Eye on the British Isles

Can’t make it to the 17th annual Scottish Festival this Memorial Day

weekend?

Enjoy the pleasures of overseas travel without venturing even as

far as the Orange County Fairgrounds with books, videos, DVDs and CDs

from your nearest library.

You can get a taste of some of the world’s most bucolic spreads

with James Bentley’s “The Most Beautiful Villages of England.” With

285 photographs of country lanes, thatched cottages and weathered

churches, this is a tribute to the scenic diversity of our

motherland. Also in the series are volumes on Brittany, Burgundy,

France, Greece, Ireland and the Dordogne.

For a more comprehensive tour of the British Isles, browse through

“Portrait of Britain” from the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides series.

Intended as a pictorial souvenir, this coffee table-worthy tome

captures the essence of the island, from the streets of London to the

pastoral Lake District. Dazzling photos, informative maps and cutaway

illustrations make it a must for visitors and armchair travelers.

If a cerebral tour is more your style, turn to Simon Schama’s “A

History of Britain,” a three-volume treatise covering the Norman

conquest, struggles of the Henrys and Richards, the reign of

Elizabeth I, civil and world wars, and the rise of England as a

global power. It’s also available on DVD. The series includes five

discs with 15 hours of footage offering an overview of Great Britain

from 3100 BC through the 20th century.

Geared more for tourists’ sensibilities is “Discovering England,”

a two-hour DVD from the Video Visits Travel Collection. With views of

castles, cathedrals and universities from London to Cornwall, this

virtual tour follows the paths of Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters and

Winston Churchill.

An equally colorful portrait of the Emerald Isle is from “In

Search of Ancient Ireland,” a PBS documentary on DVD that covers

Irish history from 3000 BC to the Norman conquest. Included are

stories pieced together from archeological evidence and Celtic myths,

from before writing arrived in Ireland with Christian missionaries.

For those interested in flora, the Royal Horticultural Society

offers “Wisley Through the Seasons,” a video series starring their

famous garden in Surrey. Along with stunning views of meadows

throughout the year, the series illustrates ideas and techniques for

closer-to-home spreads.

When you’re sated with intellectual and visual stimulation, fire

up the CD player to capture the essence of British folk music with

the King’s Singers’ “Watching the White Wheat.” These 16 ballads,

ditties and hymns (including nine a cappella renditions) will

transport even the most reluctant traveler to lands of clans, tartans

and haunting glens.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams in collaboration with

Claudia Peterman. All titles may be reserved from home or office

computers by accessing the catalog at www.newportbeach library.org.