Looking for a book on Scottish history

[Mark E.]

Lots of people enjoy John Prebble's, Culloden. It is well-written, and well-researched. He recognizes the sad plight of the Highlanders at and after Culloden, the winds of change that had already started, and does not advocate the Jacobite cause in any way. As a socialist, his sympathy with the people's cause may have won him some enemies, I'm not sure, but some historians seem to have taken issue with his work.

Another popular historian (thanks to ThistleDown for this lead) is Nigel Tranter who fictionalizes history. He also wrote a more serious history The Story of Scotland, which I have, but haven't yet read past the first two chapters. I've liked it so far.

I'll second these as well. On a note with regard to the responses predating this one...When a lot of us go searching for books and literature detailing the history of our countries, cultures, or even selves, we sometimes must ask the questions-are we to look for what we want to find? Or are we in search of the truth of things? For example...the battle of Culloden was not necessarily a conflict that was Scot against English, but rather one of Catholic against Protestant-and, unfortunately, quite a number of those Protestants were Scots. As a modern day American, it is (somewhat) humorous to find the portrayal of the American Civil War being implanted into the minds of the current younger generations as one of good versus evil on the basis of slavery versus freedom-though not that long ago it could have been considered one of capitalism and progress.

So...as far as fact, fiction, and entertainment go...Good luck with the suggestions. If you find the truth of the history you are searching for gives you cause to celebrate, celebrate. If not...What will you do with that knowledge?

Not that it deals with Scotland, but there is a book, Sarum, by Edward Rutherford-covers 10,000 years of English history. Very well written, and unbiassed.

[macwilkin]

For example...the battle of Culloden was not necessarily a conflict that was Scot against English, but rather one of Catholic against Protestant-and, unfortunately, quite a number of those Protestants were Scots.

Even that is a bit of an oversimplification, as a number of Episcopalians were Jacobite supporters, especially in the Highlands and in the Northeast. There are even accounts of a few Presbyterian Jacobites, but nothing compared to those in the ranks of the Government forces. It was three non-jurouring Episcopal Bishops (Petrie, