THE Central Fife times prides itself on its history, having been at the heart of the local community for many decades, writes Kerry Black.

This beautiful book was created by Greta Kirkwood Andresen, the granddaughter of George Shields Hutchison, who was editor of the then Cowdenbeath Advertiser and Lochgelly Times, till they merged to become the Central Fife Times, from 1953 to 1976.

The whole book was inspired by George's service in World War II, where he served as a war reporter in the Middle East.

Although he died when Greta was just a baby, she embarked on a journey through the countries , faiths and borders he would have encountered.

Unusually, as well as being a journalist, Greta is also a wonderful photographer and poet and the whole book passionately chronicles the face of the lands her grandfather explored more than 70 years ago.

In several cases, she uses black and white snapshots of him, juxtaposed with current photos to reflect the transition. The entire ethos of this beautiful book is summed up in her poem, “The Road To Transformation”, where she discusses the refugee crisis, which has now reached British shores, as “hope on the human edge”.

From photographs of The Sphinx, to religious icons, to shots of urban decay and devastation, this book captures the faces and hearts of the people of the Middle East and the suffering that many of them continue to endure.

To quote George Hutchison himself, “The ear can take in a lot, but when it comes to news, people always like to read about it. There is something more permanent and convincing in the silent printed word”.

The silence and power of this book will stay with the reader for a long time afterwards.

The Sands of Time was published by Word Power Books of Edinburgh and is available for £29.99, ISBN 978-0-9927-5-6.