in the 1700s

Island laughter

F.S. Walterson and J. Tait

1968

Collection of cartoons

Norden lichts: an anthology of Shetland verse & prose

John J. Graham & T.A. Robertson (eds)

1964

This anthology of dialect poetry and prose was part of the "Shetland Book" intended to ensure that the young people of Shetland had a sound knowledge of their own environment, history, traditions and way of life

The edge of the world

Michael Powell

1937

DVD of the restored 1937 film of traditional life on Foula. Also includes "Return to the edge of the world" (1978) and "St Kilda - Britain's loneliest isle" (1928). Note - can be played on region 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Hinniwirs: poems and sketches

"Hiawatha"

1924

A selection of poems and sketches which appeared in The Shetland News under the nom-de-plume of "Hiawatha"

Some folk-tales and legends of Shetland

John Nicolson

1920

(Rare)

Humours of a Peat Commission. Volume II

Thos. Manson

1919

A compilation of sketches which originally appeared in the Shetland News. No such body as the Commission described ever existed, but the first volume was so well-received that this second volume has been published, and a third volume is anticipated

Shetland nights: tales from the land of the "Simmer Dim"

W. Fordyce Clark

1912

Eleven short stories from an author who lived for a time in Shetland

Tang: a Shetland story

J.J. Haldane Burgess

1898

Described as the story of a young girl, Inga, and her divided love for two men, while also presenting a picture of a small community

FICTION

Title

Author

Date

Notes

Death in a Shetland lane

Marsali Taylor

2023

This is the eleventh murder mystery in the Shetland Mysteries series featuring Cass Lynch, this one following the death of a young woman on one of the Lerwick lanes. [2 copies]

Shetland: the complete series 7 [DVD]

2022

Two disk set of the six episodes in Shetland series 7, the last in the series featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Shetland mist: a Shetland family in the Methodist Movement

Heather Leslie Hammer

2022

Ann Leslie, wife of a fisherman-famer and mother of nine, faces one tragedy after another in a two-room crofthouse in the Dunrossness area. This historical novel set between 1829 and 1873 captures the hard life of a crofting family in this period, and how their deep-rooted faith sustains them

Rock-bound: a story of the Shetland Isles

Jessie M.E. Saxby

2022

This reprint of Jessie Saxby's novel first published in 1877, is the fifth in the Northus Shetland Classics series. It is the story of a young woman discovering herself through her hitherto hidden past, and her maturing understanding of the costs and compromises of love

The trials of Mary Johnsdaughter

Christine De Luca

2022

In this fictionalised retelling of historical events, young Waas lass Mary Johnsdaughter stands accused of having sinned in the eyes of the church after the Batchelor, a ship bursting with emigrants seeking new lives in Carolina, is left stranded upon Shetland's shores. Almost all of the characters are real and the broad narrative of this tale is documented in parish and other records

Blood in the oil

James A. Anderson

2021

The Queen is coming to Shetland to officially open the Sullom Voe Oil Terminal and security services have got wind of an IRA plot to assassinate her. The discovery of a body and a bomb are investigated by Detective Inspector John Peterson, leading the police investigation

Is yun dee. Robbie? (Is that you, Robbine?)

James A. Anderson

2021

A novel based on real events in the author's family history in Whalsay in 1868, and continued in a fictional tale set a century later in Hong Kong and Canada

A Shetland winter mystery

Marsali Taylor

2021

The tenth in the Shetland Mysteries series featuring Cass Lynch is set over the Christmas season, primarily on the west side around Aith and Voe [2 copies]

To own a fig tree: from Shetland crofters to New Zealand settlers

Wendy Hamilton

2021

Based on family stories, documents and history, this is an account of a Shetland family named Johnson, who settled in Karamea in 1874

The Shetland sea murders

Marsali Taylor

2021

This is the ninth in the Shetland Sailing Mysteries series featuring Cass Lynch, this time set on Papa Stour and Foula [2 copies]. Also available is a CD with the songs mentioned in the text

Broken lights: poems and reminiscences of the late Basil Ramsay Anderson

Jessie M.E. Saxby (ed.)

2021

The second in the Northus Shetland Classics series. After the early death of Basil Anderson, Jessie Saxby was asked to edit his works for publication. Broken lights, a collection of his poems, extracts from his letters and tributes was published in 1888. It has been reprinted in 2021 with the addition of an introduction by Robert Alan Jamieson

Tang: a Shetland story

J.J. Haldane Burgess

2021 ed

This classic Shetland novel was first published in 1898, and has been published again in 2021 as the first in the Northus Shetland Classics series of reprints of some of the keystones of Shetland's literature. The 2021 edition includes an introduction by Brydon Leslie

Shetland: the complete series 6 [DVD]

2020

Two disk set of the six episodes in Shetland series 6, featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Death from a Shetland cliff

Marsali Taylor

2020

This is the eighth in the series of murder mysteries featuring Cass Lynch [2 copies]

Footsteps in the dew. 2nd ed.

Marsali Taylor

2020

A Norse murder myster set in Shetland in 1150. A half-length novel of adventure and romance in Norse Shetland. First appeared in serial form in "Shetland Life"

Northern alchemy: Shetlandic poems with versions in English

Christine De Luca

2020

This is a bi-lingual collection of 40 poems, each in Shetlandic along with a version in English. The poems are selected from several of Christine De Luca's collection along with some as yet unpublished poems

From the Auld Rock to a hard place

Wendy Cheyne

2019

The story of a group of Shetlanders embarking on a life-changing journey to New Zealand in search of a better life

Shetland: series 5 [DVD]

2019

Two disc set of the six episodes in Shetland series 5, featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

The Ninian plate (previously untold chapters)

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2018

These chapters are a continuation of the book of the same name published in 2012

Death on a Shetland isle

Marsali Taylor

2018

The seventh in the series of murder mysteries featuring Cass Lynch - not to be confused with the sixth title called "Death in Shetland waters". Starting on board  the sail-training ship in Norway, Cass travels to Shetland with time onshore in Mousa, Lerwick and Fetlar [2 copies]

And darkness fell

Christian S. Tait

2018

Lerwick, Shetland, 1917. The Jacobson family has known grief and loss in this long war, and welcomes back their son Jamie to convalesce. But Jamie has a secret - an inner darkness that could destroy them [2 copies]

Wild fire

Ann Cleeves

2018

The eighth and last Ann Cleeves murder mystery in the Shetland series [2 copies]

The valley at the centre of the world

Malachy Tallack

2018

Malachy Tallack's debut novel is set on Shetland's west coast, and tackles issues of love, grief and a community on the edge of extinction

Across the Sound: an Unst anthology

The Unst Writers' Group (ed.)

2017

This is an anthology of prose and poems specifically about Unst. Some works are new, while others have been drawn from historical accounts of life on the island

Death in Shetland waters

Marsali Taylor

2017

The sixth in the series of murder mysteries featuring Cass Lynch, this time set during the Tall Ships race from Norway to Ireland [2 copies]

Shetland: the complete series 4

2017

Two disc set of the six episodes in Shetland series 4, featuring detective Jimmy Perez. Note - can be played on regions 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

The sixteen trees of the Somme

Lars Mytting

2014

Edvard's desperate quest to unlock the tragic secrets of two families takes him on a long journey, following a trail of clues from Norway, to Shetland, and to the battlefields of France. Translated from the Norwegian 2017

Cold earth

Ann Cleeves

2016

The seventh Ann Cleeves murder mystery in the Shetland series [2 copies]

Ghosts of the Vikings

Marsali Taylor

2016

The fifth murder novel featuring Cass Lynch; the series now called The Shetland Sailing Mysteries. Treasure hunters and opera stars collide in the north of Shetland in this one [2 copies]

Too good to be true

Ann Cleeves

2016

In the Quick Read series, this short book features Shetland detective Jimmy Perez investigating a death in the Scottish Borders

Shetland create : issue #1 home

2016

A new literary magazine which is a collection of stories, poems and essays that explore the meaning of home

Dreaming in Norwegian

Frankie Valente

2015

A modern day love story set in Shetland and Norway, but with connections to the Shetland Bus

Fair Isle ghosts

Carol Tweedie

2015

This book follows the fortunes of two families on Fair Isle, the Irvines of Quoy and the Wilsons of Taft, as they fight to save their way of life in the nineteenth century

Shetland: the complete series 1-3 [DVD]

2015

Four disc set  of the ten episodes to date of the series featuring Detective Jimmy Perez. Note can be played on region 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Sea-girt vigil

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2015

A story of pilgrims bringing Christianity to 7th century Shetland

The body in the bracken

Marsali Taylor

2015

The fourth murder novel in the Cass Lynch Mystery series, this one set in the Highlands of Scotland and in Shetland [2 copies]

Sixty degrees north: around the world in search of home

Malachy Tallack

2015

Tallack travels westward exploring the landscapes and people of the parallel, to finally be reconciled with Shetland, the place he calls home

Shetland humour: twartree selections

John J. Graham

2014

The stories in this selection have given the author many a laugh over the years

Thin air

Ann Cleeves

2014

The sixth Ann Cleeves murder mystery set in Shetland - this one in Unst [2 copies]

A handful of ash

Marsali Taylor

2014

The third murder novel in the Cass Lynch Mystery series, this one set in Scalloway [2 copies]

The trowie mound murders

Marsali Taylor

2014

Another thriller set in Shetland - Book two in the Cass Lynch Mysteries [2 copies]

Shetland: the complete series 1 & 2 [DVD]

2014

Two disc set based on Ann Cleeve's books Red Bones, Raven Black, Dead Water and Blue Lightning, as broadcast on BBC in Britain. Note can be played on region 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Through a croft window

Stella Sutherland

2014

The fictional journal of "A Crofter's Wife" first published as a series in The New Shetlander between 1953 and 1966

Byssus

Jen Hadfield

2014

Jen Hadfield's third collection of poetry, in laguage strongly rooted to the names found in her adopted Shetland.

