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Alan MacDonald

@estaitis.bsky.social

360 followers 170 following 28 posts

Early modern Scotland, environment, agriculture, government, cider-making, green/left pessimist

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History 67%

Political science 13%

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · 22d

More text required!

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Apr 29

Thank you! I had forgotten that story but your post rang a bell and now I've reacquainted myself with it after about 50 years!

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Apr 25

Excellent first day at @braghs.bsky.social conference in Bury Guildhall yesterday. Looking forward to the second day at the @foodmuseumuk.bsky.social Stowmarket.

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Apr 24

Looking forward to the @braghs.bsky.social conference and to sharing some thoughts on the great Sir Walter Dundas of that Ilk!

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Apr 22

Thanks! I wonder if she was one of them. She was a minor in 1632, mentioned in her father's testament. I wonder where the fashion came from?

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Apr 22

Have just encountered Lucretia Dawling, daughter of a tenant farmer in West Lothian, 1632. I am pretty confident I've never seen that name before in an early modern Scottish source. Anyone?

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Feb 14

😆

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Feb 14

Hard agree. I do think that Bill Paterson's voice, while profoundly different, has as much beauty to it.

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Feb 14

The voice of Deep Thought.

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Feb 14

This is bewildering. What is the supposed motivation for gratuitously cutting staff/subjects?

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Feb 13

Today I decided it was time to stick a phrase from LOTR into a chapter I'm writing. Here's hoping it will survive the editing process.

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Feb 9

Do Routledge ever employ copy editors? Currently reading this and almost every chapter reads like it went straight from first draft to print.

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Feb 2

Bissilie

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Reposted by Alan R. MacDonald

Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshksi.bsky.social · Jan 17

This is weird, because when Trump destroyed records, the AHA got very upset www.historians.org/news/aha-sta... 🗃️

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Jan 15

I wonder who was responsible for the interpolation?

Reposted by Alan R. MacDonald, Elena Woodacre, James T. Palmer

Patrick Hart @silcrow.bsky.social · Jan 14

Job alert: the National Library of Scotland is looking to recruit a permanent, F/T curator of early modern books and other printed material. Please share widely! nls.current-vacancies.com/Jobs/Advert/...

Curator (Early Modern Era) - Edinburgh

This is a permanent curatorial role in the Department of Published Collections. The role of the Curator (Early Modern Era) is to curate the Library’s published collections from 1455 -1690, a period th...

nls.current-vacancies.com

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Jan 13

which led to suitcases getting even bigger, and people carrying even more. People used to travel light, consume less and have a much smaller carbon footprint. Wheeled suitcases are an epitome.

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Reposted by Alan R. MacDonald

Neil Lewis, Jr. @neillewisjr.bsky.social · Jan 12

"Walmart makes the places it operates in poorer than they would be if it had never shown up at all. Sometimes consumer prices are an incomplete, even misleading, signal of economic well-being."

Fascinating studies on the broader effects of Walmart:

www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The Walmart Effect

New research suggests that the company makes the communities it operates in poorer—even taking into account its famous low prices.

www.theatlantic.com

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Reposted by Alan R. MacDonald

Tom Gauld @tomgauld.bsky.social · Jan 12

My latest cartoon for @newscientist.bsky.social

A venn diagram.

The three circles are labelled:
The Archaeologist
The Pirate
The Dog

The area where all threel overlap is labelled: Loves digging things up

Dog/Archaeologist overlap is labelled: Gets excited by bones
Pirate/Archaeologist overlap is labelled: Good with maps
Dog/Pirate overlap is labelled: Buries things for later

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Reposted by Alan R. MacDonald

Allan Kennedy @allankennedy.bsky.social · Jan 10

Apparently my book, 'Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland', is now available for pre-order! Use discount code NEW30 for 30% off!
edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-serious...

Serious Crime in Late Seventeenth-Century Scotland

eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com

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Reposted by Alan R. MacDonald

Allan Kennedy @allankennedy.bsky.social · Dec 18

Twins!

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 27

Pace yourself!

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 27

Though that's a picture of John Spottiswoode, archbishop of St Andrews...

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Reposted by Alan R. MacDonald

Martine van Elk @martinevanelk.bsky.social · Nov 27

Today on the blog: @huntingrebels.bsky.social takes a fascinating dive into the household accounts of Annas Keith, an early modern Scottish woman, to find out what books she owned https://buff.ly/3Z9Vum9 #HerBook #EarlyModern

Annas Keith’s Books: Reconstructing Book Ownership

By Jade Scott As demonstrated by the contributions to this blog, the most compelling evidence for women’s book ownership is a signature or inscription. Yet often we are left with frustratingly few …

buff.ly

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 23

Morning!

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 20

Even more interesting!

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 19

Guessing it could be to secure recognition, either as endorsemnt/support or to signify acceptance on the part of someone who might have challenged the succession?

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 19

The Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Haviland, Basil Rathbone and Claude Rains. Don't judge me.

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Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 19

Beautiful, chilly lunchtime walk with Magnus. Pondering 1690s famine and fasting. Thinking's often so much easier outside.

Sunshine through the trees, a carpet of fallen leaves, a black labrador

Alan MacDonald @estaitis.bsky.social · Nov 19

🤣