Back to the future: Scottish history apps for the iPad

SCOTSMAN.com takes a look at the pick of the iPad’s Scottish history apps

JOHN KNOX HD

by A. Taylor Innes, £1.49

One in a series of books in the Famous Scots series published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Alexander Taylor Innes’s biography of Protestant reformationist John Knox is a scholarly account of a man whose life, especially in his early years, remains an enigma. Though the writing shows its age - an introductory preface would have been welcome, too - it’s a worthy tome for students, academics, or those with merely a passing interest.

Rating: ****

A SHORT HISTORY OF SCOTLAND

by Andrew Lang, £0.69

Originally published in 1911 and, like Innes’s book, long since unbound by copyright, A Short History of Scotland is an essential text for historians and students. Spanning the period of Agricola in 81 A.D. through to the Jacobite uprisings in the early and mid 18th century. Lang’s breezy, concise style is a pleasure to read, and his grasp of the subject matter is balanced by a gripping narrative.

Rating: ****

HISTORY SCOTLAND MAGAZINE

£2.99 (first issue free, subscription required thereafter)

History Scotland has much to recommend it. Features that plough seldom-furrowed swathes of Scottish history - one feature published as recently as March features the story of an ordinary maritime trader whose tale is told via a collage of manuscript fragments - are rigorous yet readable, and the fact that the publication has been one of the first of its kind to embrace the iPad says much about its digital ambitions. The interface is lovely, too.

Rating: ****

SCOTLAND FACTS

£0.99

Scotland Facts is not any sort of weighty compendium of Scottish history, nor does it pretend to be. It is, rather, a quick reference guide to Scotland’s major regions and cities. Each region is afforded a dedicated summary of facts, such as population, geography, history and so forth. However, the app is not without some flaws: aside from the cut-and-paste presentation, its transport section is a bit of a guddle, and varies greatly in quality across regions.

Rating: ***