The Shetland eagle

Anne Taylor

2013

Set in the second world war time, with the action taking place in Shetland and Russia

Dead water

Ann Cleeves

2013

The first of a second quartet of detective novels set in Shetland; this set based on the elements [2 copies]

Death on a longship

Marsali Taylor

2012

Hollywood glamour comes to the Shetland Islands - with deadly results. A detective novel. The first in the "Cass Lynch Mystery" series [2 copies]

The Ninian plate

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2012

"From the day the Ninian Plate arrived in Shetland in 600AD it brought strange and terrible events into the lives of all who touched it." See also the 2018 publication of previously untold chapters

Sea view: a year of reflective glimpses into life in Shetland

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2011

Writing every day for a year, the author gives a new insight into life by the sea in one of Shetland's north isles, from otters to orcas, seals to solans and tirricks to trows.

And then forever

Christine De Luca

2011

Part historical, part contemporary quest - two stories which intertwine on a journey to discover what happened to a Shetland grandfather who emigrated to Winnipeg around 1900 [2 copies]

Dancing with the ferryman

Frankie Valente

2011

Described as "a 21st Century romantic comedy". A young woman runs away to Shetland, and finds a new life and love in these unique islands

White below: poems and stories from Shetland's fishing industry

2010

Six Shetland writers have contributed to this collection of poetry and short stories about fishing, the sea, and the people who live and work in fishing communities

Bright pebbles : poetry and prose from Shetland

Mary Blance & Laureen Johnson

2010

Contributions from 50 writers with an accompanying CD, designed as part of the 2010 Hamefarin

The storm child

Kari Williamson

2010

Set in the early 1900s, a young girl leaves school and goes into service at the local manse.

Da happie laand

Robert Alan Jamieson

2010

The strange tale of a man's search for his missing father, woven into the fate of a Zetlandic community, and tales of people who emigrated to New Zetland in the South Pacific

Blue lightning

Ann Cleeves

2010

The final book in the Ann Cleeves quartet. This one is set in Fair Isle [2 copies]

Red bones

Ann Cleeves

2009

The third mystery novel of the quartet by Ann Cleeves. This one is set in Whalsay [2 copies]

Sacrifice

S.J. Bolton

2008

Gripping thriller set in Shetland

White nights

Ann Cleeves

2008

A crime story set in Shetland - the second in the quartet by Ann Cleeves [2 copies]

Da book o trows

Shetland Folklore Development Group

2007

Collection of accounts of trows, with a CD of stories and music

Berries on the heather

Kari Williamson

2007

Novel set in the late thirties which describes the situations and day-to-day events, humorous and serious, which occur in the lives of a three-generation family on an island croft

Poems united: a Commonwealth anthology

Diana Hendry & Hamish Whyte (eds)

2007

Poems from countries of the Commonwealth

Aald smucks'

Linda Agnes Miller

Entertaining poetry in the Shetland dialect

The foy and other folk tales

Lawrence Tulloch

2006

A collection of folk tales told by one of Shetland's foremost storytellers

Raven black

Ann Cleeves

2006

The first of a quartet of mystery novels by Ann Cleeves set in Shetland [2 copies]

A dream of silver

J. Laughton Johnstone

2006

An old man shares the story of his life in Scotland and Shetland, and the influence of two great Scottish authors, with his grandson

Jeemsie da Jarl: a grand old Viking century

M. Moncrieff

2005

A collection of 100 cartoons

Spinnin yarns

2005

CD of poems and stories from Shetland read in the dialect

Tales of the seal people: Scottish folk tales

Duncan Williamson

2005

Stories of these half-seal, half-human creatures known as "silkies"

Life in Scalloway Castle

D.Hilda Peterson

2004

Historical novel of life under the rule of Earl Patrick Stewart

Nor heard the clock strike

Alastair Christie-Johnston

2004

Novel about a would-be writer's introduction and assimilation into Shetland life

Intimate expanses: XXV Scottish poems 1978-2002

Ken Cockburn & Robyn Marsack (eds)

2004

An anthology of 25 Scottish poems, one from each year from 178 to 2002, presents an alternative view of how the past quarter century has unfolded in Scotland

Metal rose: the different shall inherit the earth

Jessie Lovie Watt

2003

The last wanderer

Meg Henderson

2003

This novel tells the story of a young woman from Shetland who finds herself in the small fishing community of Acarsaid on the west coast of Scotland, where she spends the rest of her life

Shetland black

Laureen Johnson

2002

This short novel set in the 1990s begins with a stranger's death in tiny Whalevoe, and its effect on the nine inhabitants

From Böd to boardroom: an historical novel on th life of Arthur Anderson

D. Hilda Peterson

2001

Arthur Anderson rose from humble beginnings in Lerwick to become a prominent businessman and co-founder of the P&O Shipping Company. This is a fictional account of his life in Lerwick in the 1800s and introduces other well-known stories in Shetland's history

A merchant's tale: the life of William Hay (1787-1858)

Margaret Rose

1999

A fictional account of the life of William Hay and the companies he established - Hay and Ogilvy, the Shetland Bank, and Hay and Company

Kirstie's witnesses

Sheenagh Pugh

1998

This story of a widow, trying to feed her three children in Lerwick in the 1840s is the story of a real person and the town of Lerwick at that time

Tochts on Shetland life

Tom Laurenson

1997

Poems in Shetland dialect from Tom Laurenson who moved to Nairn, and has a son who lives in Wellington

Told around the peat fire

Andrew T. Cluness

1994

New ed. "Probably the most popular Shetland book ever published… an incomparable blend of historical fact, vivid scenic detail and treasured folklore."

Holm sweet holm

Jessie Lovie Watt

1994

A family of Scottish fisherfolk move to Shetland in the early years of the 20th century

Shadowed valley: a novel based on the Weisdale Evictions

John J. Graham

1994

The main purpose is to convey an impression of life in rural Shetland about the middle of the 19th century and the shattering effect on one community of a policy of clearances

Strife in the valley: a novel set in 18th century Shetland

John J. Graham

1992

Set in the troubled times of late 18th century Shetland, when the shadow of destitution, disease, the Press Gang, and exploitation by lairds and merchants darkened the lives of local people

Lowrie: being a humorous account in the dialect of incidents in the life of a Shetland crofter

Joseph Gray

1991

This is the third edition of a collection which went out of print in the 1950s. Most of these stories were originally published in The Shetland Times. They are illustrated with sketches by F.S. Walterson

A celebration and other poems

Stella Sutherland

1991

A collection of 44 poems with a glossary of Shetland words

Thin wealth: a novel from an oil decade

Robert Alan Jamieson

1986

This author's second novel is about the impact on a Shetland community of the discovery of oil in the North Sea in 1973

Bess: tales of a middle aged sheepdog

Willie Leask

1985

Originally a series in Shetland Life, it depicts life in rural Shetland as seen through the eyes of a sheepdog, Bess

Soor hearts

Robert Alan Jamieson

1983

This Shetland writer's debut novel - a fast-paced tale of murder and mystery

Shetland folklore

James R. Nicolson

1981

The wealth of folklore - beliefs, legends and customs - that make Shetland so unique

Aa my selves: poems 1940-1980

Stella Sutherland

1980

A collection of 33 poems. Aa my selves was placed third in the Scottish Open Poetry Competition of 1976

Shetlandic

Rhoda Bulter

1977

The second CD in a trilogy of Rhoda Bulter reciting her own poetry in the dialect

Caald clods an tinder

Rhoda Bulter

1976

The third CD in a trilogy of Rhoda Bulter reciting her own poetry in the dialect. The recording was made in 1976, but "lost", until it came to light in 2006

Bide a start wi' Me

Rhoda Bulter

1976

The first CD in a trilogy of Rhoda Bulter reciting her own poetry in the dialect

The collected poems of Vagaland

M. Robertson (ed.)

1975

Poetry in the dialect and in English by Shetlander T.A. Robertson who signed all his poems "Vagaland"

North star

Hammond Innes

1974

Story of infiltration and sabotage on an oil platform off Shetland

Old Shetland! A tale of love and land-hunger

John Herries McCulloch

1969

Set in the harsh period of Shetland history in the 1700s

Island laughter

F.S. Walterson and J. Tait

1968

Collection of cartoons

Norden lichts: an anthology of Shetland verse & prose

John J. Graham & T.A. Robertson (eds)

1964

This anthology of dialect poetry and prose was part of the "Shetland Book" intended to ensure that the young people of Shetland had a sound knowledge of their own environment, history, traditions and way of life

The edge of the world

Michael Powell

1937

DVD of the restored 1937 film of traditional life on Foula. Also includes "Return to the edge of the world" (1978) and "St Kilda - Britain's loneliest isle" (1928). Note - can be played on region 2 and region free encoded DVD players only

