Being fascinated by Scottish History and Culture, I expected this book to go more in depth about the clans themselves, and not just about "which house had which pattern of tartan". I didn't get that unfortunately.

It's not a bad book, but it's definitely a very light introduction to the subject, very basic and with little information.

So, if you're looking to learn a lot about Scottish Clans and their history, this might not be the right book for you.

Almost like a dictionary of plaid, this would be a good quick-reference book if you wanted to know which clan a particular tartan belonged to, or which tartan belonged to a specific clan. There was mention of some clan history but not a lot of details, so if you are hoping for tartan or clan in-depth info, this is not the book for you.

It gives what it promises TARTANS a lot, I am not an expert but i can't think for more complete guide. Plus I learned some things about clans. Very interesting from the point of view of the identities trough the clothes.
And it has great pictures of the patterns!!!

A really cool book for anyone with or interested in Scottish or Canadian history. Great photos and excellent information on the different clans and other tartans. I loved it!

Book: Tartans
By: Brenda Ralph Lewis
Release Date: 09/05/2023
Book Type: Travel Pocket Guide
Publisher: Amber Books
Book Length: 224 pages in color
Overall Rating: 5/stars

This is a beautiful book in color made for travelers. Fan of Scottish history and Outlander will love this book and remember the clearances after the Battle of Culloden, (April 16, 1746), the last battle of the “Forty-five Rebellion,” when the Jacobites, under Charles Stewart, the Young Pretender (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”), were defeated by British forces under William Augustus, duke of Cumberland in only 40 short minutes! This was when the English went to war against the Scots and made these humiliating laws under the clearances. Furthermore, clan life was taken away from Scotland and they were not allowed to wear their Kilts or speak their native tongue for many years.

This book also covers over 300 historic and modern kilts with a paragraph written about each clan including Canadian clans. Kilts were worn during Canada’s seven year war in the 18th century from 1756-1763. Now of course America and Canada have strong tartan traditions. Tartan Day is celebrated every April with a big parade in New York City. Some of the previous Grand Marshal's have been actors from the Outlander show. Even Israel has a kilt.

This edition is nice and convenient for travelers where they can even write notes. In addition, it's in vibrant colors and can fit in your pocket or handbag. I think it more for people who have DNA match or have Scottish, Irish or Canadian ancestry. I myself am a MacRae so another reason I was fascinated by this travel guide.

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher for an honest review through Netgalley.

History of the clan is brief so you get a bite sized look which is perfect for a tabletop book. The pictures are beautiful and detailed enough you can see the patterns. It is a great intro to do your research.

5 stars

It's a fascinating book like those by Amber Books: a perfect coffee table book with plenty of gorgeous pictures of Tartans and interesting explanations.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I would like to thank netgalley and Amber Books Ltd for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting, but very basic.

Tartans is a beautifully illustrated catalogue of different tartans with their clan and province affiliations compiled and written by Brenda Ralph Lewis. Due out 14th July 2023 from Amber Books, it's 224 pages and will be available in flexibound (pocket) format.

This is a no-nonsense, photographic encyclopedia with full colour illustrations. It's arranged in chapters: Scots clan tartans, district and special tartans, and Canadian tartans. The entries are arranged alphabetically. Each entry contains a full colour closeup photo and an abbreviated history and interesting background for each pattern.

It's not meant to be a guide to the use or cultural significance of the kilt, and there are no entries for kilt jewelry or hose, nothing about sporrans. In the cases (many!) where there are alternates or the patterns have changed, they're labeled and listed in the same entry.

Very interesting and useful resource with lots of gorgeous tartan plaids in colour.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This is an excellent guide to the history of the tartans, which includes district, Royal and Canadian tartans. It is useful if you have family tartans that you want to look up, or you want to find out more about a particular tartan. I didn’t know that the Canadian provinces had tartans!

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Extensive list of tartans ordered alphabetically, with large coloured photos and a short family history. I didn't know that tartan had such a special significance and that there were so many different kinds. I would've liked to learn a bit more. Very interesting.

An interesting reference book about Tartans. Nice full color pictures with descriptions and history. Probably not something our library will buy but places with a large Scottish ancestry population may like it.

Although the book includes lovely pictures of each tartan, the book is marred in a couple of ways.

First, most of the pictures are too small to show a complete repeat of the tartan. If more than one tartan is shown on a page, it's worse because rarely do they show similar sections of the two, making it difficult to compare them.

Second, while every single tartan gives the reader an often-confusing history of the family, it fails anywhere in the book to explain tartans themselves. It's missing information about the history, the meaning of words like "ancient," "hunting," or "weathered" with regard to tartans, or even how and why tartans are registered. You'd think some of this would be included in a book called "Tartans."

Finally, and perhaps because too much of the small space is spent on family history, the presence of several of the second or third tartans on a page is never explained.

Don't bother with the book, there are better ways to learn about tartans.