Book excerpt: This text is intended for all in central Scotland, residents and visitors alike, who wish to know something of the natural and man-made history of the area. It covers from Balmaha on Loch Lomond in the west, to Blacknes on the Forth estuary in the east; from Tyndrum in the north down to Slamannan in the south - an area which is at the heart, yet combines features, of all Scotland.