Storm’s Edge: Life, Death and Magic in the Islands of Orkney

Storms Edge is a new history of the Orkney Islands by Peter Marshall, winner of the Wolfson Prize 2018, that delves deep into island politics, folk beliefs, and community memory. It offers a radical alternative to traditional British history, encouraging us to reorient the map and travel with Marshall through landscapes of forgotten history.

Format: Hardback
Length: 560 pages
Publication date: 11 April 2024
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

From Peter Marshall, the 2018 Wolfson Prize winner, comes Storms Edge, a fresh take on the Orkney Islands' history that explores island politics, folk beliefs, and community memory on the British mainland's geographical fringe.

Peter Marshall, born in Orkney, comes from a family of farmers and farm laborers on Sanday, the northern island, where one of his ancestors was killed by a witch in 1624. In this sweeping and captivating historical narrative, Marshall reexamines a group of islands often overlooked as mere footnotes, remote and peripheral. By doing so, he challenges us to rethink significant events in British history.

Starting with Orkney as our point of departure, Marshall traverses three turbulent centuries marked by religious, political, and economic upheaval. This period saw the forging and testing of what we now consider modern Scotland and Britain.

Storms Edge is a masterful work of history, a captivating cultural study, and a powerful testament to the significance of centering the periphery. While Britain is composed of numerous islands, we often overlook their diversity. This book offers a radical alternative, encouraging us to reimagine the map and embark on a journey with Peter Marshall through landscapes of forgotten history.

Weight: 844g
Dimension: 242 x 161 x 48 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008394394