Hinniwirs: poems and sketches

"Hiawatha"

1924

A selection of poems and sketches which appeared in The Shetland News under the nom-de-plume of "Hiawatha"

Some folk-tales and legends of Shetland

John Nicolson

1920

(Rare)

Humours of a Peat Commission. Volume II

Thos. Manson

1919

A compilation of sketches which originally appeared in the Shetland News. No such body as the Commission described ever existed, but the first volume was so well-received that this second volume has been published, and a third volume is anticipated

Shetland nights: tales from the land of the "Simmer Dim"

W. Fordyce Clark

1912

Eleven short stories from an author who lived for a time in Shetland

Tang: a Shetland story

J.J. Haldane Burgess

1898

Described as the story of a young girl, Inga, and her divided love for two men, while also presenting a picture of a small community

CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULT

The legend of the Storm Goose

Fiona Halliday

2022

Erin believed the Storm Goose would keep Papa safe from storms. A tale of grief and healing set in the seaside landscape of Shetland

Julia and the shark

Kiran Millwood Hargrave

2021

This illustrated story aimed at 9-11 year olds is about a girl called Julia who moves to Unst with her parents and cat for a summer while her father repairs a lighthouse. Her mother is on a mission to find a shark that is rumoured to be 500 years old. The book tackles a variety of subjects including bullying and mental health

The weather weaver

Tamsin Mori

2021

11 year-old Stella has returned home to Shetland to spend the summer with Grandpa, but it's nothing like she remembers. Stella feels trapped and lonely until she encounters an old woman, Tamar, who, to Stella's amazement, can spin rainbows and call hurricanes, Then Stella discovers that she too is a Weather Weaver

Shetland for bairns

David Cockayne & friends

2020

A book by bairns for bairns, of fun things to do and places to visit in Shetland, with lots of facts and ideas of places to go for adventures

Will there be puffins?

Gay Hay & Sarah Harmon

2016

The story of a journey to Shetland, written by Society member Gay Hay, with wonderful illustrations by Sarah Harmon

Da Trow

Julia Donaldson

2016

Originally published as "The Troll" in 2009, and now translated into Shetlandic by Christine De Luca

Wilfrieda the Witch helps Santa

Wendy Dickson

2012

It is Christmas Eve on Unst, but Santa's sleigh is stuck. Can Wilfrieda the Witch help Santa in time?

A midsummer foy

Janice Armstrong & Meilo So

2011

A fog bound boat full of children and fish, an island, a castle and a midsummer party - a tale from Shetland

The grumpy old sailor

Janice Armstrong & Meilo So

2010

What on earth is that grumpy old sailor up to? Dragons and telescopes, red paint and sea charts … find out in this adventure with Magnus and his friends

Bobby an da Burland pearls

Valerie Watt

2010

When Bobby visits the Burland Croft he wears his grandad's magic pearls - will he hear the animals speak? In the dialect

Smootie an da Toon Hall clock

Christine De Luca

2010

Sequel to "Smootie comes ta Lerrick". Aimed at 4-9 age group. In the dialect

Craigsaet: rhymes, sangs and stories for peerie bairns

Shetland For Wirds

2009

CD of 24 tracks with leaflet giving the words of the rhymes and songs

Gory stories: raiders and ruins

Terry Deary

2009

A "vicious Viking adventure"

10 best Viking legends ever!

Michael Cox

2009

Ten tales of Viking gods

Shetland wildlife alphabet

Mary Isbister

2009

Illustrated by the author this book gives the names of some of the plants and animals that might be seen in Shetland

Benny-benny Seawater: the first day of the summer holidays

Lisa Johnson & Katherine Laidlay

2009

Benny-benny Seawater is spending his holidays on his Aunty and Uncle's croft in Shetland where he loves helping with the chores, exploring, and learning how to raise peats and clip sheep like a proper crofter

Puffling

Margaret Wild & Julie Vivas

2008

Puffling, the little puffin, is getting ready to leave the burrow and go out into the world

Wilma Widdershins and da muckle tree: a Shetland story

Jonathan Wills & Gurli Feilberg

2008

 This is the story of how Wilma Widdershins found the biggest bit of driftwood ever; how she brought home ‘Da Muckle Tree’ in the third winter of the Second World War, and what happened many years later, after the Huppies phoned the woodyard in the far town

Dodie's phenomenal pheesic

Christine De Luca

2008

Translation of Roald Dahl's "George's marvellous medicine" into Shetland dialect

Usborne Viking world

Philippa Wingate & Anne Millard

2008?

