Number 10 Scottish bestseller

This massive, ground-breaking bestseller contains the names, old and new, of thousands of streets, roads, villages, hills and other places within the modern city of Edinburgh -- an area of one hundred and five square miles. In this important reference work, Stuart Harris has endeavoured to show when and how and why each name arose, and to trace how names have changed since then.

But this book is much more than a list of place names -- it also contains many vivid details of Edinburgh's people over the centuries -- people who named places, and people who had places named after them.

In this fascinating volume, Harris explains how place names are determined by our languages, personal names, interests and outlook, as well as our social and working life in town and countryside. 'The Place Names of Edinburgh' makes it clear just how important a part of our history place names are, and how they shape the character of our town and cities. It is an important reference tool for everyone interested in Edinburgh and district.