A: Books and Short Stories

This story later appeared in: Poems and related early work | Peglet Press | Ampthill | June 1994 | pp. [10] - [15].

Prize winning short story in a competition announced in Vol. 1, No. 1, May 1918, with a set title the same as that of the magazine. This was the first short story of Gunn's to be published. Gunn used the tree, laden with blossom, as a focal point for a romantic encounter recalled by a young man on his homeward train journey. He feels impelled to return and the tree again becomes a focal point. However, in the cold light of dawn, reality is poignantly different from the recollection.

Written under the pseudonym of Neil McPhee. "Pan" magazine was the predecessor of "20 Story Magazine". This is the first of Gunn's commercially accepted stories. A light-hearted story of mystery and romance introducing us to Mr. Lionel Jenkins, an author of mystery stories who we meet again in a later story.

This story later appeared in: Montrose Review | Montrose | 27th. July 1923 Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 23 - 27.

A young armchair traveller knows many foreign places intimately through regular discussions and story telling sessions with sea-faring friends. However, as a result of a chance liaison he has a vision of personal stagnation and exchanges a passive for an active role in travelling.

This story later appeared in: Montrose Review | Montrose | 10th. August 1923

A story of romance between two young people, which concentrates on intellectual qualities and inner realities. In many ways this foreshadows the more philosophical approach of his later novels. One character is the daughter of an archaeologist, a calling which often appears in Gunn's work.

Written under the pseudonym of Neil McPhee. A motorist on a moorland road discovers a lost child and returns it to its impoverished but clean and tidy home where it is re-united with its parents. In the interim, fearing foul play, the hero, a writer of detective fiction (see "The Spectre of the Sign Post"), makes a discovery which will be to the benefit of all. This story has many pointers to later work, particularly the personification of the moor, as in much of his work (especially "Symbolical"). The furniture in the house is also regarded as watching the hero as in "The White Hour". In the disposition of the buildings of the croft, the identity of the recently deceased grandfather and the final discovery this is clearly the forerunner of "The Grey Coast".

This story later appeared in: Montrose Review | Montrose | 7th. September 1923 Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 104 - 115. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 214 - 221. Extracts from this story appeared on the 1994 Caithness Calendar - see entry under reference A42.

The story of an old man who has lived by the sea all his life who makes a final journey "Down to the Sea" where, after recalling scenes from his earlier life, he accidentally drowns. The theme is similar to "Symbolical", "Such Stuff as Dreams", "Henry Drake Goes Home" and, in a way, "The Serpent".

This story appeared over the initials, N.M.G. Despite the title, this early story is in the nature of a fisherman's reminiscence.

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 92 - 103. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 117 - 184.

The clock of the title is almost personified in this story. It was a wedding present from an ex-employer to a woman whose husband had just saved him from drowning. The gift arrived at the time her husband died following pneumonia contracted in the rescue. The clock became the embodiment of evil and its destruction was attended by more tragedy.

This story appeared over the initials, N.M.G. The story concerns a narrow escape from capture after a salmon poaching expedition. There are many similarities between this story and the many semi-autobiographical references throughout Gunn's work.

A letter dated 1st. November 1923 to Neil M. Gunn from Odhams Press enclosed payment for a short story with the above title. No manuscript survives and I have been unable to trace publication in any of the likely publications produced by Odhams at this time.

A young adolescent's growing awareness of things adult is told sympathetically in this story. This is shown through the medium of music from a gramophone (then a new toy) owned by an adult for whom the youth has great admiration.

Typescript held at the National Library of Scotland. A light-hearted tale of poaching and roguery which explains how one person acquired the odd nick-name of "The Hind".

A letter dated 17th. March 1924 to Neil M. Gunn from Cassell and Co. encloses payment for a short story of the above title. No manuscript survives and I have been unable to trace publication in any of the likely publications produced by Cassell at this time.

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 133 - 141. Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | Ist. October 1942 | pp. 147 - 152. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 80 - 85.

The story of an old lady sensing imminent death who, as a final act, encourages the match between her granddaughter and a visiting young man. In doing so she recollects the first meaningful meeting between her husband and herself. A scene that was to be recreated between the young people in a phoenix like manner.

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 191 - 221.

A light, somewhat contrived, story of mystery, romance and wine, incorporating as one of its principals an archaeologist, a profession which occurs a number of times in Gunn's work.

Written under the pseudonym of Neil McPhee. A wealthy bachelor, interested in antiques and, in particular, in picking up a bargain (as in "A Romance of the Reel") finds a lost child at the side of the road. In this there are similarities to "The House on the Moor". He takes on the duties of a parent with a resultant warming of his personality. There are many parallels with the story "Birdsong at Evening".

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 116 - 132.

A macabre and somewhat contrived tale of failure, poverty, despair and death in the face of potential relief, told as a story in a gentlemen's club.

This story appeared over the initials, N.M.G. A short story concerned with changing values in the Highlands, with particular reference to illicit stills.

An essentially realistic engineer is scathing of the romantic element of novels, whilst reading them avidly. His wife secretly yearns for a degree of such excitement in their relationship and, with the help of an author friend, engineers "An Adventure in Jealousy".

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 170 - 175.

Set along the "Grey Coast" this is the story of an elderly couple who were devoted to one another, but a little aloof from others. Because of a crime in their youth they had been forced to flee but, in old age, they had felt the need to return as close as they dared to the land of their birth - a strong theme in Gunn's work.

Written under the pseudonym of Neil McPhee. A light story, written to a formula with a twist at the end, of a man given to enthusiasms - some good and some not so good.

Written under the pseudonym of Neil McPhee. A humorus story of two henpecked husbands and their attempts to resolve their problems.

I can trace no short story published under this title but a manuscript of what appears to be a longish short story is referred to in a letter from C.M.Grieve dated 5th. January 1925. The letter suggests it would be included in "Hidden Doors" but this does not appear to have happened, the longest story being "Half-Light". From its length "A Romance of the Reel" could relate to this manuscript, although correspondence with Cape in 1926 suggests that a novel bearing this title existed, perhaps as an expansion of the manuscript referred to by Grieve.

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 38 - 49. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 185 - 191.

The story of a dying Highland emigrant in Canada who feels an overwhelming need to visit the surroundings of his youth. A desire which, in his sickness, is met.

The story was published in three parts: Part 1, No. 768, pp. 577 - 580. 15th. August 1925 Part 2, No. 769, pp. 603 - 606. 22nd. August 1925 Part 3, No. 770, pp. 620 - 621. 29th. August 1925 A well constructed story of an elderly antique shop owner and his salmon fishing holiday which ended in near disaster. There are comparisons and links drawn throughout to a painting in his shop. There are slight similarities in parts of this story to "The Poaching at Grianan" and "The Green Isle of the Great Deep".

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 50 - 75. Scottish Short Stories: An Anthology | Faber and Faber | London | 1932 | pp. 393 - 413. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 257 - 273. An extract from this story appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar - see entry under reference A42.

A native of the northern coast of Scotland enters university and is successful. He is bitter and scathing about the dead "Grey Coast" and of "Celtic Twilights". However, he seems strangely drawn, and returns as if in answer to some call to his essential being. Gradually his surroundings assert themselves and he associates himself closer with the past and his heritage, to the point of seeing, in his mind's eye, the ghost of harbours past. He, still grudgingly, begins to be enamoured of the "Celtic Twilight" poets, whose work he describes as "dream poetry, a glimmering half light, beckoning. . ." In that same northern half light, which gives enriched coloration, he takes to swimming in the sea where he is ultimately drawn into its bosom, a return to the life and source of livelihood of his ancestors. The pull of the homeland is a recurring feature in Gunn's work, in particular in "The Lost Glen", "Back Home" and "The Drinking Well" and is often associated with failure, although here the hero, as a schoolmaster, is socially acceptable. (see also "Poaching at Grianan", "The Ancient Fire" and "Beyond the Cage")

This story appeared over the initials, N.M.G. This story was to be adapted into a prize winning story of the same name which appeared in The Scots Magazine in January 1929. It was later to form the basis of the first part of "Morning Tide". A moving story of a storm at sea seen through the eyes of a child.

This story later appeared in: The Man Who Came Back | M. McCulloch, ed. | Polygon | Edinburgh | 1991 | pp. [161] - 173.

A superb story of adaptation to retirement and to the realities of nature. The essential rightness of the natural law as opposed to conventional moral codes is clearly defined and previews, in certain respects, ideas which were to find their full flowering in "Bloodhunt".

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), 160 leaves. p. [1] THE GREY COAST; p. [2] blank; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] Publisher's and Printer's notices; FIRST PUBLISHED IN MCMXXVI; p. [5] to | MY MOTHER; p. [6] blank; pp. 7 - 320 text. 5" x 7 13/16". Bound in blue cloth, spine stamped in gold: [three horizontal lines] | THE | GREY COAST | [ornament} | NEIL M GUNN | [space} | JONATHAN CAPE | [three horizontal lines] Rear board has publisher's motif impressed.

Little, Brown | Boston | 1926 Cedric Chivers (at the request of the London and Home Counties Branch of the Library Association) | Bath | 1965 Souvenir Press | London | 1976 After the success of "Morning Tide" the copyright was transferred from Cape and a revised text, with alterations on more than 160 of its pages, was published by: Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | 1931

For more information on the textual variations see Dr. Aitken's comments in, Neil M Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford, eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh | 1973. and also in The Bibliotheck - A Scottish Journal of Bibliography and Allied Topics. Vol. 6, No. 4, 1972. Details of the second edition are: THE GREY COAST | BY | NEIL M. GUNN | [line] | [ital.] I ken a gloghole | That looks at the sky | As much as to say | "I'm as deep as you're high." | HUGH M'DIARMID | [space] | EDINBURGH | [line] | THE PORPOISE PRESS Collation: {A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), 160 Leaves. p. [1] THE GREY COAST; p. [2] by the same author; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] Printing history: Publishers and Printers notices; p. [5] TO MY MOTHER; p. [6] blank; pp. [7] - [319] text, p. [320] blank. 4 7/8" x 7 1/2". Bound in brown cloth, spine stamped in gold: THE | GREY COAST | NEIL M. | GUNN | [space] | PORPOISE | PRESS. This is Gunn's first novel, a somewhat bitter one of survival on the crofting coast of his native Caithness. The story which centres round an old man, his niece and her suitors, highlights the decline of the area following the contraction of the fishing industry, and contrasts old and new values of the people.

This story later appeared (under the title "Hidden Doors") in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 176 - 190.

A tale of the supernatural on a psychological plane, with celtic overtones. The main character, an Englishman, finds psychological doors opening to him in association with specific pieces, or types, of music. The wild wind from the moor is music enough to open such a door and calls him, siren like, to the moor and his death. In part, the dialogue takes place in the "intense white light illuminating the Soul" brought about by the consumption of whisky without drunkenness, early glimmerings of the type of dialogue employed in his later work, notably "The Other Landscape". On the celtic side there are references to Marjorie Kennedy Fraser and similarities to "Half-Light". Ironic reference is also made to "The Island that likes to be Visited" - see "Mary Rose" by J.M.Barrie.

This story later appeared in: The Man Who Came Back | M. McCulloch, ed. | Polygon | Edinburgh | 1991 | pp. [147] - 160.

A tale of salmon poaching in a pool on the banks of which are ruined croft houses. In a surprisingly humane way the clearances which caused the ruins are being continued through the game laws.

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 82 - 91. Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 153 - 159. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 58 - 64.

A moving short story of a crofter's life and death struggle to win agricultural land from the moor. Death is a subject Gunn often explores in his short stories.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 118 - 127. The story was also dramatised for radio and was broadcast 8th. February 1944.

A light-hearted romantic story with a surprising ending.

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 76 - 81. Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 76 - 79. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 65 - 68. Argosy | London | Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 85 - 87. | February 1951

Originally offered to The Northern Review circa 1924 but not used. A superbly constructed short romance set on the grey crofting coast of Caithness.

This story later appeared in: The Man Who Came Back | M. McCulloch, ed. | Polygon | Edinburgh | 1991 | pp. [161] - 173.

A fragment of typescript is held at the National Library of Scotland. A prose study of a crofters son who finds the call of his home too great. He leaves his education and training and returns, only to be regarded as a failure. The play referred to was "Back Home", and the theme was to be further developed in the novel "The Drinking Well". There are also similarities to "Half-Light" and "The Lost Glen".

This appeared in a slightly extended version as a novel published by: Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | 3rd. March 1932 There was a suggestion that this novel be dramatised for radio but the B.B.C. elected to adapt another work. An extract from chapter one of the serial (chapter one of part two of the novel) was published as under: The Ancient Land | A Book of Scotland | G.F.Maine, ed. | Collins | London | New and enlarged edition 1950 | p. 163.

A novel serialised in eight parts: Part 1, Chap. 1 - 3, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 1 - 24, April 1928 Part 2, Chap. 4 - 6, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 90 - 108, May 1928 Part 3, Chap. 6 - 8, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 192 - 216, June 1928 Part 4, Chap. 8 - 10, Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 283 - 308, July 1928 Part 5, Chap. 11 - 13, Vol. 9, No. 5, pp. 360 - 384, August 1928 Part 6, Chap. 13 - 14, Vol. 9, No. 6, pp. 455 - 476, September 1928 Part 7, Chap. 15, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 63 - 80, October 1928 Part 8, Chap. 16, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 146 - 160, November 1928 A bitter novel set in the contemporary realities of a depopulated and dying Highland area. The hero has returned (as in "Back Home") under something of a cloud and is confronted with a retired colonel for whom he has to act as ghillie, which underlines the failure aspect. Inevitably the book ends in tragedy. This novel was unsuccessfully offered to many publishers after this serialisation before being published by Porpoise Press in the wake of the highly successful "Morning Tide".

