What do you think?
Rate this book
Scotland: A History
Scottish history has long been dominated by the romantic tales of Robert the Bruce, William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots, and Bonnie Prince Charlie. But the explosion of serious historical research in the last half-century has fueled a keen desire for a better-informed and more satisfying understanding of the Scottish past.
This attractively designed book--boasting scores of illustrations, include eight color plates - brings together the leading authorities on Scottish history, who range from Roman times until the present day, offering a more accurate and sophisticated portrait of Scotland through the ages. The contributors take us from medieval Scotland, to the crisis created by Mary Queen of Scots and the trauma of Reformation, to the reign of James VI and the Union of the Crowns (1603). They discuss the seventeenth century, when a stern Calvinist Kirk launched an unprecedented attack on music, dancing, drama, and drinking, and the remarkable transformation of enlightenment Scotland, when the small nation became a great force in European literature, with such eminent figures as David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns, and James Boswell. We discover that in the nineteenth century the Scottish economy, by some criteria, outpaced the rest of Britain, and its preeminence in heavy engineering was unquestioned. And we follow Scotland through the turbulent twentieth century, enduring two world wars and a depression, before ending on a high note, with Scotland enjoying its first parliament in three hundred years.
What emerges here is a portrait of a confident people who slowly built an important place for themselves in the wider world--the story of a remarkably positive, assured, and successful kingdom.
This attractively designed book--boasting scores of illustrations, include eight color plates - brings together the leading authorities on Scottish history, who range from Roman times until the present day, offering a more accurate and sophisticated portrait of Scotland through the ages. The contributors take us from medieval Scotland, to the crisis created by Mary Queen of Scots and the trauma of Reformation, to the reign of James VI and the Union of the Crowns (1603). They discuss the seventeenth century, when a stern Calvinist Kirk launched an unprecedented attack on music, dancing, drama, and drinking, and the remarkable transformation of enlightenment Scotland, when the small nation became a great force in European literature, with such eminent figures as David Hume, Adam Smith, Robert Burns, and James Boswell. We discover that in the nineteenth century the Scottish economy, by some criteria, outpaced the rest of Britain, and its preeminence in heavy engineering was unquestioned. And we follow Scotland through the turbulent twentieth century, enduring two world wars and a depression, before ending on a high note, with Scotland enjoying its first parliament in three hundred years.
What emerges here is a portrait of a confident people who slowly built an important place for themselves in the wider world--the story of a remarkably positive, assured, and successful kingdom.
402 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2005
36 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Wormald
13 books7 followersJenny Wormald was Honorary Fellow in Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 10, 2010
When it comes to European history, I like to think of myself as something of a gentleman enthusiast (well, so to speak, anyway). I briefly flirted with the idea of becoming an actual MA-bearing historian, but I think I’m probably more suited my current amateur role; I can claim enthusiasm for the subject, but only need pursue it when I can be bothered to do so. I really enjoyed this collection of essays on Scottish history, and had a lovely time counting how many more times my family name came up versus that of my husband. And then, of course, shamelessly bragging about how vastly superior “my clan” (as I like to call it) obviously was to his.
The first essay deals with just under 1000 years of history in thirty pages, and was a bit daunting in its scope and galloping pace through broad swathes of unrecorded years. I was fascinated by the complete lack of “Scottishness” that defined that time. I know nation-states are a very modern invention, but in the case of Scotland, it almost seems a miracle that such an ill-defined mess of ethnicities, cultures, and allegiances could ever have been formed into a cohesive whole.
The essays concerning the medieval period largely concerned themselves with this process, and while they were interesting, they were also a little dense and slow to get through. Things really kicked off in this book for me with the essay on “Renaissance and Reformation”. I love the moxy of Mary de Guise, and her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, must be the most famous Scottish woman who ever lived. Their stories have everything you could ask for – French and English intrigues, murder, broken alliances, wars, courts in uproar, and one very infamous execution.
The seventeenth century in general was depressing to read about, but especially so in regards to the union of the crowns. I always find myself coming back to a nationalist stance regardless of the issue. Why have a USSR when you can have a ton of separate countries? Ditto Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. I wish the Catalans and Basques and Kurds and Tibetans and pretty much anyone else who wanted their own country could have it. Considering the fact that I’m culturally very Anglophilic, I really dislike the idea of the United Kingdom. Wales was subsumed so long ago I’m not as bothered as I maybe should be about its status, but in Scotland’s case it seems like a shame and in Northern Ireland’s a complete insanity. Obviously it’s nothing to do with me, but I can’t help think that if I were Welsh, Scottish, or (especially) Irish, I would be pretty insulted at the arrangement.
