Geographical notes

An earlier reference to the term ‘social geography’ than those described by Dunbar (Scot. Geog. Mag., 93 (1977) 15–20) has been identified in a MS. by H. Gougeon dated 1873. The broader circumstances of the movement to reform geography teaching and the secondary school curriculum at the beginning of the IIIrd Republic are described as a necessary context for evaluating the Gougeon MS. An English translation of Gougeon's views of ‘social geography’ is provided, and although his outline provides no more than a sketch of the possible content of social geography several of the traditional topics of this sub‐field are readily recognizable.     

New approaches to economic development in peripheral rural regions

This paper explores new approaches to economic development in peripheral regions in the context of constraints on public expenditure, declining employment in traditional natural resource based industries, and globalisation of the economy. Three conceptual pairs ‐resource mobility and immobility; tangible and intangible factors; and global‐local interrelations — underpin three ideas about these new approaches, and their impact on differential economic performance observed in otherwise similar localities and regions. A case study is given to illustrate the role played by less mobile cultural, social and environmental assets in these strategies. However, a key feature of the cases is the importance of both local and extra‐local linkages, often at international level, whether this has to do with market or non‐market activity. The conclusions raise questions for research about the root causes of differences in economic performance between rural localities, whether local initiatives will suffice to counter further likely declines in public subventions and natural resource based employment and also about the focus of policy in such regions.     

The calendar

EUROPE

Land Potential. By T. W. Evans, B.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.I.C. Foreword by Sir R. George Stapledon. 8×5 1/4. Pp.144. London: Faber and Faber Ltd, 1951. 12s 6d.

Portraits of Islands. Edited by Eileen Molony. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp.147. 10 illustrations. London : Dennis Dobson Ltd, 1951. 9s 6d.

Orkney. By Hugh Marwick. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. viii+287. 49 illustrations. Sketch map. [The County Books.] London : Robert Hale Ltd, 1951. 15s.

The Scottish Scene. Photographs by Alfred Furness. Text by John L. Weir. 11×8 1/2. Frontispiece. 105 plates. Pp. lvi. [Immortal Britain, No. 2.] London : George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1951. 30s.

Undiscovered Scotland. By W. H. Murray. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. vii+232. 24 illustrations. 13 maps and diagrams. End‐paper maps. London : J. M. Dent and Sons Ltd, 1951. 18s.

Highland Welcome. By A. A. Thomson. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp.318. 15 photographs. Index. London : Herbert Jenkins Ltd, 1951. 16s.

The Goat‐Wife : Portrait of a Village. By Alasdair Alpin MacGregor. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. 319. 45 illustrations. Decorative end‐paper map. London: Museum Press Ltd. Revised and enlarged edition, 1951. 16s.

The Skye Scene. By Eric G. Meadows. 9 1/2 × 7 1/2. Pp. 96. 67 photographs. Sketch map. Edinburgh and London : Oliver and Boyd Ltd, 1951. 18s.

The Island of Staffa. By Donald B. MacCulloch. 7 1/2×5. Pp.60. 9 illustrations. Edinburgh: The Moray Press, 1951. 3s 6d.

Arran with Camera and Sketchbook. By V. A. Firsoff. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp.230. 49 photographs and 23 line illustrations by the author. London : Robert Hale Ltd, 1951. 18s.

Scientific Survey of South‐Eastern Scotland. Edited by C. J. Robertson. Prepared for the Meeting held in Edinburgh 8th to 15th August 1951. 9 3/4×7 1/4. Pp. 207. 39 figs. 3 photographs. Coloured topographical map. Edinburgh : Published for the British Association by the Local Executive Committee, 1951. 15s.

The Kingdom of Fife and Kinross‐shire. Edited by Theo Lang. 7 3/4×5 1/2. Pp.xiii+238. 108 photogravures. Sketch map. [The King's Scotland.] London : Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1951. 15s.

The Gareloch as Military Port No. 1. By Arnold Fleming. 9 1/2×6. Pp.28. 6 photographs. 2 sketch maps. Helensburgh : Macneur and Bryden Ltd, 1948. 3s.

Lancashire. By Walter Greenwood. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. viii+303. 49 illustrations. Map. [The County Books.] London : Robert Hale Ltd, 1951. 15s.

Buckinghamshire. By Alison Uttley. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. xxvi+410. 49 illustrations. Map. [The County Books.] London : Robert Hale Ltd, 1950. 15s.

Cornwall. By Arthur L. Salmon. Revised by H. Ronald Hicks. 6×3 3/4. Pp. xii+183. 60 illustrations. Map. [The Little Guides.] London: Methuen and Co. Ltd, and B. T. Batsford Ltd. Ninth edition, revised, 1950. 7s 6d.

Isle of Man. By Canon E. H. Stenning. 8 1/2 × 5 1/2. Pp. xiii+448. 49 illustrations. Map. [The County Books.] London : Robert Hale Ltd, 1950. 15s.

A History of the Isle of Man. By R. H. Kinvig, M.A. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp.180. 50 figs. Map. [Published under the Auspices of Tynwald by the Manx Museum and Ancient Monuments Trustees.] Liverpool: University Press of Liverpool. Second edition, 1950. 7s 6d.

Ireland: Its Physical, Historical, Social and Economic Geography. By T. W. Freeman. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. xvi+536. 96 figs. 8 plates. 2 folders. London : Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1950. 32s 6d.

The Belgian Kempenland. By F. J. Monkhouse, M.A. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. xiv+252. Frontispiece. 71 figs. [Liverpool Studies in Geography.] Liverpool: University Press of Liverpool, 1949. 17s 6d.

Switzerland. By John Russell. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. viii+152. 96 illustrations. Endpaper sketch maps. London : B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1950. 15s.

Calabria. 8 3/4×5 3/4. Firenze : Il Ponte (Rivista mensile di Politica e Letteratura. Edited by Piero Calamandrei), 1950, 6 (9–10) : 969–1352.

UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS

The Soviet Union : The Land and its People. By Georges Jorré. Introduction by A. Perpillou. Translated by E. D. Laborde. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. xviii+353. 44 figs. 24 photographs. London : Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd, 1950. 21s.

Beyond the Caspian. By Douglas Carruthers, F.R.G.S., F.Z.S. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. xx+290. 6 colour plates. 18 black‐and‐white plates. Map. Edinburgh and London : Oliver and Boyd Ltd, 1949. 22s 6d.

ASIA

Village Development in Palestine during the British Mandate. By Henry Kendall, O.B.E., F.R.I.B.A., M.T.P.I, and K. H. Baruth, A.M.T.P.I. Information on Soil Conditions by S. H. Shaw, N. A. Pharaon, and A. Y. Goor. 10×8. Pp. 84. 16 plans. 42 photographs. Map. London : The Crown Agents for the Colonies, 1949. 10s 6d.

The Antique Land. By Diana Shipton. 8 3/4×5 5/8. Pp.219. 23 plates. End‐paper sketch maps. Decorations by Jill Davis. London : Hodder and Stoughton Ltd, 1950. 20s.

AFRICA

Algérie. By Marcel Larnaude. 7 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. 230. 10 figs. 20 photographs. [L'Union Française.] Paris : Editions Berger‐Levrault, 1950. 300 fr.

O Distrito de Moçâmedes nas Fases da Origem e da Primeira Organização (1485–1859). By Manuel Júlio de Mendonça Torres. 9×6 1/4. Pp. 535. 29 plates. Lisboa : Agência Geral das Colónias, 1950.

African Journey. By André Siegfried. Translated from the French by Edward Fitzgerald. 8×5 1/4. Pp. 159. 5 maps. London : Jonathan Cape Ltd, 1950. 10s 6d.

AMERICA

The St Lawrence. By Henry Beston. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. 272. Illustrated. End‐paper maps. [Rivers of America.] Edinburgh and London : William Hodge and Co. Ltd, 1951. 10s 6d.

Pleasure Island: The Book of Jamaica. Edited by Esther Chapman. Historical Section by H. P. Jacobs, B.A. Geographical Section by Mary M. Carley, B.Sc.(ECON.). 8 1/4×5 1/2. Pp. xvi+316. Illustrated. Kingston, Jamaica : The Arawak Press, 1951. $1.50, or 10s 6d.

OCEANIA

Myths and Legends of Maoriland. By A. W. Reed. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp.230. Illustrated by George Woods and W. Dittmar. London : George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1951. 15s.

POLAR REGIONS

North of the Circle. By Frank Illingworth. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. 254. 32 illustrations. Edinburgh, Glasgow and London : William Hodge and Co. Ltd, 1951. 15s.

The White Continent: The Story of Antarctica. By Thomas R. Henry. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. xii+211. 8 illustrations. Map. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode (Publishers) Ltd, 1951. 16s.

CARTOGRAPHY

Imago Mundi, VI. 1949. Edited by Leo Bagrow. 11 1/2×8 1/2. Pp.110. Text figures. 15 plates. Stockholm : Kartografiska Sällskapet, 1950. London and New York : Henry Stevens, Son and Stiles (Sole Agents for Great Britain and North America).

OCEANOGRAPHY

The Sea Around Us. By Rachel L. Carson. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. vii+230. Drawings by Katherine L. Howe. 1 plate. End‐paper charts. Bibliography. London : Staples Press Ltd, 1951. 12s 6d.

BIOGEOGRAPHY

The Sea Shore. By C. M. Yonge, D.Sc., F.R.S.E., F.R.S. 8 1/2×5 3/4. Pp. xvi+311. 88 figs. 61 colour photographs. 62 black‐and‐white photographs. [The New Naturalist, No. 12.] London: William Collins, Sons and Co. Ltd, 1949. 21s.

BIOGRAPHY

Hugh Robert Mill. An Autobiography. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. xii+224. 6 illustrations. London : Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd, 1951. 18s.

Beyond Euphrates: Autobiography 1928–1933. By Freya Stark. 8 3/4×5 5/8. Pp. xvi+341. 52 illustrations. Sketch map by H. W. Hawes. Wood engravings by Reynolds Stone. London : John Murray, 1951. 25s.

EDUCATIONAL

A Food and People Geography. By Amabel Williams‐Ellis. 8×5 1/2. Pp. 63. 4 figs. 21 photographs. London : University of London Press Ltd, 1951. 2s 9d.

Our Food and Our Clothes and Some Other Things. By S. Alnwick. 10×7 1/2. Pp.96. Drawings. Graphs and sketch maps. London : George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd, 1951. 7s 6d.

Europe. By A. R. Barbour Simpson, M.A., B.Sc., F.R.S.E. 7 1/2×5. Pp. xii+257. 108 figs. London : G. Bell and Sons Ltd, 1950. 5s 6d.

Roads and Streets. By Patrick Thornhill. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. 49. Diagrams and sketches. [The ‘Get to Know’ Series.] London : Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1951. 2s.

GENERAL

Nelson's Encyclopaedia. Compiled and edited by H. L. Gee. 8 3/4×5 5/8. Pp. vii+743. 300 line drawings and diagrams. 80 half‐tone plates. 16 plates in colour. Edinburgh and London : Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd, 1951. 25s.

Geography in the Twentieth Century : A Study of Growth, Fields, Techniques, Aims and Trends. Edited by Griffith Taylor. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp. x+630. 56 figs. New York : Philosophical Library Inc. London : Methuen and Co. Ltd, 1951. 30s.

The Scope and Methods of Geography and The Geographical Pivot of History. By Sir H. J. Mackinder. Reprinted with an Introduction by E. W. Gilbert. 9 1/2×6. Pp.44. London: Royal Geographical Society, 1951. 2s 6d.

L'Homme et le Sol. By Henri Prat. 9×5 1/2. Pp.293. 16 figs. 16 plates. [Géographie humaine, 22.] Paris : Librairie Gallimard, 1949. 670 fr.

Men against the Desert. By Ritchie Calder, C.B.E. 8 1/2×5 1/2. Pp.186. 15 plates. 13 sketch maps. End‐paper maps. London : George Allen and Unwin Ltd, 1951. 12s 6d.

Insects as Human Food: A Chapter of the Ecology of Man. By F. S. Bodenheimer. 8 1/4×6. Pp.352. 47 figs. The Hague: Dr W. Junk, Publishers, 1951. fl 10.

Les Bretons à l'Aventure: Explorateurs et Colons. By Jean Choleau. 8×5 1/1. Pp. 221. 15 figs. Vitre : Unvaniez Arvor, 1950.

ATLASES AND MAPS

Maly Atlas Geograficzny. By Eugeniusz Romer. 11 1/2×7 3/4. 12 map sheets. Wroclaw : Ksiaznica‐Atlas. Fifteenth edition, 1951. Zlotys 4.00.

Maly Atlas Historyczny. By Cz. Nanke, L. Piotrowicz, and Wl. Semkowicz. 11 1/2×7 3/4. Pp. 12. Wroclaw: Ksiaznica‐Atlas, 1951. Zlotys 7.20.

Atlas Polski Wspólczesnej. By E. Romer and J. Wasowicz. 8 3/4×7 1/2. Pp. 16. Wroclaw : Ksiaznica‐Atlas. Fifth edition, 1951. Zlotys 3.60.

