A comprehensive and well-illustrated history of MacBrayne and their involvement in Scottish transport spanning three centuries.
Spanning over 500 pages and containing well over 1000 illustrations, this book aims to present a comprehensive history of MacBrayne, looking at how the company formed and tracing its ownership and operations from the early 19th century through to the present day.
The book starts by looking at Comet's first steamboat sailing to the West Highlands, before tracing the routes and vessels operated by the company through the 19th century. It also covers MacBrayne's involvement in road services and covers the modern era from the formation of Caledonian MacBrayne through to the present day, where the name is owned by the Scottish Government.
Chapter List:
- A MacBrayne Chronology
- How the West Was Won: The Hebrides before MacBrayne 1820-1879
- Rules of Monopoly: MacBrayne finds favour with the Post Office 1879-1890
- At the Mercy of Mr MacBrayne: A Growing Dominance of the market 1890-1907
- Hoping Against Hope: The MacBrayne Inheritage in the balance 1907-1915
- A Matter of National Importance: A Family Business brought to its knees 1915-1921
- Death of a Dynasty: MacBrayne Critics win the day 1921-1928
- Brave New World: New management and new tonnage 1928-1934
- Supplementary Benefits: Years of Plenty for MacBraynes 1934-1939
- The Wages of War: Survival on Makeshift arrangements 1939-1947
- Paradise Lost: The Struggle with post-war realities 1947-1955
- Bridging the Water Gap: Dawn of the car ferry era 1955-1964
- A Costly Farrago: Resurrecting an old-fashioned business 1964-1969
- A Dangerous Competitor: MacBraynes jolted by Western Ferries 1969-1973
- Towards a Better Future: CalMac revitalises the network 1973-2000
- The Emperor's New Clothes: The state takes control 2000-2020
Several appendices are also contained, including a full fleet list for the company. Each chapter is well-illustrated with colour and black & white photographs and maps. Hardback. 504 pages.