The Story of Scotland

by Nigel Tranter

Book by Tranter, Nigel

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Scotland

266 pages, Paperback

Published July 27, 1992

About the author

Nigel Tranter OBE was a Scottish historian and writer. He was the author of a wide range of books on Scottish castles, particularly on themes of architecture and history. He also specialised in deeply researched historical novels that cover centuries of Scottish history.

Reviews

[Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nigel Tranter is the ultimate Scottish storyteller. His historical novels are always gripping to the last page, not sparing the reader the sometimes horrific endings the leaders of Scotland came to (think William Wallace). He always gets into the heads and the hearts of characters that are just names and dry facts in any other history book.

This book, then, being a non-fiction history book,you would expect it to be the dry, dull facts on which he builds his characters. Not this book. This is a really well put-together account of more or less 1500 years of Scottish history. The way it is written, you could imagine yourself sitting in Tranter's study in his house in Aberlady, glass of whisky in hand, log fire crackling loudly in the hearth as he merrily chats to you about his favourite subject. He works hard to help you see the consequences of what was happening, what makes Scotland so very different from England, the history of religious division, why highlanders mistrust lowlanders - so well written!

This is my third time reading this book and it still leaves me breathless at how Scotland evolved as a nation, and indeed is still evolving.

Well worth the read!

[Leslie Klingensmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this because my husband and I are planning a trip. Interesting and informative, but almost too pared down. Made me eager to read a more extensive history.

[Κωνσταντίνος Τσουρέκης · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nigel Tranter is not a historian but an awesome storyteller! And that's what i loved about this book!

[Sandi Dickenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My childhood education was acquired over 9 military moves. While history was one of my more loved subjects, I couldn’t quite make the connections of what happened after Rome collapsed.

I had just finished some of the books on England’s history which included wars with Scotland and intermarriage of their rulers. I checked out this library book in hopes it would broaden my understanding of the interplay between the two countries.

It did so much more! I had always had a notion of the UK as one blended nation but I now appreciate the influence of the indigenous peoples who were continuously assaulted and eventually assimilated by their attackers.

As in American History, the expeditions and assaults came from a variety of “foreign countries”, “pirates” and cultures.

I was fascinated by the lack of rule and the lack of any real power even when a king was on the Scottish throne. I had not realized the intertwining connections between Scotland and France.

This book truly filled in the missing pieces of England’s relationship with Scotland and why it took centuries to bring them under one ruler.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read Nigel Tranters fiction many years ago, "Unicorn Rampant" during a trip to Scotland. Highly enjoyable and enlightening. This book is fascinating. A really good history full of place names and people that if I were a Scot might have had a little more familiarity. Nevertheless, having finished the book, I feel that my knowledge of Scotland has expanded more than ten-fold. Scottish history prior to the Jacobites was quite confusing to me and after the Convergenge of Scotland and England in 1706, became even more challenging.
Reading this book was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it.

[Inge Van Delft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. The history of Scotland is fascinating, that's a given, but still, when reading a history book (as opposed to an historic novel) you'd expect some dry, factual pages to struggle through. Tranter managed to avoid this entirely and at times had me laughing out loud. Excellently written, giving his own take on the nation's history and well-known characters.

[Jeanie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed, sometimes a little hard to follow all that history, but he has a great way of giving character to historical figures that brings them alive. Don't get too bogged down in the details-- enjoy getting close up and personal with people you've heard about just as players in Scottish history.

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the story of Scotland you realize what has been the prototype for Song of Ice and Fire. Even the Red Wedding has its prototype.

And Tranter is an enjoyable storyteller. This isn't an academic history, but a story of adventure and excitement.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really brought alive the history of Scotland. I haven't read any other History of Scotland books, so in all honesty I can't compare. But I really enjoyed this. It was quite easy to read and full of easily assimilated facts and stories.

I would recommend this book highly.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A superb book i have thoroughly enjoyed. A well written highly informative account of Scotland's history, its rulers and the many ups and downs. Nigel Tranter brings it all to life and inspires me to do lots of further reading.

[Marisa Bantjes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Scotland and want to know more about her history. This book was a good start, nice relaxed narrative style, running through the centuries, pivotal events, power changes, battles and many many historical figures. Too much to take in and make sense of, but a start. I want to know more.

[Brianna]

Absolutely fantastic.

[Madelaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging gallop through history from North of the Border (if you are English as I am). I feel better informed.

