The Scottish Nation

The Scottish Nation

A Modern History

Summary

HERALD BOOKS OF THE YEAR and NEW STATESMAN BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2014


Part of a trilogy on Scottish history, T.M. Devine's The Scottish Nation: A Modern History traces the epic story of a nation from the Union with England to today's debates on the possibilities of Scottish independence.


Drawing on extensive research and exploring everything from the high politics of the devolved parliament to the everyday effects of huge and growing levels of social inequality, this bestselling history places Scotland firmly within an international context and provides a key focus for the ongoing debate regarding Scotland's future.

Ranging from high politics to everyday life, The Scottish Nation is the most read modern history of Scotland at home and abroad: vital to understanding an ancient nation at a crucial time.

'Outstanding ... if you are after answers to the big questions of Scottish history, Devine is your man'
  Niall Ferguson

'Magnificent ... a high achievement, a history of modern Scotland which, rarely for the subject, endows with sweep and power the changes that have created the country we live in'
  Michael Fry, The Herald

'The work of a compendious historical mind ... the first history of Scotland which both a nationalist and a unionist Scot can keep on their shelves with pride, and that is a large achievement in itself'
  John Lloyd, Financial Times

'A formidable work ... quite remarkable'
  Donald Dewar

'A fiercely intelligent account of Scotland ... Devine is the country's most prominent historian, and from the evidence of this book, rightly so'
  Rosemary Goring, Scotland on Sunday

T.M. Devine, OBE is University Research Professor and Director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. His other books include The Scottish Nation and To the Ends of the Earth.

Reviews

  • Magnificent ... a high achievement, a history of modern Scotland which, rarely for the subject, endows with sweep and power the changes that have created the country we live in
    Michael Fry, Herald

About the author

T. M. Devine

T. M. Devine has written four books for Penguin: The Scottish Nation, Scotland's Empire, To the Ends of the Earthand Independence or Union. He is Sir William Fraser Professor Emeritus of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh. In 2001 he was awarded the Royal Gold Medal, Scotland's supreme academic accolade, and has won all three major prizes for Scottish historical research. He was knighted in 2014 for services to the study of Scottish history. In 2018 he received the UK Parliament's All Party History and Archives Group Lifetime Achievement Award for Historical Studies.
Learn More

More from this Author

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more