{"product_id":"the-gravity-of-feathers-andrew-fleming-9781836920045","title":"The Gravity of Feathers: Fame, Fortune and the Story of St Kilda","description":"\u003cb\u003eSt Kilda's history unfolds through the islanders' choices to commercialize isolation, revealing how community reputation, tourism, and political savvy reshaped a once uncorrupted society.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eShortlisted for The Wolfson History Prize.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDiscover the true story of St. Kilda.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen the last 36 inhabitants of St Kilda, 40 miles west of the Scottish Hebrides, were evacuated in 1930, the archipelago at 'the edge of the world' lost its permanent population after five millennia.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt has long been accepted that the islanders' failure to adapt to the modern world was its demise. Andrew Fleming overturns the traditional view. Unafraid of highlighting dark times, he shows how they sacrificed their reputation as an uncorrupted, ideal society to embrace and exploit the tourist trade. Creating a prestigious tweed, exporting the ancestors of today's Hebridean sheep, the islanders gained access to consumer goods and learned how to play politics to their advantage.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book tells the absorbing and eventful story of St Kilda from earliest times, up to the evacuation and its aftermath. Previously untapped sources and fresh insights bring to life the personalities, feelings, attitudes and rich culture of the islanders themselves, as well as the numerous outsiders who engaged with the remote island community.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Andrew Fleming\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1836920040\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781836920045\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Birlinn\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/04\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 464\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback","brand":"Andrew Fleming","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48997307023615,"sku":"9781836920045","price":21.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-gravity-of-feathers-andrew-fleming-9781836920045","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}