REVIEW BY CH
The earliest surviving written reference to Edinburgh is found in a charter of 17 July 1124 – and, to celebrate the city’s 900th ‘birthday’, Alistair Moffat has written an engaging biography of the Scottish capital. He begins with a loving description of Edinburgh’s distinctive skyline, ‘forged in fire and ice’ and owing as much to geology as to history, before charting its human story from the end of the last Ice Age to the present day.
The chapters are short and snappy, and Moffat has a real talent for description, ably conjuring vivid images of landscapes and historical events through his words. He moves briskly through the centuries, weaving together diverse topics that include urbanisation, the evolution of golf, religious turbulence, witch-burnings, Jacobites, gentrification, and the city’s rich literary and artistic legacy (something that, as a former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Moffat clearly understands). A very enjoyable book to dip into or to read in one sitting.