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 7 - 22. Scottish Short Stories | T.Hendry and J.F.Hendry, eds. | Penguin | Harmondsworth | 1943 | pp. 68 - 78. The story was dramatised for radio and broadcast on 31st. May 1963 as: "This is my Country", No. 1, "From the Sea".

Professor F.R.Hart in his "A Brief Memoir" (Neil M. Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford, eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh | 1973) noted that this was a prize winning story. The prize was one of £30 offered by the Scots Magazine for the best short story (The Scots Observer, "Jottings", 12th. January 1929). Hart also mentions an essay entitled "A Sea Storm" which Gunn wrote at his junior school, and this story, and the earlier Glasgow Herald version, could well have been developed from that essay. A dramatic story of a storm at sea viewed through the eyes of a child. It was to be expanded into the first part of "Morning Tide". A similar dramatic situation appears in the short story "The Storm".

This was the first contribution to the S.M.T. (Scottish Motor Traction) Magazine. A light-hearted tale of an early motoring incident, with an unexpected twist at the end.

This story later appeared in: Hidden Doors | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | July 1930 | pp. 153 - 169. Scottish Short Stories: An Anthology | Faber and Faber | London | 1932 | pp. 414 - 427. Scottish Short Stories: An Anthology | Faber and Faber | London | 1942 | pp. 309 - 322. The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 274 - 285. The Devil and the Giro: Two Centuries of Scottish Stories | Carl MacDougall, ed. | Canongate | Edinburgh | 1989 | pp. 329 - 337. The above was re-issued in a different format as: The Devil and the Giro: The Scottish Short Story | Carl MacDougall, ed.| Canongate | Edinburgh | November 1991 | pp. 417-428. A German translation by F.Wolcken appeared as "Urlandschaft" in: Die Neue Rundschau | Vol. 49, Part 1, pp. 355 - 365. | April 1938

A story of youth and romance inextricably linked to the background of the moor of the title. As in so many of Gunn's stories, a sense of people and landscape being part of one overall picture is very strong.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 158 - 166.

A writer, disillusioned with city life, leaves Glasgow for the Highlands where he hopes to re-discover lost values. However, he finds instead limitations within himself which inhibit creative expression, and he returns. There are similarities to "Wild Geese Overhead".

A light, haunting story of chance encounter and murder, with a dramatic and unexpected conclusion.

A novel serialised in nine parts: Part 1, Chaps. 1 - 2, Vol. 11, No. 6, pp. 418 - 434, September 1929 Part 2, Chaps. 3 - 4, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 25 - 44, October 1929 Part 3, Chaps. 5 - 6, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 116 - 131, November 1929 Part 4, Chaps. 7 - 8, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 200 - 217, December 1929 Part 5, Chap. 9, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 287 - 300, January 1930 Part 6, Chap. 10, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 379 - 393, February 1930 Part 7, Chaps. 10 - 12, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp. 455 - 473, March 1930 Part 8, Chap. 13, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 61 - 73, April 1930 Part 9, Chap. 14, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 144 - 154, May 1930 Grianan means "The Sunny Place". This is a most interesting work in that it was never published in book form and yet it became a great source book for later works. There are similarities with "A Romance of the Reel" and "The Hawk's Feather", which pre-date it, the latter only by one month, and "The Ancient Fire" and "Beyond the Cage" are clearly based on this work, with "Second Sight" also having affinities with it as well. There are salmon poaching scenes in the story which seem to share the same base material as those in "Highland River", "The Atom of Delight", "Primitives in the Pool", "The Boy and the Salmon", "The Drinking Well" and "Morning Tide". The name of "Old Hector" is first coined in this work as the name of the general factotum, or "Orra" man, at the lodge. The work also seems to hold within it the seeds of the idea, which was later to be explored in "Highland River", the search for the source. One character says "People should want to go up a river as to the rarer places, the source!" A story of three men from differing walks of life who go on holiday to the Highlands. For each there is a need to go in search of some enigmatic, healing quality. There follows a stirring tale of adventure, poaching and romance, centred around the Laird of Grianan who, from economic necessity, has leased out his ancestral lands to wealthy Americans, for the shooting. He now lives with his daughter in the lodge.

A tale of salmon fishing and an unusual dog.

Correspondence with Faber and Faber in May 1930 suggests that a novel with this title had been written, but this has not seen publication under that name. No surviving manuscript is known.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - O (8), 112 Leaves. p. [1] HIDDEN DOORS | TO MY WIFE; p. [2] blank; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1929 BY | THE PORPOISE PRESS | 133A GEORGE STREET | EDINBURGH, C | [space} | Publisher's and Printer's notices, and acknowledgements: FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1929; p. [5] Contents; p. [6] blank; pp. 7 - 221 Text; pp. [222} - {224} blank. 5" x 7 1/2". Bound in orange cloth, spine stamped in black: HIDDEN | DOORS | [line] | GUNN | [space] | PORPOISE Front board: HIDDEN DOORS | NEIL M. GUNN

An extract from "Down to the Sea" comprising part of p. 112 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (May) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract from "Down to the Sea" comprising part of p. 109 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (October) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract from "Half-Light" comprising part of p. 50 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (December) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993

I have been unable to trace a previous publication of the short story "Gentlemen", although it was offered to The Northern Review, circa 1924, but was not used.

A collection of the undermentioned short stories; 1) The Sea 2) Visioning 3) Such stuff as Dreams * 4) Half-Light * 5) Blaeberries * # 6) Symbolical * # 7) The Clock 8) Down to the Sea * 9) The Uncashed Cheque 10) The White Hour * # 11) Gentlemen 12) The Moor * 13) Between Headlands 14) Hidden Doors15) The Sleeping Bins # Also appear in Storm and Precipice, 1942. * Also appear in The White Hour, 1950.

This story later appeared in; Poems and related early work | Peglet Press | Ampthill | June 1994 | pp. [27] - [30].

A complex, perhaps partially autobiographical, short story. The narrator is a recluse who recounts how, from a vivid boyhood memory of time spent out of doors, his affinity with the wild became impressed upon him. A poem came to be written epitomising this experience which was recalled later during his urban existence, as an escape. The need to escape became increasingly strong, leading eventually to the circumstances recounted in the story. Assuming the story is, to some extent, autobiographical the poem is likely to be either "The Serpent" or "O Sun", where the subject matter matches with that described here.

The narrator tells of a visit to an author friend to offer advice, as had happened before, on an enmeshed plot. The author's problem with the plot is aggravated by being essentially autobiographical. A solution is offered which has far reaching results. The idea, if not the result, may have been suggested by Gunn's reported assistance to Maurice Walsh, who periodically experienced problems with his plots - see Professor F.R.Hart's "A Brief Memoir". (Neil M. Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh | 1973)

A romantic fantasy about a young man's meeting with a green clad young maiden at the sea's edge, who is perhaps a little more than human; a delightfully fresh story.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - S (8), 144 Leaves. p. [1] MORNING TIDE; p. [2] By the same author; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] Publisher's and Printer's notices: FIRST PUBLISHED IN MCMXXXI; p. [5] TO JESS; p. [6] blank; pp. 7 - 287 Text; p. [288] blank. 5" X 7 5/8". Bound in green cloth, spine stamped in gold: MORNING | TIDE | NEIL M. | GUNN | [space] | PORPOISE | PRESS

Harcourt, Brace | New York | 1931 (Illustrated by Maitland de Gorgorza) Faber and Faber | London | 1932 (The Faber library No. 7) Penguin | London | 1936 (Penguin books No. 51) Tauchnitz | Berlin | 1938 Faber and Faber | London | 1953 (New edition - reset) Souvenir Press | London | 1975 Cedric Chivers ( at the request of the London and Home Counties Branch of the Library Association) | Bath | 1979 Cedric Chivers ( at the request of the London and Home Counties Branch of the Library Association) | Bath | 1993 (Large print edition) Walker and Co. | New York | 1993 An extract entitled "Up from the Sea", comprising Chap. 1 of Part 1 of the novel appeared in the anthology: The Thistle and the Pen | E. Linklater, ed. | Nelson | London | 1950 | pp. 114 - 122. The same extract, with the same title, also appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 10 - 18. An extract comprising part of p. 13 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (June) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of p. 7 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 22. An extract comprising part of p. 13 appeared in; Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 22. An extract comprising part of p. 84 appeared in : Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 22. An extract comprising part of p. 91 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 63.

Some copies of the first edition bear the date 1930. It is thought that publication was planned for late 1930 but was deferred, and the imprint date amended whilst in the press, following the selection of this novel as The Book Society choice for January 1931. It seems likely that the dedicatee, Jess, is his wife who, whilst usually known as Daisy, was born Jessie Frew. This is the novel that established Gunn's reputation. It is a sensitive study of boyhood and adolescence set in Gunn's native strath and with many autobiographical overtones. In the first part the short story "The Sea" is expanded into a highly dramatic interlude. Gunn's home in Inverness, "Larachan", is reputed to have been paid for with the royalties from the novel. The novel was to have been filmed by The Associated British Picture Corporation Ltd. and a shooting script was produced by Gilbert Gunn (3rd. January 1952) but the venture does not appear to have gone ahead.

This story later appeared in: Poems and related early work | Peglet Press | Ampthill | June 1994 | pp. [31] - [32].

A very short, complex, story, almost a prose poem, relating to an amour and incorporating an involved dream sequence. "The Other Landscape", Gunn's last novel, uses material from this story and provides, to an extent, an amplification of the work.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 51 - 57.

A story, expressed as child's play, which makes a serious observation on the conflict between man and man, and man and the sea.

This story later appeared in: The Man Who Came Back | M. McCulloch, ed. | Polygon | Edinburgh | 1991 | pp. [99] - 128.

A powerful story of two brothers, shepherds, living physically and metaphorically at the edge of a small crofting community, and of a dead seaman from a vessel wrecked in a storm. The seaman had a bruised throat and may have been strangled, was it accident or murder? This story forms the basis of the novel "The Key of the Chest".

A story of an archaeologist who is excavating a druidic circle, with the assistance of an idiot. As the work progresses the site exerts its own influence over the humans. This story formed the basis of the novel "The Silver Bough".

[A] (8), B - I (8), NO J, K - U (8), No V & W, X - Y, (8), 176 leaves. p. [1] THE LOST GLEN; p. [2] By the same author; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] Publisher's and Printer's notices: FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1932; p. [5] TO MAURICE WALSH; p. [6] blank; p. [7] PART ONE; p. [8] blank; pp. 9 - 351 Text; p. [352] blank. 5" x 7 5/8". Bound in blue cloth, spine stamped in gold: THE | LOST GLEN | NEIL M. | GUNN | [space] | PORPOISE | PRESS

Richard Drew | Glasgow | 1985 (With a foreword by Dairmid Gunn) An extract comprising part of p. 58 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (March) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993

A letter from Faber, 23rd. July 1965, confirmed that the copyright had reverted to Gunn. For details of this work see the entry dated April 1928 (A34) when it first appeared as a serial.

This piece formed the introduction to: Sun Circle | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | 25th. May 1933 | pp. 7 - 10. This story later appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 7 - 9.

This is an aeriel description of Caithness and the Northlands.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), No V & W, X - Z (8), 2A (8), 2B (4), 196 leaves. p. [1] SUN CIRCLE; p. [2] By the same author; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] Publisher's and Printer's notices: FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1933; p. [5] TO J.B.SALMOND; p. [6] blank; pp. 7 - 391 Text; p. [392] blank. 5" x 7 5/8". Bound in red cloth, spine stamped in gold: SUN | CIRCLE | NEIL M. | GUNN | [space] | PORPOISE | PRESS

Souvenir Press | London | April 1983 Canongate | Edinburgh | May 1996 As one of the "Canongate Classics" series, with an introduction by J.B. Pick The introduction to this novel, "The Outline", also appeared in: The Scots Magazine | Dundee | March 1933 | pp. 424 - 426. Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 7 - 9. An extract entitled "ALeaf in the Wind", comprising part of p.170, p 171, part of p. 172, and part of pp. 178-179 appeared in : Canongate Classics: An Anthology | Chosen and Introduced by J. B. Pick and with a Foreword by Roderick Watson | Canongate | Edinburgh | 1997 | pp. 75-78

A letter from Faber, 23rd. July 1965, confirmed that the copyright had reverted to Gunn. An historical novel set in Gunn's native Caithness at the time of the Viking incursions. It shows the interplay between differing traditions, heritage and religions.

This story later appeared as "Whistle for Bridge" in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 28 - 32.

A delicate story of a child's misconception. The thrilling fantasy land of boyhood comes face to face with adult reality.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 33 - 39.

A young couple are on honeymoon in a remote fishing hut in the midst of the Highlands. The husband begins to feel a deep affinity with the landscape which is not experienced to the same degree by his wife, who feels neglected.

A journalist tracks down "Nessie" and manages to photograph her but, through his preoccupation with a scoop, she preserves her anonymity.

This formed the first chapter of: Butcher's Broom | Porpoise Press | Edinburgh | 1935 | pp. 7 - 22. This story later appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 126 - 139.

This piece sets the scene for, and introduces one of the main characters of, the novel "Butcher's Broom".

Typescript held at the National Library of Scotland. This story recounts the initial aggression experienced by a painter who wishes to draw a Highland dwelling, an aggression which later warms into a typically Celtic welcome. There are similarities to "Old Music" in the way that a welcome is expected.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), No V & W, X - Z (8), 2A - 2D (8), 216 leaves. p. [1] BUTCHER'S BROOM; p. [2] By the same author; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] Publisher's and Printer's notices: FIRST PUBLISHED IN 1934; p. [5] TO JOHN GEORGE SUTHERLAND; p. [6] Acknowledgement that poems used are taken from "Carmina Gadelica"; pp. 7 - 429 Text; pp. [430] - [432] blank. 5" x 7 5/8". Bound in green cloth, spine stamped in gold: BUTCHER'S | BROOM | [ornament] | NEIL M. GUNN | [space] | PORPOISE | PRESS

Harcourt, Brace | New York | 1935 (With the title "Highland Night" and illustrated by Freda Bone) Westermann | Braunschweig | 1939 (With the title "Exiles from their Father's Land. Extracts from the novel "Butcher's Broom"İ| W.Frerichs, ed.) Cedric Chivers (at the request of the London and Home Counties Branch of the Library Association) | Bath | 1965 Souvenir Press | London | 1977 Walker and Co. | New York | 1994 An extract entitled "Dark Mairi" and comprising chapter 1 of part 1 of the novel appeared in: The Scots Magazine | Dundee | July 1934 | pp. 264 - 274. Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 126 - 139. An extract entitled "The Swallow", comprising part of p. 31, appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st October 1942 | p. 38. An extract entitled "Singing Linnett", comprising part of p. 344 and pp. 345 - 351 of the novel appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 140 - 146. An extract comprising part of p. 31 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 45. An extract comprising part of p. 116 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (August) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of p. 34 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (September) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993

According to Professor F.R.Hart in his "A Brief Memoir" (Neil M. Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford, eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh | 1973) the character of Dark Mairi is based upon an old woman Gunn saw at a ceilidh in Inverness. The dedicatee was Gunn's brother in law, the police chief at Invergordon. An historic story set in the Strath of Kildonan, Sutherland in the period leading up to and including the infamous "Clearances". It gives a vivid portrayal of the way of life which was destroyed and, whilst the deed is rightly condemned, Gunn treats the problem with objective reasonableness.

This story later appeared in: The Man Who Came Back | M. McCulloch, ed. | Polygon | Edinburgh | 1991 | pp. [174] - 184. In a re-written form the story appeared as "Ride the Gale" (A118) which, in turn, was incorporated within "The Well at the World's End" (A121) as a dramatic highlight.

A brilliant short story of a proud old man's battle against a storm in an open boat. The battle is as much against loss of face in the community, which is closely involved in the drama, as it is against the elements.

This became the opening chapter of: Whisky and Scotland | Routledge | London | 1935

A reconstruction of the discovery of whisky and its effects, written with wit and poetic licence.

A contrast is drawn here between our material golden age and that Elysian state which is thought to have once existed. The story concerns a visit to a bank manager (a solid, fair, but essentially soulless man - as in "Net Results") for investment in speculative shares. He is told by the banker of a moving experience he had had on an evening fishing expedition. They had met and entertained an old crofter in his 70's who was a Gaelic poet and "full of lore". This man represented the previous golden age and had left an indelible impression on the banker and, through him, on the narrator.

[ ] (4), A - I (8), No J, K - M (8), N (4), 104 leaves. p. [i] WHISKY AND SCOTLAND; p. [ii] THE VOICE OF | SCOTLAND | LIST OF TITLES; p. [iii] Title page; p. [iv] Publisher's and Printer's notices: [ital] First published 1935; p. v TO THOSE | OUTSIDE THE PALE; p. [vi] blank; p. [vii] Contents; p. [viii] blank; p. [1] PART ONE | IN THE BEGINNING; p. [2] blank; pp. 3 - [198] Text; p. [199] Printer's notice; p. [200] blank. 4 7/8" x 7 1/2". Bound in green cloth, spine stamped in gold: [line] | WHISKY | AND | SCOTLAND | NEIL M. | GUNN | [space] | ROUTLEDGE | [line] Ornament impressed blind on bottom right hand corner of the front board.

Souvenir Press | London | 1977 (With a foreword by Michael Grieve - the son of Hugh MacDiarmid) An extract entitled "Uisgebeatha", comprising the first chapter of the book appeared in: The Scots Magazine | Dundee | August 1935 | pp. 327 - 333. An extract comprising pp. 3 - 12 and part of p. 13, being part of the first chapter "Uisgebeatha", appeared as "The First Dram" in: A Wee Dram | D. Daiches, ed. | Andre Deutsch | London | 1990 | pp. 13 - 18.

Gunn's classic treatise on Scotch Whisky.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 86 - 103.

The tree had been a source of disagreement between the Major and his wife, who wished it felled to give more light to the house. The Major found it aesthetically pleasing and resisted. Following the untimely death of his wife the Major's life became without point and he began to feel hemmed in by his surroundings. He felt a need to honour his wife's wish but could not bring himself to undertake the task. In a troubled night of storm his wife came to him in a dream, bringing light and release. Daylight reveals that the storm had also resolved the physical argument.

One day in the life of Fred, the narrator, who is an architect, a writer, a devotee of community drama and a Scottish Nationalist, during which he is seeking an idea for a short story. Employs a similar device to "Choosing a Play" and "The Listener's Tale".

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 231 - 241.

Set in Inverness during the reign of Charles 1 this story highlights the plight of ordinary people during a military campaign. They bear the brunt whatever the outcome.

The poster was commissioned by a transport company as an advertisement. Through the intervention of the director's daughter, the contract is awarded to an intense, bona fide, artist who produced an evocative and powerful work symbolising the possibility of release from urban squalor via transport. This caused initial shock but found ultimate favour. Running parallel to the business relationship is an emotional relationship between the artist and his benefactress.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), No V & W, X - Y (8), 176 leaves. p. [1] - [2] blank; p. [3] HIGHLAND RIVER; p. [4] By the same author; p. [5] Title page; p. [6] [ital] Publisher's and Printer's notices: First published in April MCMXXXVII; p. [7] Letter of dedication to his brother John; p. [8] blank; pp. 9 - [348] Text; pp. [349] - [352] blank. 5" x 7 1/2". Bound in turquoise blue cloth, spine stamped in silver: Highland | River | Neil M. | Gunn | [space] | Porpoise | Press Decoration in the form of a winding river, blocked in blue, runs down the full length of the spine.

