St Andrews City by the Northern Sea Author:Raymond Lamont-Brown St Andrews is an ancient burgh, unique in Scottish history. Once the ecclesiastical capital of Scotland, it is the location of the nation's oldest university. Claims to the town's status as the birthplace of golf may remain controversial, but there is no doubt at all that it has become the home of golf as the game is played today. For over a hun... more »dred years, the burgh has also been a popular seaside resort. Today, it ranks as one of the most prominent historic towns in Europe. Author and broadcaster Raymond Lamont-Brown has produced a fascinating and comprehensive history of St. Andrews from the dawn of Pictish times to the present, based on several decades of residence in the burgh and on original study of its thoroughfares and byways. The book focuses on a lively selection of colorful characters who have made St. Andrews what it is, from doughty residents Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair and Cardinal Archbishop David Beaton to such illustrious visitors as Mary, Queen of Scots, John Knox, and Samuel Johnson. Thousands of others, from artisans to golfers, have contributed to St. Andrews' past, to make it a burgh whose history forms the core of Scotland's story.« less