Scotland: A Concise History (Illustrated National Histories)

We have here a solid basic popular narrative of Scottish history, well illustrated and fairly presented, with (in the latest edition) an additional chapter taking the story up to the convening of the new Scottish Parliament in May 1999.

As an English reader, I welcome this narrative. Scotland has a definite and separate national story which, so long as it is stripped of sentimental accretions, has to be recognised as such. It is for the Scottish people to decide democratically what sort of future Scotland they want in that context.

Historical education is at a low point in England with history being taught to maintain a sometimes spurious social cohesion rather than tell these islands' story but, even in the golden age, the English were show more never taught adequately about their sister Celtic peoples.

This should change - although well under 10% of the population of the Kingdom (with Northern Ireland and Wales even smaller), there should still be a proportionate understanding of Scotland just as Scots education cannot do Scotland service if it mouths nationalist platitudes and rewritings.

This book gives us a baseline narrative although it will undoubtedly be out of date in its assessments today. History should be a critique of claims through the provision of a fair narrative and not a mythic buttress of claims for political ends. Maclean comes close to that ideal. show less

3.5 stars

This is an updated version with a new chapter. If you've read previous versions, then there really isn't anything new except the short chapter on Brexit and possible effect on Scotland.

This is a good, quick history though I was already familiar with most of Scottish history up to the English Civil War. Useful if you want a quick overview.

This was an ok book. I know for a book this size it cannot cover everything but i was disappointed to see that it had very little of the so called "pre history" of Scotland and the ancient peoples that first lived there. Otherwise its a good book to learn the basics of Scotland.

A really good book if you are interested in Scot History (gee I guess that is kind of obvious huh?) Uh, very concise.

Maclean has disentangled the threads, and enlivened his brisk account with both wit and scholarship. Pictures from authentic contemporary sources illuminate his story - its romantic figures and bloody battles, its politics and religion - and provide a rich visual record of Scotland's art, craftsmanship and intellectual life.

Revised 2000, and ? later as well