Calvinism at the peak of its joyless severity was really rather heavy as well, but luckily things picked up once again with the remarkable achievements of the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution during the next centuries. The essay on the Scottish Diaspora was also excellent and personally interesting, as it explains on a high level why people like my great-great-greats ditched Edinburgh for Ontario and later Michigan. Apparently the Scots have a grand old tradition of getting out of Dodge as quickly as possible and then pining poetically after the motherland for generations to come. It makes me happy that the fact that I and every other Scottish-American experience an irrational impulse to research our clan tartans on the internet and display our family crests on the wall and/or refrigerator is really only a modern twist on an established tradition.
On a largely unrelated side note, when I very lazily searched for just “Scotland Jennifer” on bn.com instead of finding the editor’s last name, I had to laugh at how many hits came back for paperback bodice-rippers with amusingly lurid covers of muscle-bound men in kilts. I’m pleased that the ladies of this target demographic find my people, as it were, attractive, but it’s all a bit strange isn’t it? I mean, people can’t be that into plaid, right? And I can’t imagine it’s the livestock raids or blood feuds. I just want to know who decides these things.
The first essay deals with just under 1000 years of history in thirty pages, and was a bit daunting in its scope and galloping pace through broad swathes of unrecorded years. I was fascinated by the complete lack of “Scottishness” that defined that time. I know nation-states are a very modern invention, but in the case of Scotland, it almost seems a miracle that such an ill-defined mess of ethnicities, cultures, and allegiances could ever have been formed into a cohesive whole.
The essays concerning the medieval period largely concerned themselves with this process, and while they were interesting, they were also a little dense and slow to get through. Things really kicked off in this book for me with the essay on “Renaissance and Reformation”. I love the moxy of Mary de Guise, and her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots, must be the most famous Scottish woman who ever lived. Their stories have everything you could ask for – French and English intrigues, murder, broken alliances, wars, courts in uproar, and one very infamous execution.
The seventeenth century in general was depressing to read about, but especially so in regards to the union of the crowns. I always find myself coming back to a nationalist stance regardless of the issue. Why have a USSR when you can have a ton of separate countries? Ditto Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. I wish the Catalans and Basques and Kurds and Tibetans and pretty much anyone else who wanted their own country could have it. Considering the fact that I’m culturally very Anglophilic, I really dislike the idea of the United Kingdom. Wales was subsumed so long ago I’m not as bothered as I maybe should be about its status, but in Scotland’s case it seems like a shame and in Northern Ireland’s a complete insanity. Obviously it’s nothing to do with me, but I can’t help think that if I were Welsh, Scottish, or (especially) Irish, I would be pretty insulted at the arrangement.
Calvinism at the peak of its joyless severity was really rather heavy as well, but luckily things picked up once again with the remarkable achievements of the Scottish Enlightenment and Industrial Revolution during the next centuries. The essay on the Scottish Diaspora was also excellent and personally interesting, as it explains on a high level why people like my great-great-greats ditched Edinburgh for Ontario and later Michigan. Apparently the Scots have a grand old tradition of getting out of Dodge as quickly as possible and then pining poetically after the motherland for generations to come. It makes me happy that the fact that I and every other Scottish-American experience an irrational impulse to research our clan tartans on the internet and display our family crests on the wall and/or refrigerator is really only a modern twist on an established tradition.
On a largely unrelated side note, when I very lazily searched for just “Scotland Jennifer” on bn.com instead of finding the editor’s last name, I had to laugh at how many hits came back for paperback bodice-rippers with amusingly lurid covers of muscle-bound men in kilts. I’m pleased that the ladies of this target demographic find my people, as it were, attractive, but it’s all a bit strange isn’t it? I mean, people can’t be that into plaid, right? And I can’t imagine it’s the livestock raids or blood feuds. I just want to know who decides these things.
March 7, 2020
Great book
Double aged sword - one side several Scottish scholars who try in several chapters explain Scottish history/ history of Scotland to a laic on the other side - a small but vital attachment written by a Czech editor is trying to explain countless acts of Crossing between Czech and Scottish culture. And Scottish Czech cultural assets to each other during the ages up to present days.
I have had a great pleasure reading of this book.
1. I was completely unaware of Scottish culture / history with exception of Kilts, Loch Ness / Nessie Highlander Connor Mc Loud and William Wallace Brave Heart.
William Wallace / the Braveheart has been called in article about one quarter of page - this book has about 250 pages.
