Argyll and the islands that lie off from the west coast of the Kintyre are some of the most historically resonant places in Scotland. But the rocks beneath tell a story of an even more ancient world that stretches back billions of years.

In this book Alan McKirdy explains how much of the ancient bedrock of the area was created from a once-towering mountain; how granites were formed deep in the Earth's crust as a result of the white heat of collision; how volcanoes left an indelible print on the landscape; how coal swamps briefly covered the land, only to be succeeded by desert sands; and how glaciers shaped the landscape into the familiar mountains and glens we see today.

Islands included are: Islay, Colonsay, Oronsay, Lismore, Jura, Scarba, Kerrera, Lunga, Garvellachs.