A classic, originally published in 1954. Thomson sets out in search of Celtic seal legends among the people of Shetland, Orkney, the Hebrides and Western Ireland in this marvelous, unclassifiable book. Not exactly folklore nor a travel book, it mixes a collection of Thomson's stories, observations and encounters with a meditation on the myth and meaning of the selchie. With an introduction by Irish poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney.  (SCT68, $16.00)