The West End of London. 30×16. 1:3600. Revised third edition. Edinburgh: C. J. Cousland and Sons Ltd, 1951. 2s 6d.

Map of Israel—Including Plans of Jaffa‐Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, the Middle East. Scale 1 : 285,120. Produced under the direction of Alexander Gross, f.r.g.s. 40×30. Index of place‐names. London: Prepared for The Jewish Chronicle by Geographers’ Map Co. Ltd. Third edition, 1951. 2s 6d.     

The Franciscans and the Scottish Wars of Independence: an Irish perspective

The intention of this paper is to examine the role of the Franciscans in the Scottish Wars of Independence. Many of the studies relating to this period have been confined to either the political or ecclesiastical arena. They also choose to treat the individual countries of the British Isles in an unconnected fashion. This paper is intended to redress the balance, using the involvement of the Franciscan friars in Ireland and Scotland to study political events on either side of the Irish Sea. By examining the actions of diverse nationalities belonging to a single order I hope to establish why the Franciscans saw fit to involve themselves in either the nativist or royalist causes and to determine it was purely race that dictated their actions when their countrymen went to war.     

A botanical survey of Scotland

Gauged river runoff records extend only over limited timespans, mostly commencing post‐1940. Historical sources can provide additional material to assist in extending the hydrological record into the nineteenth century and earlier. Such sources vary, however, in the nature of the detail, in their reliability and in their potential use in hydrological reconstruction. This paper outlines the main categories of sources available, subdivided into those which have been authenticated and those of variable reliability.     

Winter Daily Precipitation Variability over Northern Scotland

Daily winter (December, January and February) precipitation variability over mainland Northern Scotland (1994–2004) is analysed using 99 rain gauges. Principal component analysis (PCA) is used to identify four main patterns of rainfall variability that collectively account for nearly 75% of the variance. The most important pattern (PC 1) shows a west to east decline in rainfall; and is associated with a westerly wind flow, orographic enhancement and rain shadow effects. PC 2 shows a south to north decline in rainfall, a distribution that is generated disproportionately by southerly winds and a more southerly storm track than PC 1's pattern. PC 3 produces the most rainfall in Aberdeenshire and the least in Inverness-shire and Argyll. This spatial distribution is caused mostly by south-easterly flows, with the lowest pressure occurring in eastern Scotland or over the North Sea. PC 4 exhibits a localised precipitation maximum in Nairnshire and Moray, which tends to occur on days with a north to north-easterly wind. Cluster analysis is used to identify six rainfall regions, with regionalisations being derived for each wind direction. The most important sub-division in the region's rainfall climatology is between Aberdeen and Banff and the remainder of the mainland; rainfall variability over time in these two eastern counties thus differs considerably from other parts of Northern Scotland. The Caithness Plain also emerges as a distinct region despite its small area. Distinct rainfall regions are most evident on days when the wind blows from the westerly quadrant.     

The Retirement Village as a Residential Environment for the Third Age – The Example of Firhall,Scotland

Abstract

Retirement villages represent a recent addition to the range of residential options for older people in the UK. Research has focused on the development and nature of retirement housing in the public and voluntary sectors in England. Limited attention has been directed to the private retirement communities and, in particular, to the lived experience of residents in private sector retirement villages. This research, which is the first study of a private retirement village in Scotland, overcomes this information deficit by identifying the nature and growth of private retirement villages in the UK and exploring the lived experience of residents of the private retirement village of Firhall. The discussion is organised into four main parts. Part I examines the concept of the retirement village. Part II explains the growth and geography of retirement villages in the UK. Part III comprises the empirical analysis of the case study retirement village. The research identifies the social, economic and demographic characteristics of the village population and provides insight into lived experience of the residents in the study village. Finally, in part IV, the discussion identifies a number of key issues for further research, and the potential contribution of retirement villages for meeting the needs and preferences of the growing third age population of the UK.     

The historical geography of early Canada: A Review

The oil refinery/petro‐chemical complex at Grangemouth has played an important part in the rise of the United Kingdom petro‐chemical industry which has been one of the most dynamic elements of the nation's manufacturing sector.¹ The complex has a special significance within Central Scotland in view of the contrast between its rapid development and the declining fortunes of the traditional industrial base. This paper analyses its structure and development and also examines its role as the focus of official attempts to promote Grangemouth/Falkirk as a ‘growth centre’.