I liked that each chapter has been written by a different scholar, so there was always present fresh and very individual approach to each chosen subject.
I also liked the quite ironical tone of two chapters. Confidence and perplexity 17. century by Jenny Wormald and Scotland transformed by Richard B. Sher. It was great fun to read chapters of those two particular scholars also was very nice, how they have been able to fill each other up in theirs approach to the chosen topic.
But there was not so much of fun during my reading because history of Scotland is quite bloody, terrible and grim. It is many times history of a land / country that has everything and still have not been somehow able to combine all its assets into one great package and create one invincible great country. No to me history of Scotland seems to be more of history of corruption, backstabbing, unnecessary rivalry misguided loyalty and opportunistic politics.
And then it hits me But this look almost like if this is written about us Czech - powerful land hungry neighbors, Pride people great fighters and hero of resistance, sneaky weasel politicians, misguided financial founding's - it is like looking into a mirror through the centuries.
And than in the last attachment The one written by Czech I am reading about traffic of Scottish and Czech travelers, missionaries and artists, scholars and writers who have been somehow touched by the beauty of one or another country and their cultural exchange. As same as the insofar hidden stories of Czech pilots during the WWII and their Scottish female companions.
It was very interesting read.
Double aged sword - one side several Scottish scholars who try in several chapters explain Scottish history/ history of Scotland to a laic on the other side - a small but vital attachment written by a Czech editor is trying to explain countless acts of Crossing between Czech and Scottish culture. And Scottish Czech cultural assets to each other during the ages up to present days.
I have had a great pleasure reading of this book.
1. I was completely unaware of Scottish culture / history with exception of Kilts, Loch Ness / Nessie Highlander Connor Mc Loud and William Wallace Brave Heart.
William Wallace / the Braveheart has been called in article about one quarter of page - this book has about 250 pages.
I liked that each chapter has been written by a different scholar, so there was always present fresh and very individual approach to each chosen subject.
I also liked the quite ironical tone of two chapters. Confidence and perplexity 17. century by Jenny Wormald and Scotland transformed by Richard B. Sher. It was great fun to read chapters of those two particular scholars also was very nice, how they have been able to fill each other up in theirs approach to the chosen topic.
But there was not so much of fun during my reading because history of Scotland is quite bloody, terrible and grim. It is many times history of a land / country that has everything and still have not been somehow able to combine all its assets into one great package and create one invincible great country. No to me history of Scotland seems to be more of history of corruption, backstabbing, unnecessary rivalry misguided loyalty and opportunistic politics.
And then it hits me But this look almost like if this is written about us Czech - powerful land hungry neighbors, Pride people great fighters and hero of resistance, sneaky weasel politicians, misguided financial founding's - it is like looking into a mirror through the centuries.
And than in the last attachment The one written by Czech I am reading about traffic of Scottish and Czech travelers, missionaries and artists, scholars and writers who have been somehow touched by the beauty of one or another country and their cultural exchange. As same as the insofar hidden stories of Czech pilots during the WWII and their Scottish female companions.
It was very interesting read.
January 13, 2018
This is a fascinating and more nuanced history of Scotland than what is commonly available. I learned more about the Scottish Poor Laws which were much more punitive than even the British Poor Laws likely due to Scotland at the time having fewer resources as well as a much stronger Protestant work ethics.
June 3, 2019
Not for the casual reader, this book of essays covers a lot of ground. I was most interested in the essays about 19th and 20th century Scotland. They were filled with a lot of information in a few pages, but very dry.
February 25, 2025
BORING. Scotland has a very interesting history, but you'd never know it by reading these essays which were as dry as a desert.
June 26, 2013
I did this book a disservice by dragging out my reading of it over a long period of time so that my recollections are fuzzy. The book is a good introduction, though. Each chronological section is written by an expert in the period. One thing that did stand out was the next to last chapter on the Scottish diaspora. I found this very interesting (who knew that Poland had had a largish Scottish immigrant population—before 1650 around 30-40,000 Scots had made their way there?)
June 21, 2016
This history of Scotland proved to be a very in depth look into the history of this nation. The author did a great job at keeping the book flowing while presenting the reader with an abundance of information. Her conclusions in the end were presented well and were accurately proven out within the text of the book. Job well done.
July 30, 2009
Collection of historical essays from origins to Scottish Diaspora. Some better than others. Highlights are the diaspora chapter. Relatively standard history.
January 6, 2010
I've been in love with the culture for years, and reading a History book wasn't as boring as I thought
September 23, 2011
Perfect. <3
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews