A Short History of Scotland

UK: Oxford University Press, 2002. Soft cover. Very Good/No Jacket. 'A book of this kind from Chris Harvie is an important literary and historiographical event ... it is inspiring how he embraces the world of culture and ideas with a sense of vision which very few historians can match.' Dauvit Broun, University of Glasgow Christopher Harvie, one of Scotland's leading historians and political writers, takes a long view of Scotland: its land, people, and culture. Scotland: A Short History sweeps from the earliest settlements to the new Parliament of 1999 and beyond. It describes the unique multi-ethnic kingdom which emerged from the Dark Ages, the small, proud nation manoeuvring among the great powers of medieval Europe, and the radical reformation which forced a compromise with its mighty southern neighbour. Harvie follows Scotland's tense partnership with England for 400 years, through dual monarchy and union, enlightenment and empire, industrialization, and finally the attainment of autonomy. Interrogating old cliche and Scottish myth, he applies the results of new research, and frames remote and recent developments in their European and world context. Harvie provides 'good gear in sma' buik' for the self-governing nation.