Lippincott | Philadelphia | 1937 Tauchnitz | Berlin | 1937 Faber and Faber | London | 1942 (New edition - reset) Faber and Faber | London | 1943 (Q series) Arrow Books | London | 1960 ( Grey arrow series) Arrow Books | London | 1974 ( New binding) Canongate | Edinburgh | 1991 As one of the "Canongate Classics" series, with an introduction by Dairmid Gunn. An extract entitled "The Salmon Fight", comprising chapter one of the novel appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 21 - 37. The same piece entitled "Highland River" appeared in: Argosy | London | August 1943 | pp. 13 - 24. An extract entitled "In the Wood", comprising part of pp. 237 - 238 of the novel appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 19 - 20. An extract entitled "The River", comprising part of p. 239, pp. 240 - 243 and part of p. 244 of the novel appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 71 - 75. An extract entitled "To the Source", comprising part of p. 337 and pp. 338 - 348 of the novel appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 102 - 110. An extract entitled "A Highland Community", appeared in: Scotland, An Anthology | Paul Harris, ed. | Cadogan Books | London | 1985 | pp. 97 - 98. The novel was dramatised for radio by John Wilson and was broadcast 12th. March 1962 An extract entitled "Boyhood Research", comprising part of p. 80, pp. 81 - 83 and part of p. 84 of the novel appeared in" Scotland, An Anthology | D.Dunn, ed. | Fontana | London | 1992 | pp. 62 - 65. An extract comprising part of p. 320 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (Cover) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of p. 151 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (January) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of p. 151 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (February) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of p. 332 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (April) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of p. 151 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (July) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of pp. 294 - 295 appeared in the 1994 Caithness Calendar (November) | North of Scotland Newspapers | Wick | 1993 An extract comprising part of p. 133 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 15. (This quotation was wrongly attributed to "Morning Tide") An extract comprising part of p. 11 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | pp. 16 - 17. An extract comprising part of p. 26 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 18. An extract comprising part of p. 295 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 19. An extract comprising part of p. 31 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 23. An extract comprising part of p. 150 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 23. An extract comprising part of p. 160 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 23. An extract comprising part of p. 160 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 35. An extract comprising pp. 149 - 150 and part of p. 151 appeared in : The Bedside Rambler: A tour through Country writers' Britain | Christopher Somerville, ed. | Harper Collins | London | 1991 | p. 353-355.

This novel won the James Tait Black, Memorial Prize for 1937. According to Professor F.R.Hart in his "A Brief Memoir"( Neil M. Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford, eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh | 1973) the brother who was temporarily blinded in war time was John, to whom the book is dedicated. He also states that the pilgrimage to the source actually happened, it was indeed foreshadowed in "The Poaching at Grianan". The hero sets out to trace the source of his local river, to which he has returned after wanderings. In finding the source he also finds himself, through remembered scenes from his life and the magic of his surroundings. It is set in Gunn's native Dunbeath.

This story was later used as the basis of the first chapter of: The Silver Darlings | Faber and Faber | London | 24th. April 1941 This story later appeared in: The Man Who Came Back | M. McCulloch, ed. | Polygon | Edinburgh | 1991 | pp. [185] - 195.

A story of a newly "cleared" community trying to adapt new skills so as to survive on the rocky coastal lands. Some of the younger men acquire a leaky old boat to try their hand at fishing, and meet unexpected problems at the hands of the press gang.

This story conveys Gunn's distaste for city life and, in particular, the teeming and poverty stricken tenements. This follows closely the narrative of the visit to the slums in "Wild Geese Overhead" and, again, ends in a bar although here without the father being met. There are also similarities to "Glendaruel".

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), No V & W, X - Y (8), 176 leaves. p. [1] - [2] blank; p. [3] OFF IN A BOAT; p. [4] By the same author; p. [5] Title page; p. [6] Publisher's and Printer's notices: FIRST PUBLISHED IN MAY MCMXXXVIII; p. [7] Dedication "For the Crew"; p. [8] blank; p. [9] Contents; p. [10] blank; pp. 11 - 12 Illustrations; pp. 13 - 348 Text; pp. [349] - [352] blank. 5 1/8" x 8 1/8". Bound in orange cloth, spine stamped in blue: [Four wavy horizontal lines] | OFF IN | A | BOAT | [Four wavy horizontal lines] | Neil Gunn | [space] | FABER AND | FABER

Richard Drew | Glasgow | 1988 (With a foreword by Dairmid Gunn) House of Lochar | Isle of Colonsay | 1998An extract entitled "Our First Anchorage", comprising part of p. 79 and pp. 80 - 85 appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 111 - 116. An extract entitled "On Iona", comprising part of p. 205, pp. 206 - 214 and part of p. 215 appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 117 - 125. An extract entitled "Columba - A Twentieth Century Portrait", comprising part of p. 211 and pp. 212 - 214 appeared in: An Iona Anthology | F.Marian McNeill, ed. | The Iona Community | Glasgow | 1947 | pp. 93 - 94. Scotland: An Anthology | Maurice Lindsay, ed. | Robert Hale | London | 1974 | pp. 150 - 151. An extract entitled "The Island of the Druids", comprising part of p. 207, pp. 208 - 209 and part of p. 210 appeared in: An Iona Anthology | F.Marian McNeill, ed. | The Iona Community | Glasgow | 1947 | pp. 61 - 63. An extract entitled "A Highland Novelist", comprising part of p. 205, p. 206 and part of p. 207 appeared in: An Iona Anthology | F. Marian McNeill, ed. | The Iona Community | Glasgow | 1947 | pp. 93 - 94. An extract entitled " St. Oran's Chapel and Queen Margaret", comprising part of pp. 227 - 228 appeared in: An Iona Anthology | F.Marian McNeill, ed. | The Iona Community | Glasgow | 1947 | pp. 110 - 111. An extract entitled "The Abbey Church", comprising part of pp. 215 - 216 appeared in: An Iona Anthology | F. Marian McNeill, ed. | The Iona Community | Glasgow | 1947 | p. 111. An extract entitled " Clach Brath", comprising part of p. 230 appeared in: An Iona Anthology | F.Marian McNeill, ed. | The Iona Community | Glasgow | 1947 | p. 113. An extract entitled "Reilig Odhrain", comprising part of pp. 228 - 229 appeared in : An Iona Anthology | F.Marian McNeill, ed. | The Iona Community | Glasgow | 1947 | p. 120. An article entitled "The Torranan Rocks", which forms a chapter of the book appeared in: The Scots Magazine | Dundee | January 1938 | pp. 275 - 286.

The crew to whom the book is dedicated is Daisy Gunn. The photographs illustrating the book were taken by Neil and Daisy Gunn. The manuscript of this novel was the only one to be handwritten, all the others being typescripts, and is now held at the National Library of Scotland. This travelogue is the story of an extended holiday taken by Gunn and his wife in an old boat round the Western Isles. The holiday coincided with him giving up his Customs and Excise jog to take up writing full time.

This story later appeared in: The Man Who Came Back | M. McCulloch, ed. | Polygon | Edinburgh | pp. [196] - 206. Shorn of the bulk of its romantic overtones, this story was inserted into the novel "The Shadow" to provide dramatic impact.

A spinster in her middle years, living on a farm which had belonged to her brother, hears the sound of new born lambs at night during a snowstorm. Impelled partly by her maternal instinct she goes out into the field and, together with the shepherd, she attends at a birth where the mother dies. The lamb is brought indoors and a cup of tea made. They talk in an intimate atmosphere and the woman entertains romantic notions, which are dispelled when she notices the affection between her maid and the shepherd. Thoughts of real motherhood finally die like the sheep.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 40 - 50. The Penguin Book of Scottish Short Stories | J.F.Hendry, ed. | Penguin | Harmondsworth | 1970 | pp. 85 - 93. Scottish Love Stories | S.Maguire and M.Sinclair, eds. | Polygon | Edinburgh | 1995 | pp. 117 - 126.

Subtitled "A Tale of the Tinkers", the old man of the title is the patriarch and compassionate lawgiver of his tribe.

This formed the basis of chapter ten of "SecondİSight".