All about the Vikings, the way they lived and their spirit of adventure

Peerie Mootie an her muckle buits

Valerie Watt

2007

Brighly illustrated picture book about a Shetland fairy called Peerie Mootie, in the dialect

I Hero: Viking blood

Steve Barlow & Stevew Skidmore

2007

You are the hero of this book - the captain of a Viking trading ship

Vikings

Stephanie Turnbull

2006

English Heritage/Usborne beginners information for young readers. Easy-to-read text with lots of illustrations

The Utterly Otterleys

Mairi Hedderwick

2006

The Utterly Otterley family live in a cosy burrow near the river, until Pa wakes up one morning and decides it's time to find a new home

Da Peesterleeties an da curse o da Njuggle

Valerie Watt

2006

Novel aimed at 8 to 12 year olds, to increase awareness of Shetland folklore, and introduce Shetland dialect (glossary at the back)

A Hansel o stories 1

2005

CD of stories for children aged 4-9 - Ellie an da sail needle; Smootie comes ta Lerrick; Smootie gengs adrift; Smootie tae da rescue; My mercy, Smootie!; Rasmie Ratter

Smootie comes ta Lerrick

Christine De Luca

2005

The story of brave little cat Smootie having to leave her birth island of Bressay to brave the world of Lerwick and find a new home. In the dialect

Ellie an da sail needle

Iris Sandison

2005

A picture book about Ellie's old Ted, in the dialect

Out of tune

Joanna Orwin

2004

Novel set in modern NZ and 19th century Stewart Island - a good read for adults too

Asterix and the great crossing

Rene Goscinny

2004

Asterix lands in the world of the Vikings

Eyewitness Viking

Susan M. Margeson

2002

Learn all about the Vikings - their longships and weapons, legends, and sagas of war and discovery

Peerie Bear & the fire festival

Gillian Fox, illustrated by Eve Eunson

2000

Peerie Bear finds himself at the centre of attention at Up-Helly-AA, Shetland's famous fire festival

Shetland in the shed

Lucy Daniels

1997

Can Polly learn to love her new little Shetland pony?

Daughter of the sea

Berlie Doherty

1996

"She was a gift from the sea but now the ocean wants her back" - from the traditional folk-tale of the selkie

Lukki lines: the collected writings of Shetland primary school children

1980

An anthology of poems and prose on the theme of Shetland  by primary school children. An earlier publication was "Shetland Tang"

The time traveller book of Viking raiders

Anne Civardi & James Graham-Campbell

1977

Set in southern Norway in the late 9th century, this book sets out to explain what it was like to live at that time

A stranger came ashore

Mollie Hunter

1975

An exciting tale based on the legend of the Selkie Folk set in a Shetland village. 2021 printing

Shetland tang

1972

An anthology of poems and prose on the theme of Shetland  by primary school children

Haki the Shetland pony

Kathleen Fidler

1968

Chapter book set in Shetland

MUSIC

Da Fiddler

John Smith

2012

1 CD of 15 tracks - John Smith on fiddle, and Lynne Scott on piano and harp

Da Fiddler CD launch

John Smith & Lynne Scott

2012

DVD made by George Mainland who filmed the concert by John Smith and Lynn Scott to launch their CD "Da Fiddler" [2 copies in plastic cases]

Da farder ben da welcomer

Fiddlers' Bid

2001

1 CD in plastic case. 12 tracks. This is Fiddlers' Bid's third album of traditional and contemporary tunes

White Christmas

1998

2 CDs in cardboard case. 10 tracks of traditional Christmas carols from some of Shetland's musicians

FAMILY HISTORY

Coontin kin: the quarterly journal of Shetland Family History Society

1991-2019

1, 3, 5-9, 11-16, 18-20, 22-30, 62-63, 65-74, 76-77, 79-125 (1991- voar 2023). Also Directory of members interests 1-3 (1992-1996)

Coontin kin [contents lists]

1991-

Printed lists of the contents of each issue from no. 1 on [2 copies]

Shetland family history research information [binder]

A collection of useful information for researching Shetland family history

Shetland family histories [binder]

Notes and charts of individual family histories

Shetland and Orkney resources for family history [2 CDs]

Digital copies of early books, almanacs and directories. Two CDs in one case

Laurence Mathewson of East Yell, Shetland: seaman, gold miner, settler, farmer

Angela Kiossoglou-Adams

2022

Society member Angela's account of her great-grandfather, Laurence Mathewson, based on the 167 letters he wrote home from Liverpool, Victoria and Otago. Laurence's letters mention many Shetlanders who were with him, most being from Yell, especially East Yell, or were relatives - of note were Robert Scollay and Hugh Hughson

The Robert Tait family originally from Fetlar Shetland 1570-2022

Lissie Hogg, comp.

