The Life And Death Of St Kilda - Tom Steel

On 29 August 1930 the remaining inhabitants of this bleak but spectacular island off Scotland's western coast took a ship for the mainland. A community that had survived alone for centuries finally succumbed to the ravages that resulted from mainland contact. What their lives had been like century after century, why they left, and what happened to them afterwards is the subject of Tom Steel's fascinating book. It is the story of a way of life unlike ant other, told here in words and pictures, and how the impact of twentieth-century civilization led to its death.

Lonely Isles Rating 10/10 - In our opinion the best book on St Kilda. Others may have more facts and figures but Tom Steels book tells us the peoples story through their eyes. First book anyone should buy on St Kilda.

Finlay MacQueen Of St Kilda - W R Mitchell

This is the first book devoted to the legendary Finlay MacQueen (1862-1941). He was a man of two worlds: the remote archipelago of St Kilda - a scattering of islands 45 miles west of Uist, in the Outer Hebrides - and the much gentler landscape of Fife where he spent his last few years.

Lonely Isles Rating 8/10 - Unique book in that it focuses on the St Kilda story through one Islander. Finlay McQueen was in many ways St Kilda. Forced to leave in the 1930 evacuation he returned over following summers before he passed away in Kincardine, Fife.

St Kilda A Journey To The End Of The World - Campbell McCutcheon

A chance find at an antiques fair in Bristol of a photograph album of views taken on just one tour to St Kilda aboard the SS Hebrides in 1911, has led Campbell McCutcheon to chronicle the story of St Kilda and the journey to the end of the world, using previously unpublished images of these remote islands. From Glasgow, journeying down the Clyde, past the Mull of Kintyre and on to the Western Isles, we are taken on a tour of both the Inner and Outer Hebrides and gain a unique insight into the island life and trade only twenty years before it was to be lost forever.

Lonely Isles Rating 7/10 - Nothing new to add to the St Kilda tale but some excellent and fascinating photographs of not just St Kilda but other islands taken in on this 1911 cruise up the west coast.

An Isle Called Hirte - Mary Harman

An exhaustive reference guide to the history of St Kilda. Covering all aspects of Island life from people and animals to flora and faurna this really is as detailed as it gets.

Lonely Isles Rating 7/10 Lacking the story telling aspect of a book like Tom Steels but nonetheless less a must have resource on St Kilda. This book was written by Mary Harman as part of a Phd study which probably explains the somewhat dry nature of the book.

St Kilda - Colin Baxter

History and images of St Kilda.

Lonely Isles Rating 6/10 - As with many other books nothing new to add to the St Kilda tale but as always with Colin Baxter publications some truly spectacular photographs.

Colin Baxter Island Guides St Kilda - David Quine

This comprehensive guidebook explores the geography and past of Britain's most remote island archipelago. With many drawings, maps, colour photographs and detailed walks, this is an essential companion for those who manage to set foot on St. Kilda, and for those who dream about islands.

Martin Martin - A Description Of The Western Isles Of Scotland c1695

It is three hundred years since Martin Martin's great journey around the Western Isles, Orkneys and Shetlands. The first and one of the greatest travellers in Scotland, Martin is also unique in being the only native Gaelic speaker amongst them. This gives his account a unique and authoritative resonance which makes it, even today, a mine of information on the history, customs, traditions and life of the Hebrides during a crucial period of history when the old structure of society still held sway before the Jacobite rebellions altered society irrevocably. Include a section called "A Voyage To St Kilda" which details Martin's time on the Island.

The Fulmar And The Rock (A Fable Of St Kilda) - Hugh Gunn Ross

Gilbert Macleod comes to St Kilda as the teacher. This rites-of-passage tale cannot unfold without the influence of a population alien to the new arrival but serene in its relationship with creation. Against a background of the everyday rituals of survival, both physical and metaphysical, Gilbert is drawn into the community, until his personal conflicts seem insignificant in his new understanding of a people apart.
Hugh Gunn Ross evokes a distant world of the late nineteenth century, and weaves a powerful narrative through moments of great happiness, failure, tragedy and loss.

The Edge Of The World

1937 Film shot on Foula in the Shetland Isles but very much based on life in St Kilda. The island is referred to as Hirta and the film would have been shot there if permission had been granted. Directed by Michael Powell and starring John Laurie the film is a classic and is a must see for anyone interested in life on the Scottish islands. Also included on the dvd are some fantastic extras including the short film "St Kilda - Britains Lonliest Isle". All in all an absolute must buy !!

(Cheapest place I know of on the web to buy this film at dvd.co.uk)