Welcome

The arrival of the Americans in the Holy Loch was a huge happening in Scottish and even international terms, but in its human impact it was most marked on those in the Cowal locality. The author offers her own personal memoir on how it affected her life and career and throughout its pages others tell their colourful tales. "This is a significant part of Scotland's rich social history - and a great read as well." George Robertson, Former Secretary General NATO and native of Dunoon The American Years: Dunoon & the US Navy - Andrene Messersmith - £9.99

3 illustrated stories to read aloud... Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a wee cottage all by itself on an island. The island was on a small loch, up over the hill from the village by the shore. In this cottage there lived a little old woman, who was known to everyone as Granny Porage… So begins the stories of Granny Porage, set in a time in Scotland long before now. Granny Porage Stories - by Jean Marshall - £5.99

From the rich experience of family and professional life comes poetry ranging from the gentle understanding of human emotions and relationships, to the incisive wit of a cartoonist in verse. Janette’s third book. Bidie In - by Janette Valentine - £4.95

Janette Valentine grew up in Govan in the 1930s and 40s. Her poems and songs reflect the wry perception and humour typical of that community, and her consequent life experiences. Poems and an odd song - by Janette Valentine - £4.95

After a lifetime of intensive commercial enterprise, what happens when the world is suddenly transformed from lightness to the dark? Allan Fraser is now blind. His description of how his life has changed provides a humbling insight for the sighted. I'm beginning to forget what I look like - Allan Campbell Fraser - £7.99

A picture book with music to appeal to the young and the not so young. It is also of interest to primary schools and libraries for its realistic illustrations portraying life in the last century and the simple tunes for young singers and musicians. Jean Marshall lives and works in Argyll and has taught both music and art. Dance to Your Daddy - A children’s minstrelsy - £5.99

A book of poems and songs with the down to earth comment and humour of her native Govan. Janette’s second book. Forty Shades of Black - by Janette Valentine - £4.95

Artist and illustrator Scoular Anderson's guide to his home area. Full of photos and illustrations, Images of Dunoon & the Cowal Peninsula is a beautiful book that shows off the attractions of Dunoon and Cowal. Forward by Emma Thomson “...a gorgeous book...” Images of Dunoon & the Cowal Peninsula - Scoular Anderson - £9.99

ONCE upon a time, a long time ago, there was a wee cottage all by itself on an island. In this cottage there lived a little old woman who was known to everyone as Granny Porage… The Granny Porage Stories is a series for reading to the young and for early readers. They are carefully written to be enjoyed but also to bring a knowledge of a time long before now. More Granny Porage Stories - by Jean Marshall - £5.99

Alex .C. Thomson, or Sandy as he was know on the shore, was born in 1942 in Kilmun. His book recalls life in the small close knit villages of Strone & Blairmore Life on the Shore - Childhood Memories of Strone & Blairmore - by Alex C. Thomson - £7.99

Renée Forsyth's popular and acclaimed account of all aspects of Dunoon and the Cowal Peninsula. From the ancient and bloody conflict between the Campbells and the Lamonts to the rise of Dunoon as a "doon the watter" visitor venue in the nineteenth century; from the influence of visitors on villages like Kirn, Innellan and Kilmun to the arrival of the US Navy in the Holy Loch in the 1960s; and local institutions like the world-famous Cowal Highland Gathering - no memory is left unexplored. Characters from "Highland" Mary Campbell, lover of Robert Burns to marine engineer David Napier of Kilmun; from Music Hall supremo Harry Lauder to author Neil Munro; as well as some worthies of recent memory - all are covered in their connections with Cowal. Thoroughly researched and crammed with treasured detail, this edition contains many original photos. Memories of Dunoon and Cowal - Renee Forsyth - £9.99

The music of the lapping waves and the ever changing light and mood of the loch and hills inspired more verse to add to her extensive collection. This is a small tribute to The Holy Loch, a gem in this most ancient kingdom of Dalriada. Janette’s fourth book. Musing on The Holy Loch - by Janette Valentine - £4.50

"A community which forgets its history is like a man who loses his memory." Like most villages in Scotland and in the UK, Sandbank, on the Holy Loch in Argyll, has a memorial to those who gave up their lives in the World Wars of the twentieth century. While the community was raising funds in 2002 to preserve the War Memorial at Lazaretto Point, it was realised that as well as the structure of the memorial, the memory of the men named there should also be preserved. Few so-called "ordinary" people write down their daily experiences, but they are as interesting an aspect of history as the doings of kings or politicians, and well worth recording. This history of Sandbank includes aspects of daily life and of momentous times in history. It bears testimony to the tragedies of war. It is full of dozens of local stories including accounts of the lives of those villagers who were killed in action. This richly detailed book is itself a memorial to how war touched the lives of local people. Sandbank - War and Peace - a Scottish Village 1914-1948 - Ann Galliard - £9.99