Interested in Scotland and its history? Then this book is essential reading. Spanning the 300 years between the Act of Union and the re-establishment of the Scottish parliament, this history covers all the factors that go to make the nation what it is today. The build-up to Union is the starting point for Tom Devine's The Scottish Nation 1700-2000 and from there he takes us up to the end of the 20th century. From the urban, rural and the international perspectives he describes the social, cultural, economic and political transformations of Scotland. Until the 1950s the success of the Union was undisputed but later it came to be questioned. The end of the second millennium saw the re-establishment of the Scottish parliament and the possibility of a future independent Scottish state. Professor Devine is an eminent historian who has written extensively on the history of Scotland. This remarkable book underlines the revolution that has taken place among Scottish historians, in the last 30 years of the 20th century. Breathtaking in its scope and detail, The Scottish Nation is both accessible and constantly fascinating. --Douglas Pretsell