Edinburgh: A History of the City [Paperback]

A thorough and wide-ranging survey of the city, that avoids the usual urban history traps. Fry does not focus on the city's architecture, for instance, though he discusses it in its context; nor is this a municipal history, although the City Council's development and influence get their due throughout. The book is well written and generally pacy, and does not shy away from the more difficult, undocumented early history of the city, although this era is, inevitably perhaps, more a Scottish than a city history. The role of the city as a backdrop for the later Stuart history and the Jacobite era is particularly well written, covering the ground without retelling the well-worn and hackneyed tales, and providing new, and distinctively Edinburgh, dimensions to these upheavals. This is a good, well-structured and non-pedestrian history, make no mistake. Whilst retaining a broad chronological structure, the discussion is not rigidly linear and Fry moves backwards as well as forwards in his chapters, to good effect, if at times keeping the reader on edge wondering when this or that topic will ever be raised!

Any city history has to be selective, though, especially as municipality develops and record keeping becomes more through and more reliable, and it may be churlish to criticise Fry for doing what any historian has to do. Yet there are some significant omissions from this discussion. The focus is very much on the city centre, and although suburban development is mentioned en passant the suburban geography is not discussed at all. Railways are covered as an afterthought, and their impact in broadening city-dwellers' horizons and experiences is not explored at all; indeed, public transport, surely a vital factor in the city's spread, gets no coverage whatsoever - and while I applaud Fry for avoiding the boring company histories of bus and tram, they did surely have something to do with the way the city developed in the Victorian era and still have an impact today. Iconic structures such as the Forth bridges are barely mentioned, but surely had some impact, if only on recognition and perception? Roads, streets, cars, parks, cemeteries...all vitally important parts of the present fabric of the city, but left for others to consider, Fry has little or nothing to say of these. The public utilities - water, gas, electricity - are also overlooked, but perhaps are not sufficiently remarkable or distinctive in this city.

Social history is also underplayed. Education coverage focuses primarily on the university (and here Fry does get boring, we surely don't need to get the detailed politics he gives here) while health, and especially housing, are underplayed. Drugs are covered, but not social care, and not sport. Class issues and their consequences are explored, as are the many contradictions of the city, not least in the public and private realms of religion, but gender issues are less well explored. I would also have liked more on politics, especially towards the end when devolution surely reawakens the historic role of the capital rather more prominently than Fry allows, and a discussion of civic pride in the national (and nationalist) context would have been more welcome than the blow by blow account of the RBS/Standard Chartered merger (which came along just when I was wondering if the financial centre would ever be mentioned at all).

The index is very disappointing with several possible entries missing. But the biggest omission, in my view, is any map showing the progress of the city's development and expansion. This would have greatly aided a reader like me, familiar with the city generally but not a local resident.

On the whole, though, this is a good, well-written history that is an enjoyable read; I got it for Christmas and have enjoyed working my way through it over the holiday week. It is never dull, and not at all academic in tone, but comes across as a well-researched and authoritative book albeit with gaps that leave room for others to follow. It should appeal to the general reader as much, if not more so, as to a more specifically academic student of the city.

What a fascinating book. This book fills in all the gaps from when James VIth left Scotland to the present day. The book encompasses all aspects of Edinburgh life - Church, Council, the building of the New Town ,even the authors of today. A must read if Edinburgh interests you

Two stars feels harsh. This history of Scotland's capital isn't terrible. But we're asked here to judge a book by how much we "like" it. And while Michael Fry's vast knowledge of Edinburgh is certainly impressive, I can't claim to have enjoyed the way he shares it with us.

There's just too much going on. We're bombarded by facts. All Scotland's big hitters feature: Robert the Bruce, John Knox, Mary Queen of Scots, King James VI. Key figures like David Hume, the philosopher, and James Hutton, the "father of geology", make an appearance. But while quotes and anecdotes from every possible era of Edinburgh's history abound, too much of it is dealt with briskly, and too little of it comes to life. The result is a slog. I found it all a bit hard going; at times, very hard going.

"A very fine book and a considerable achievement," runs a quote on the back of my copy. I guess that's fair, up to a point. "Edinburgh" is thorough, wide-ranging and well-researched. But it's not particularly well written. It's not particularly memorable. And for this newcomer to Scottish history, at least, reading it wasn't much fun.