Books on William Wallace, a short guide. By David R. Ross, Convenor, The Society of William Wallace.

There are many books available with Wallace as their theme, and as convenor of The Society of William Wallace I am often asked what title I would recommend. The best reply I can give is to read several titles, and form a picture from the whole, but below is a list of some of the better works, and a personal viewpoint of their contents.
I have to start with my own work on Wallace,

On the Trail of William Wallace by David R. Ross.
I tried to write the book on Wallace that I always wanted to read myself! I approached it in a different way by telling the story of Wallace, but also pinpointing the places associated with the man. I have spent much of my life exploring Scotland, and had stood on the spots where Wallace had carried out many of his feats, so I wanted to give people the opportunity to do the same. I hope that I have also given an insight into the way that Wallace is perceived. Very much a populist book, with line drawings and pictures. Almost a travelogue as well as a book on history.

The Deeds of Wallace of Elderslie by Blind Harry.
The original Wallace book, written in the 1400s, by Blind Harry, a wandering minstrel, who told stories of Wallace for his supper. This is the second biggest seller in Scotland- of all time! Braveheart was scripted from it too. It is in the form of an epic poem, but it will seem dated and perhaps archaic to modern sensibilities. One for real aficionados though.
There is much in Harry’s work that is fantasy, coupled with actual events, so it should not be taken as a true account of Wallace’s life, but it gives us a window back in time to see how Wallace was perceived by the people of Scotland in medieval times.

William Wallace-Brave Heart by James Mackay
A travesty is the only way I can describe this book. It contains so much misinformation that I started to doubt my own senses and memory. It pushes the Wallace Ayrshire birthplace, giving blatant untruths printed as facts.
For example, there are lines in the book like "Corsbie, which is of course now known as Crosshouse" whereas Corsbie still exists and is a different entity to Crosshouse! He sites the Leglen Wood monument to Wallace in Irvine-20 miles away from its correct site near Ayr! The whole chapter on Wallace’s birthplace contains errors in nearly every line. On the plus side, the description of Wallace’s murder is well written.
Errors only need to be written down once though, for them to be repeated for future generations, so it is a shame that this book was not better researched, as it has caused much blurring of the truth in the few years since its release.

William Wallace by Andrew Fisher
An academic book on Wallace, careful to quote sources for all its detail, and probably the best historical work on Wallace available. The author though, does make one or two suggestions regarding Wallace that I disagree with. One such is that Wallace may have honed his craft fighting in English campaigns- for the English! This aside, this is one book that I would suggest that people read, and although it may be a little dry for some tastes, it covers most of the data available on Wallace.

Robert Bruce by GWS Barrow
Although a book about Bruce, the hero King of Scots, it is the bible of this era in Scotland's history, and those who wish to understand the political climate and events of Wallace’s time should not leave this off their reading lists. It gives all the factual detail known on Wallace, and lets us see where he stands in the scheme of things. Perhaps a bit "heavy duty" for the casual reader who just wants to learn a little more about Wallace, but a well researched and invaluable guide.

Under The Hammer by Fiona Watson
Not a book for anyone who does not know the Wallace era intimately, and definitely not an introduction to the period.
This work looks at the English occupation of Scotland from the viewpoint of finance and administration, and is enlightening in giving an understanding of some of the hows? and whys? It throws a different light on Wallace's decision to fight at Falkirk, and I found it interesting that new standpoints have been made. A valid work, but heavily academic, and one for the purists.

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