Book excerpt: This is a history of the most northern county on the mainland of Scotland, originally united with Sutherland, with the Gaelic name of Cattey or Cattadh. Even after 150 years, this remains one of the most sought after and elusive of all histories of this region, for it contains not only historical but also family or genealogical material as well. Among the families discussed are: Kennedy of Stroma, Keith of Ackergill, Gunn, Sinclair, Gordon, Stevenson, MacIver, Mey, Forss, Ratter, and many others. But the essence of this work is a detailed history of the county and events happening in it, beginning with a brief discussion of the original inhabitants, but concentrating primarily upon the period from the Viking or Scandinavian settlements through into the nineteenth century. For those interested in the Scandinavian impact upon Scotland, this history is a must. But there also is extensive material on clan or family battles, memoirs of distinguished individuals in Caithness, religious changes, and the collapse of the Highland world during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.