My recent journey to the Subantarctic has rekindled my interest in stories surrounding remote islands. So, while looking for a book to read on the long way home and scanning the lists of Best Non-Fiction and Best History Books of 2025, one book that caught my eye immediately was The Gravity of Feathers: Fame, Fortune and the Story of St Kilda by Andrew Fleming.

Like many people who have tried, I have so far never made it to the Scottish, WH-listed island of St. Kilda. People have been fascinated by the island and its human history for a long time, and cruises to St. Kilda were already a regular occurrence in the 19th century.

This book dives into the history of the islanders from the earliest times. It is filled with interesting tidbits.

A few takeaways:

• The archipelago was never truly isolated, not even in the Iron Age or before. There was contact with other islands and the mainland (including the lord of the land, and also colonists and prisoners). The population became a mix.
• The title of the book refers to the seabird feathers, the harvesting of which was the main ‘industry’ on the island since the late 17th century and a lucrative one for which there was a big market in Scandinavia. The male islanders were known to only wear socks, which gave them a better grip on the rocks where the birds were nesting.
• Later in the island’s history, they eagerly awaited the arrival of tourist boats from the mainland, as contemporary Caribbean islanders do with a cruise landing. Everything was geared up to the max, and they were tough salesmen.
• In the 1920s, it became hard for the islanders to receive mail or supplies, as they had relied on fishing trawlers from the mainland to bring them. A more commercial approach to fishing prohibited captains from "wasting" landings on those unprofitable extras.

And the best one of course: there never was a Saint called Kilda. The island (or: an island) was shown on early maps as Skilda, penned down by a Dutch cartographer. Only in later transcriptions was the S turned into St. or Saint. But the list of Catholic saints has never held a Kilda…

If you like reading about life on remote islands or local social histories, The Gravity of Feathers could be a good item to add to your Christmas Wish List!