This book is an account of the people of Fife and their villages and hamlets, from medieval times to the present day. At one time or another, these habitations were the core of the country's community life, and their individual stories provide a rich source of Scotland's local and national history.

Fife has seen many of the major events in Scottish history, and this book covers the places, parishes and people; their leaders, labour and leisure, and the part all strata of village society played in the vibrant country with the pretentions of a kingdom. From Kingsbarns to Saline and from Wormit to Dysart, Raymont Lamont-Brown reveals the myriad of villages, showing how they are as alive today as they ever were, still contributing to the ongoing story of Fife. In addition, he also seeks out the lost villages, the almost vanished prehistoric settlements, and shows what village names can tell us about locations, historical events and personages, and the life and industry of the people who lived in them. He also reviews the village heart of such larger places as St Andrews, Cupar, Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy. 

Raymond Lamont-Brown is a well-known author and lecturer, with a wide range of interests. During the 1960s he studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University and lived for some time in Japan. Later he lectured at the universities of St Andrews and Dundee and is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Scotland. As well as writing a great deal of local history, Raymond Lamont Brown has written books on Robert Burns, Mary, Queen of Scots, as well as several books of military history. He lives in Broughty Ferry.