A few books I've read:
Scotland's Mountains before the Mountaineers – Ian Mitchell
Interesting even to someone (me) who has barely climbed any of the hills mentioned. goes right back to pre victoria times, also includes a pretty shocking (by today's standards) list of the animals hunted on estates and the totals killed.
Mountain Days and Bothy Nights – Dave Brown and Ian Mitchell
A classic which describes early climbing and the lifestyle. Won't teach you much history of areas but a great read and does teach you a little bit about some of the famous mountaineering areas in Scotland.
The Hydro Boys – Emma Wood
History of the introduction of Hydro Power to scotland. Not as dry as it might sound and gives a new perspective to the sometimes uninteresting looking hydro schemes
Children of the Dead End – Patrick McGill
A fictional account of a labourer's life in the highlands, in particular working on the Blackwater dam above Kinlochleven. I've not read this but it sounds really good, have thus far failed to track down a copy…
Scottish Hill Names – Peter Drummond
Probably the best for what you want, a guide book to translations of gaelic hill (mostly munro) and some place names. Learning a wee bit of gaelic is fun and the hill names often have some relevance or a wee bit of story surrounding the local area. having read most of it I can't help but notice place names and try to guess the origin.
