UHI Graduate Secures ‘History Book of the Year’ Award

Dr David Taylor, the second ever PhD graduate from UHI’s Centre for History, has been presented with the Saltire Society’s History Book of the Year Award.

Published in 2022, Dr Taylor’s monograph ‘The People Are Not There’: The Transformation of Badenoch 1800 – 1863 explores the historical events which shaped the region.

The Saltire Society announced the 2023 winners of Scotland’s National Book Awards at a ceremony in Glasgow on Thursday 7 December. Judges commended Dr Taylor’s publication as “a beautifully written exploration of the region of Badenoch” and “a readable and important account of how the local translates into the global.”

Dr Taylor was Principal Teacher of History in Kingussie for thirty years, spending much of this time exploring the ruins of the Badenoch landscape. After retiring, he completed a PhD on Badenoch history with UHI in 2014 before converting his research into two books and various articles.

Speaking about his award, Dr Taylor said: “I feel as if I am floating well above cloud nine at the present! None of this would have happened without UHI who gave me the opportunity to undertake my PhD and the Centre for History in particular whose supervisory team provided all the support and encouragement I could possibly have asked for over my five years of study. They were undoubtedly some of the best years of my life.”

Professor David Worthington, Head of the Centre for History, said: “Dr Taylor’s teaching career and, I am sure, his PhD with us, encouraged him along a track towards writing history of the highest quality, based on impressive archival research. We are delighted and proud to consider him a friend of the centre to this day.”

Scotland’s National Book Awards have been awarded by the Saltire Society since 1937. The winner of each category receives a bespoke award created by Inverness-based artist Simon Baker of Evergreen Studios and the winners of the Literary Awards each receive a cash prize of £2,000.