Modern Social History · The Borderlands
Mark Nicol’s Favourite Books about the Scottish Borders
In an archived live conversation, Mark shares the Borders books that have helped him follow stories, places and people across the region.
Watch the film
Watch Mark Nicol’s original film, first published on YouTube on 2 April 2020. Load the film below to play it here.
Watch here in the archive
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Privacy & cookiesA good Borders book can send you out of the house. You finish a chapter about a ruined tower, a ballad or a village that vanished, and suddenly you want to find the road that leads there. In this archived live talk, Mark opens up the books that have done that for him.
He explains why he is drawn to writing that carries a strong story as well as research. Sir Walter Scott's romantic Borders are part of the background, but Mark also looks to later writers who bring the Reivers, the Debatable Lands and changes in rural life into sharper focus.
Books that lead back to places
Among the titles Mark discusses are Alistair Moffat's The Reivers and Graham Robb's The Debatable Land. He also talks about the Lowland Clearances and the way a book about landscape can change what you notice when you travel through it. This was an informal live conversation, with Mark's own reading preferences rather than a definitive academic reading list.
Use the film as a starting point. Then explore our Border Reiver stories and the history of the Borders wool trade. The best companion to these books may be the ground beneath your feet.
Watch the film
Keep exploring
More from the archive.
Follow another thread through the places, people and periods of the Borderlands.
Your memories and comments
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