2022

This folder of information was compiled by Lissie Hogg, great-granddaughter of Robert Tait who came to Wellington on the Soukar in 1874, with most of the research done by granddaughter Kathleen Petrie

Leisure and tourist map: Orkney and Shetland

2019

Folded colour map of Shetland on one side with Orkney on the other side

Da flittin' of the Nicolsons from Shetland and the Duthies from Kincardine

Kathleen Hill, Diane Miller et al

2017

Grace Nicolson and William Ogilvy Duthie migrated from Shetland to New Zealand in 1872, and never returned. This is their story in New Zealand and of their folk back in Scotland and Shetland, as well as their closest kinfold, many of who followed their pathway to New Zealand

One family, six names

John & Ann Hercus

2017

The story of the name and medieval origins of the Scottish family of Hercus, Herkes, Harcus, Harkes, Harkess and Arcus

Henderson of Zetland

Ewan Henderson

2014

Ewan Henderson's family history concentrating on the male lineage of his Henderson family

Shetland's old Norse personal names

Paul Moar

2010

A selection of Shetland's old Norse personal or Christian names, also Norwegian and Faroese names

From Old Rock to new life: Shetland Museum and Archives exhibition for Shetland Hamefarin 2010

Ian Tait

2010

Guidebook to the exhibition which looks at the story of emigration through individual stories, in biographies of selected settlers and also features items that they owned

Shetland 2010 Hamefarin ancestor trail …

Shetland Family History Society

2010

A guide to the local museums and history groups available in each parish [2 copies]

A kist of emigrants

J. Laughton Johnston

2010

About Shetland's emigrants - commissioned by the Shetland Hamefarin Committee 2010 [2 copies]

Shetland surnames. 2nd Hamefarin ed.

Alan M. Beattie

2010

Background to the origin of surnames in Shetland and a dictionary of names. Published by the Shetland Family History Society

From a Shetland lairdship to a Norwegian barony: the Mouatt family and the Barony of Rosendal

Jorn Oyrehagen Sunde

2009

The first Shetland Museum and Archives memorial lecture, Lerwick, 30 October 2008

Ordnance Survey explorer map 466 : Shetland - Mainland south : Lerwick, Sumburgh & Fair Isle

2007

1:25 000 scale, 4 cm to 1 km - 2½ inches to 1 mile

Ordnance Survey explorer map 467 : Shetland - Mainland central : Lerwick, Papa Stour & Foula

2007

1:25 000 scale, 4 cm to 1 km - 2½ inches to 1 mile

Ordnance Survey explorer map 468 : Shetland north east : Whalsay & Out Skerries

2007

1:25 000 scale, 4 cm to 1 km - 2½ inches to 1 mile

Ordnance Survey explorer map 469 : Shetland - Mainland north west : North Roe & Sullom Voe

2007

1:25 000 scale, 4 cm to 1 km - 2½ inches to 1 mile

Ordnance Survey explorer map 470 : Shetland - Unst, Yell & Fetlar

2007 / 2015

1:25 000 scale, 4 cm to 1 km - 2½ inches to 1 mile [2 copies. Copy 2 revised 2015]

Trace your Orkney ancestors: a guide to sources for Orcadian family and local history

James M. Irvine

2004

A practical guide written for both novice and more experienced genealogists

This is my story, this is my song

George Scott Morrison

2003

The author, a Society member, and teacher of singing and speech in Wellington from 1953-2000, recounts the story of his life and of his family

Shetland pre-1855 parish sources for family historians. 3rd ed

Alan M. Beattie

2002

Published by the Shetland Family History Society

With naught but kin behind them: the Shetland of its early emigrants

Norah Kendall

1998

An account of the history and life left behind by hundreds of young women who left Shetland 1850 to 1880, and why they left. CD of notes in pocket

Court book of Shetland 1615-1629

Gordon Donaldson

1991

Records of civil and criminal cases tried by the Crown, from petty theft and debt to the witchcraft trials of 1616

Shetland's roll of honour and roll of service 1939-1945

Ian Jamieson, comp

1991

This valuable aid to research and family history comprises 357 names listed in the Roll of Honour, most with a photograph included, followed by the Roll of Honour (Civilian Casualities), and then the Roll of Service listing in the region of 3,300 men and women, arranged alphabetically by district

Northern Star to Southern Cross

Graeme Laurenson

1988

The story of some of the early Shetland Island families who came to New Zealand in the 1800s [2 copies]

John & Mary Thomson and their descendants: Shetland Islands-New Zealand

Amber E. Haley

1986

Organising a family reunion was the prompt for researching and recording the family and descendants in this booklet

Tracing ancestors in Shetland. 3rd ed.

Alexander Sandison

1985

Comprehensive introduction which predates the Shetland Family History Society [2 copies]

Burrafirth: the family of Graeme and Marjorie Laurenson, "Burrafirth", New Plymouth, NZ

Graeme Laurenson

1982

Family record of the Laurensons who emigrated to New Zealand from Shetland [2 copies]. There is also a link to a digital copy on the Society's website on the Library page

A Kiwi in the Shetland scattald

Graeme Laurenson

1980

Stories of Shetland and Shetlanders in New Zealand [2 copies]

The Arcus family through ten centuries including Harcars of That Ilk, and Harcus

James G. Arcus

1972

Chapter headings include: Foundations, Harcars, In the service of France, Orkney, Shetland, Roll of honour, Charts and Sources

Bartholomew. Shetland

1978

1:100 000. National map series sheet 62

Ordnance Survey. Foula

1978

1:25 000 second series. Sheet HT 93/94

Ordnance Survey. Sandness

1977

1:25 000 second series. Sheet HU 15/25 and part of HU 35

Ordnance Survey. Papa Stour

1977

1:25 000 second series. Sheet HU 16

Ordnance Survey. Walls

1976

1:25 000 second series. Sheet HU 14/24 and part of HU 34

Ordnance Survey. Fetlar

1976

1:25 000 second series. Sheet HU 68

Ordnance Survey. Shetland - Yell & Unst

1976

1:50 000 second series. Sheet 1

Ordnance Survey. Shetland - Whalsay

1976

1:50 000. Landranger series of Great Britain. Sheet 2

Ordnance Survey. Shetland - North Mainland

1976

1;50 000. Landranger series of Great Britain. Sheet 3

Ordnance Survey. Shetland - South Mainland

1976

1:50 000. Landranger series of Great Britain. Sheet 4

Ordnance Survey. Shetland Islands (North Mainland)

1971 revision

One-inch map. Sheet 2

Old Ordnance Survey maps: Lerwick 1900

2000 reprint

Folded, black and white map of Lerwick - scale 1:4340 (or 15 inches to a mile)

Shetland Islands census 1785 & 1841

Shetland Family History Society

CD

Shetland Islands census 1851 & 1861

Shetland Family History Society

CD

Shetland Islands census 1871 & 1881

Shetland Family History Society

CD

Shetland Islands census 1891 & 1901

Shetland Family History Society

CD

Monumental inscriptions 1 - Parish of Northmavine

Shetland Family History Society

1999

Monumental inscriptions 2 - Parish of Bressay

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 3 - Parish of North & South Nesting

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 4 - Parish of Burra

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 5 - Parish of Delting

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 6 - Parish of Whalsay & Skerries

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 7 - Parish of Whiteness & Weisdale

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 8 - Parish of Sandsting

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 9 - Parish of Aithsting

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 10 - Parish of Lunnasting

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 11 - Parish of Unst

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 12 - Parish of Tingwall

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 13 - Parish of Dunrossness (south) & Fair Isle

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 14 - Parish of Dunrossness (north)

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 15 - Parish of Sandwick

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 16 - Parish of Cunningsburgh

Shetland Family History Society

2000

Monumental inscriptions 17 - Parishes of Quarff & Gulberwick

Shetland Family History Society

2001

Monumental inscriptions 18 - Parish of Lerwick (1) : Knab Road, Queen's Lane & Sound

Shetland Family History Society

2001

Monumental inscriptions 19 - Parish of Lerwick (2) : New Cemetery - lower section town side

Shetland Family History Society

2001

Monumental inscriptions 20 - Parish of Lerwick (3) : New Cemetery - lower section Knab side

Shetland Family History Society

2001

Monumental inscriptions 21 - Parish of Lerwick (4) : New Cemetry - upper section town side

Shetland Family History Society

2001

Monumental inscriptions 22 - Parish of Lerwick (5) : New Cemetery - upper section Knab side

Shetland Family History Society

2001

Monumental inscriptions 23 - Parish of Walls (including Vaila & Foula)

Shetland Family History Society

2001

Monumental inscriptions 24 - Parish of Sandness (including Papa Stour)

Shetland Family History Society

2002

Monumental inscriptions 25 - Parish of North Yell & Fetlar

Shetland Family History Society

2002

Monumental inscriptions 26 - Parish of Mid & South Yell

Shetland Family History Society

2002

Monumental inscriptions 27 - from printed sources & early transcriptions

Shetland Family History Society

2003

Monumental inscriptions 28 - memorials & dedications (1) (general: Unst to Bressay)

Shetland Family History Society

2012

Monumental inscriptions 29 - memorials & dedications (2) (general: Lerwick to Fair Isle)

Shetland Family History Society

2012

Monumental inscriptions 30 - memorials & dedications (3) (war memorials)

Shetland Family History Society

2012