The story of the stalking of "King Brude", the most sought after stag on the hill.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 128 - 142.

A story of childhood and an eight year old budding scientist's experiment. This has disastrous results which teach him a salutary lesson.

A comedy of youth and unrequited love, with a very similar plot to "The Black Woollen Gloves".

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), No V & W, X (8), Y (4), 172 leaves. pp. [1] - [2], blank; p. [3] WILD GEESE OVERHEAD; p. [4] By the same author; p. [5] Title page; p. [6] [ital] Publisher's and Printer's notices: First published in October MCMXXXIX; p. [7] For | TOSHON WALSH; p. [8] blank; pp. 9 - 341 Text; pp. [342] - [344] blank. 5" x 7 9/16". Bound in red cloth, spine stamped in gold: WILD GEESE | OVERHEAD | [ornament] | Neil M. | Gunn | [space] | FABER AND | FABER

Chambers | Edinburgh | 1991 (With a foreword by Dairmid Gunn) Whittles Publishing | Latheronwheel | 2002 (With a foreword by Dairmid Gunn) An extract entitled "Streets" comprising part of p. 81, pp. 82 - 107 and part of p. 108 appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 80 - 101. The same episode forms the basis of the short story "Whisky".

In his "A Brief Memoir" (Neil M. Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford, eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh |1973) Professor F.R.Hart states that this episode was based on a visit Gunn paid to an Edinburgh slum with a medical student, with whom he shared digs, to attend a birth. There was also a similar visit with John MacNair Reid later in Glasgow. The first of Gunn's books to deal with city life, "Wild Geese Overhead" contains many brilliant descriptions of the slum quarter of Glasgow. At the same time a sensitive love story is told.

Typescript held at the National Library of Scotland. This story was offered to the B.B.C. 3rd. September 1940, but was declined. Set in Lewis this story concerns a revival meeting in a crofting community and the movement of psychic forces, both religious and secular. It would seem that this was born out of personal experience as it bears a close similarity to the chapter "In Lewis" in "Highland Pack", and some similarity to part of the chapter "Drink and Religion" in "The Silver Darlings".

An interesting story of the rising under Wallace and Bruce, seen through the eyes of an infantryman from Moray.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - U (8), No V & W, X (4), 164 leaves. pp. [1] - [2] blank; p. [3] SECOND SIGHT; p. [4] By the same author; p. [5] Title page; p. [6] [ital] Publisher's and Printer's notices: First published in April MCMXL; p. [7] Dedication to John and Josephine; p. [8] blank; pp. 9 - 327 Text; p. [328] blank. 5" x 7 9/16". Bound in blue cloth, spine stamped in red: SECOND | SIGHT | [ornament] | Neil M. | Gunn | [space] | Faber & | Faber

Richard Drew | Glasgow | 1986 (With a foreword by Dairmid Gunn) Whittles Publishing | Latheronwheel | 2002 (With a foreword by Dairmid Gunn) An extract entitled "King Brude", comprising chapter ten of the novel appeared in: The Scots Magazine | Dundee | February 1939 | pp. 359 - 371. A play with the same name and plot was offered to the B.B.C. and, in an accompanying letter dated 11th. January 1956, Gunn states that the novel was developed from the play.

A letter from Faber, 23rd. July 1965, confirms that the copyright had reverted to Gunn. The action centres round a shooting party in a lodge and on the hill where they are striving to shoot the legendary stag "King Brude". A gillie with the "Second Sight", "sees" a funeral procession but will not disclose the victim's name. The reaction to this prophecy differs according to the character of the protagonist involved and Gunn makes full play of these differences, building to a climax at the end.

Was utilised as part of the final chapter of "The Silver Darlings", entitled "Finn in the Heart of the Circle".

A story of a successful fishing trip.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 15th. March 1942 | pp. 229 - 240. The Thistle and the Pen | E. Linklater, ed. | Nelson | London | 1950 | pp. 122 - 131.

The first story of those which were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this was used as chapter sixteen. The cow was being taken to market by Donul. Both were from up country and found things strange.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 242 - 250. The story was also offered to the B.B.C. 6th. September 1940, but was not taken up.

A touching story of a Devonian old age pensioner living in northern Scotland who feels, during war time, the urge to revisit the land of his birth despite earlier feelings of animosity. The sympathetic social security officer monitors his pedestrian journey from the drawing of his pension and is aware that he has arrived spiritually even if physically he only reached Manchester. This may contain an autobiographical element as Gunn's early work included pension investigations.

[A] (16), B - I (16), No J, K - S (16), T (4), 292 leaves. p. [1] THE SILVER DARLINGS | [ornament]; p. [2] By the same author; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] [ital] Publisher's and Printer's notices: First published in April MCMXLI; p. [5] TO | THE MEMORY OF | MY FATHER; p. [6] blank; p. [7] Contents; p. [8] blank; pp. 9 - 584 Text. 5 1/8" x 7 3/4". Bound in blue cloth, spine stamped in silver: THE | SILVER | DARLINGS | [ornament] | NEIL | GUNN | [space] | FABER AND | FABER

G.W. Stewart | New York | 1945 An extract entitled "Storm and Precipice", comprising part of p. 307, pp. 308 - 324 and part of p. 325 appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 53 - 70. A short story called "Sea Colours", which is basically an extract from the last chapter, pp. 574 - 579, with some slight amendments appeared in: The Scots Magazine | Dundee | December 1940 | pp. 219 - 223. The first chapter was adapted from the short story "The Boat", which appeared in: The Scots Magazine | Dundee | December 1937 | pp. 186 - 194. An extract from chapter one, used as the subject for a reading on the B.B.C. school programme "Scottish Magazine" was printed in: B.B.C. Radio: Scottish Magazine Teachers Notes | Spring - Summer 1978 | pp. 3 - 4. An extract entitled "The Herring Fishers", appeared in: Scotland, An Anthology | Paul Harris, ed. | Cadogan Books | London | 1985 | pp. 83 - 86. A film of the novel was made by Associated British Picture Corporation in 1947. The novel was adapted for radio by John Wilson and was produced 3rd. September 1962 by Finlay J. MacDonald for the Scottish Home Service. A typescript of this adaptation is held at both the B.B.C. Glasgow and the B.B.C. script library (plays), London. An article entitled "The Silver Fish" by Neil Gunn appeared in The Radio Times 30th. August 1962. A further radio adaptation was made by Tom McGrath and was produced in five episodes of one hour each by Tom Kinninmont in June - July 1982. An extract comprising part of p. 82 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 4. An extract comprising part of p. 57 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 10. An extract comprising part of p. 13 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 42. An extract comprising part of p. 17 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 42. An extract comprising part of p. 272 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 43. An extract comprising part of p. 26 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 43. An extract comprising part of p. 577 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 43. An extract comprising part of p. 573 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 44. An extract comprising part of p. 250 appeared in: Glimpses of Gunn | Ann Yule and Alan Haldane | Neil M. Gunn Memorial Trust | Dingwall | 1990 | p. 44. This novel was adapted for the stage by John McGrath, and first performed at the Citizen's Theatre, Glasgow on the 17th. August 1994, by Wildcat Stage Productions Ltd. This novel was abridged and prepared for radio by James Robertson in ten episodes, read by Ann-Louise Ross, and produced by Pam Wardell for B.B.C. Radio Scotland. Each reading was of fifteen minutes duration and they were broadcast on weekdays between Monday 26th January 1998 and Friday 6th February 1998.

