I have noted before the official guidebook for Skara Brae on Orkney. The original edition by V. Gordon Childe dated to 1933, and the guide was revised in 1983 (D.V. Clarke with [the late] V. Gordon Childe). This 1983 edition was fully illustrated (in black and white), with sections on The site revealed; the best in northern Europe; the village and its inhabitants; a guided tour. This guide was published by HMSO.
The guidebooks is sponsored and supported by Gateway supermarkets.
This was replaced by the Historic Scotland Guide prepared by David Clarke and Patrick Maguire. It is subtitled ‘Northern Europe’s Best Preserved Prehistoric Village’. It starts with a ‘Guided Tour’ and then a series of sections on the settlement: ‘The preservation of Skara Brae’, ‘About the houses’, ‘In the midden’, ‘The workshop’, ‘The way of life at Skara Brae’, and completes with ‘How the story came to light’. There is a note ‘About this booklet’ that explains the difference between ‘undoubted fact’ and ‘speculation’. The guide is completed with ‘Some commonly asked questions’.
David Clarke is the author of the Historic Scotland guide (2012). This is fully illustrated, in colour, and includes plans and reconstructions. There are three main sections: guided tour; life at Skara Brae; understanding Skara Brae. The guide includes a section on the local wildlife.