[Harry Glasgow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just read the last 100 pages on a school night until 2am. That’s how good it is! Will definitely read again and is a great story about Scottish history!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first thing I have to say about this book is that it's far too short. Scotland is a complicated place with a long and interesting history. Rushing through it the way Tranter does, doesn't do it the justice it deserves. And it makes it much more complicated when you rush through generations the way he necessarily has to.

The other thing that confuses a reading of the book is his use of titles to identify people. A book of this type can struggle with naming people because so many people shared names. But charging through generations like this, using inherited titles means that it is so easy to get father, son and even grandson confused.

Having said that, it's a good primer in Scottish history. For someone who knew nothing, it would help them discover the eras and events that capture their interest, and then other books could be found to explore those areas more. And I learnt from it.

A good little primer, but you need to take time to read it in order to take in the pace it's written at.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a historical novelist who finds most history books dull. He wants to tell a story about real people in history. He has succeeded and this is both readable and informative about various characters in Scotland's history.
I am not sure who he wrote this for however, anyone really interested in the history would want a more academic book and those more interested in the characters would probably prefer a novel with a historical setting. It does show that he has done his research and can condense it into the salient points. It encouraged me to read his novels, and that is not a bad reason for writing it.

[Jen(n) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading this brief history of Scotland after having this book for, oh, almost fifteen years. I bought it on one of my first trips to Scotland, on the recommendation of our tour guide. (Fergie forever!) It's a very good overview, but fitting an entire country's entire history into fewer than 250 pages is a challenge. Because of the short length, I was often confused (how many Marys and Jameses are there?!?) and some stuff was glossed over (more Robert the Bruce, please). It's still a good intro, written by one of Scotland's most prolific contemporary writers, and I'm glad I finally read it. Now to plan a return trip...

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it and it was certainly educational but an existing understanding (of which I had little) of the more common, larger known details of Scottish history would be beneficial. Also, a good knowledge of Scotland's geography would help. Overall, this is a good introduction to Scotland's lineage of leadership and it hints at but doesn't give (nor is it the place for as the author states at the outset) any of the details of the many stories behind any of the great events of Scotland's past.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I areally wanted to love this book. I am fascinated with history in general and was really looking forward to learning more about Scotland's. However, this read like a really bad high school teacher. It was all dates and names, there was no flavor to the story. I would have preferred an indepth book aboutthe history instead of a high overview. Plus he would just throw all the names around it was very confusing.

[Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. Not trying to be too factual, it tries to capture the essence of Scotland by weaving together the historic facts with the more mythical elements of Scots lore. In that sense, it is maybe not a great historic work (for which I read Neil Oliver's A History of Scotland, back to back with this one, a great combination), but it is a great book to read. So for all people who are wondering what all the fuss about Scotland is coming from, this is the perfect introduction.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hab definitiv was gelernt, aber es sind einfach zu viele Namen! Ein Stammbaum oder mehrere hätten nicht geschadet ebenso wie Karten von Schottland, wo auch die Feldzüge der Truppen z. B. eingezeichnet sind.
Das Buch hat einen guten und, wie es der Name schon sagt, kurzen Überblick über die Geschichte Schottlands gegeben; wer mehr wissen will, muss sich einfach ein Buch über das entsprechende Thema suchen!

[Smboohar · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't bad...the Scottish vernacular is a bit difficult to follow in parts, but I enjoyed it overall. If you are a fan of history, especially since Royal histories tend to read a bit like a soap opera, I think people would find this an interesting read.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as an ebook.

An interesting history of Scotland. Too high level for my liking though. Started at the very beginning of inhabitation of Scotland to the end of the 19th century. All in just one book. Each chapter dedicated to the rein of one monarch or ruling clan as it were.

[Michelle Hlavaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected t
His book to be more stories about Scotland. It was a sort of history from an author that in his introduction said he wasn't a historian and hadn't fully researched the facts. I would rather have read a straight history.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best history of Scotland I have ever read

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read about Scottish history, read this one first as a sort of overview.

[Emily Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting book about the history of Scotland. I enjoyed the personal feel of this history book. Mr. Tranter did a great job with this complicated history.

[Captmashpea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. It was an enjoyable engaging look at history.

[Shishir · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too much info condensed in short book; Need prior knowledge to follow this book

[Gregory Knapp]

OK, so I bought this while in Scotland feeling my Mom's roots. For me, this is a must read.