Scottish Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond Receives Strong Review in Library Journal

Library Journal, the leading professional magazine in its field and the primary source for book purchasing for collection development and acquisition librarians, just reviewed David Dobson’s new book, Scottish Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond. The review appeared in the August 2021 issue of the magazine, and we have reprinted it in its entirety below.

Dobson, David. Scottish Genealogy: The Basics and Beyond. Genealogical Publishing Company. Mar. 2021. 172 p. ISBN 9780806321134. Pap. $25.95

Though many beginner books explore Scottish genealogy and history, this work, true to its title, goes beyond the rudimentary information. Dobson (history, Univ of St. Andrews, Scotland) introduces more advanced researchers to lesser-known sources and discusses where to find them, either online or in archives. After a short chapter on common sources, Dobson provides a comprehensive look at church records, then dives deep into secondary sources, including heritors’ and burgh records, the Scottish Register of Sasines, tax records, various court records, maritime sources, military and education records, among others. The last chapter is dedicated to records of Scottish people’s emigration to other parts of the world. Illustrations and examples of records supplement the text, along with a list of national and local archives and libraries, a surname index, and a list of Family History Societies.

VERDICT Lovers of Scottish history and readers searching for their Scottish roots will find an abundance of resources to keep them busy—Holly Hebert, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro.