Kathleen Jamie is one of Scotlands leading poets, and has also published 3 previous non fiction books of mostly natural history observational writing. They are characterised by their extraordinary poetical economy of writing, and clarity of communication of what she observes. This latest collection is no different. In it she visits archaeological sites in Westray in Orkney, and in Alaska, and descriptions of these are the two longest pieces in the book, amongst 10 shorter pieces on a variety of subjects. All are concerned with the past, and how our knowledge of it inform the present and influence the future. It's a lovely collection, effortlessly profound, and nicely illustrated with a scattering of black and white photographs.