This is a natural history of the islands in the Outer Hebrides - Lewis, Harris, the Uists and Benbecula and Barra, with their outlying islets. This, the first of three volumes, gives an account of Hebridean geology, landforms and climate, followed by a resume of findings on glaciation in the region. The chapters on coastal development and erosion contain newly-researched material, and the volume concludes with a chapter on climate and soils.