The Poor Had No Lawyers

‘It would be described as definitive, if its very purpose was not an ongoing attempt to introduce definition to disorder. If this remarkable book is definitive of anything, it is of its dogged, inquisitive, articulate and extremely serious author’

‘frank, fearless and at times ferocious - a remarkable book’

‘Superlative’

‘An essential guide to who owns Scotland and why land reform has flowered there in recent years’

‘A more important book about Scottish land ownership has yet to be written’

‘One of the defining literary and scholarly works of modern Scotland … it demands to be read if you want to reach an understanding of why Scotland cannot be considered a fair society while prevailing patterns of land ownership persist in our most beautiful places’

‘Wightman is an avid proponent of land reform and newcomers to his writing will find here a comprehensive and powerful set of arguments supporting his positions… This remains a very important, if still controversial, book which deserves to be studied closely. It is well written and cogently argued‘ 

Andy Wightman was born in Dundee and studied forestry at Aberdeen University. He worked as a ghillie, environmental scientist, and an environmental campaigner before becoming a self-employed writer and researcher in 1993. He is the author of several books, including the best-selling Who Owns Scotland, and a prominent analyst and critic of land reform process. He lives in Edinburgh.