A beautiful new cover for one of Fontana Press's hardiest perennials. 'By far the most stimulating, the most instructive and the most readable account of Scotch history that I have read...this splendid work carries us from Knox to Neilson, from the hot gospel of Calvin to the hot-blast of the smelting process - and incidentally seeks to explain the change. For always, in following this lucid narrative, we see an original mind at work, questioning and explaining, as well as illustrating.' Hugh Trevor-Roper, Sunday Times 'This is a fine history of Scotland. It combines rich and deep scholarship with an elegant and lucid style...No one who professes an interest in Scotland can afford to miss reading it.' Times Literary Supplement 'This remarkable book leaves the reviewer with little to say except that all Scots, and even Englishmen, who are interested in Britain's development, should read it. It is admirably proportioned, based on vast reading, and brings all the main topics together.' Economist