Neil Gunn's father, to whose memory the book is dedicated, was a fisherman. According to Professor F.R.Hart in his "A Brief Memoir" (Neil M. Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford, eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh | 1973) an old Dunbeath man had told Gunn of the first four men to go through the Pentland Firth to the West Coast fishing, which is incorporated into this book. He also states that other historical details were recorded in a ledger which Gunn found at Helmsdale. This is certainly one of Gunn's more popular novels, and deservedly so. It is a novel of epic proportions dealing with the rise of the herring industry.

This story later appeared in: The White Hour | Faber and Faber | London | 2nd. October 1950 | pp. 143 - 157.

An intricate and effective love story seen from the woman's standpoint. She is a war-time censor.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th. March 1942 | p. 11 - 21.

The second story of those which were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this was used as chapter one. We are introduced to the main characters. Young Art is disgruntled at not being allowed to go with his brother to the river to poach grilse. Instead he begins to learn of wisdom from Old Hector through the re-telling of the story of Finn MacCoul's obtaining of wisdom by eating the salmon of wisdom which had fed upon the nuts of knowledge - both recurring themes in Gunn's fiction.

This story later appeared with the title "Machinery" in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th. March 1942 | pp. 41 - 50.

The third story of those which were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this being used as chapter three. Young Art and his brother Donul visit a hill, full of machinery, which is somewhat frightening to the young boy. It would seem that a still operated from the premises but, on this occasion, a ceilidh is taking place. The traditional story of "The Birdbeast and the Twelve Puppies" is recounted.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th. March 1942 | pp. 51 - 71.

The fourth story of those which were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this being used as chapter four. Art is despatched to stay overnight with Old Hector due to his mother's illness. He is reluctant and homesick but, as a diversion, he is introduced to rabbit poaching and narrowly escapes capture. The following day his mother is better following a mysterious delivery in which gooseberry bushes feature.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th. March 1942 | pp. 72 - 92.

The fifth story of those that were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this being used as chapter five. Art experiences traumatic feelings in trying to adjust to his new baby brother. In his distress Old Hector, said to be in his second childhood, understands best his fears and motivations.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th March 1942 | pp. 22 - 40.

The sixth story of those that were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this being used as chapter two. Young Art discovers that life can be divided into three parts: childhood, old age and courting. For those involved in the latter, publicity is an Achilles heel - gifts and surprising and unexplained behaviour can follow.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th. March 1942 | pp. 93 - 108.

The seventh story of those that were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this being used as chapter six. A further incident in the life of Young Art in which he acknowledges that he is fond of his baby brother.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th. March 1942 | pp. 131 - 145. Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 39 - 52.

The eighth story of those that were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this being used as chapter nine. Art visits the local fair and sports; a red letter day in the community.

This story later appeared in: Young Art and Old Hector | Faber and Faber | London | 5th. March 1942 | pp. 109 - 115.

The ninth story of those that were to become part of "Young Art and Old Hector", this being used as chapter seven. Art receives a lesson in metaphysics.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K - Q (8), 128 leaves. p. [1] [ital] Young Art and Old Hector; p. [2] By the same author; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] [ital] Publisher's and Printer's notices: First published in MCMXLII; p. [5] For | THE WOMAN OF THE HOUSE; p. [6] blank; p. 7 Author's Note; p. [8] blank; p. 9 Contents; p. [10] blank, pp. 11 - 255 Text; p. [256] blank. 5" x 7 9/16". Bound in brown cloth, spine stamped in gold: Young | Art | & | Old | Hector | Two horizontal lines | Neil M. | Gunn | [space] | Faber and | Faber

G.W. Stewart | New York | 1944 Souvenir Press | London | 1976. The chapter entitled "Art Runs a Great Race" appeared in: Storm and Precipice | Faber and Faber | London | 1st. October 1942 | pp. 39 - 52. The chapter entitled "The Little Red Cow" appeared in: The Thistle and the Pen | E. Linklater, ed. | Nelson | London | 1950 | pp. 121 - 131. The chapter entitled "Machinery" appeared as "The Birdbeast and the Twelve Puppies" in: Chambers's Journal | Edinburgh | September 1941 | pp. 529 - 532. The chapter entitled "Art's Wedding Present" appeared in: Classic Scottish Short Stories | J.M.Reid, ed. | Oxford University Press | Oxford | 1989 | pp. 164 - 182. An extract from "Art's Wedding Present", comprising part of p. 190, p. 191 and part of p. 192 appeared as "Freedom and Whisky" in: Scotland, An Anthology | D.Dunn, ed. | Fontana | London | 1992 | pp. 265 - 267.

A delightful book concerning the friendship and exchange of knowledge between an old man and a young boy in a Highland crofting setting. Young Art and Old Hector were to be the main protagonists in the later, and perhaps more famous, "Green Isle of the Great Deep". According to Professor F.R.Hart in his "A Brief Memoir" (Neil M. Gunn: The Man and the Writer | A.Scott and D.Gifford, eds. | William Blackwood | Edinburgh | 1973) Gunn was himself the star runner at the local games, so the chapter "Art Runs a Great Race", at least, is partially autobiographical.

1) The First Run of Grilse. # 2) The Knife, the Glass Ball, and the Penny. # 3) Machinery. # 4) Under an Old Gooseberry Bush. * 5) The First and Second Childhood. * 6) The New Jersey, the Fluke and the Whispering Reeds. * 7) Nowhere and Somewhere. * 8) The Thimble of the Fairy Woman. 9) Art Runs a Great Race. * 10) A Minor Operation. 11) Going and Coming. 12) What is Good Conduct? 13) Art's Wedding Present. 14) The Secret. 15) The World Beyond. 16) The Little Red Cow. * 17) To the River. # Appeared in Chambers's Journal. * Appeared in The Scots Magazine.

[A] (8), B - I (8), No J, K (8), 80 leaves. p. [1] STORM AND PRECIPICE | AND OTHER PIECES | [ornament]; p. [2] blank; p. [3] Title page; p. [4] [ital] Publisher's and Printer's notices: First published in September MCMLXII : Statement re economy standards; pp. 5 - 6 Contents and select bibliography; pp. 7 - 159 Text; p. [160] blank. 4 7/8" x 7 1/2". Bound in fawn cloth, spine stamped in red: [Printed vertically, top to bottom] STORM AND PRECIPICE | NEIL M. GUNN | [space] | [Printed horizontally] Faber.

The publication date is quoted as September 1942 but the publishers advise that the date was actually 1st. October 1942. This small volume contains a selection of prose passages from books published by the Porpoise Press and Faber.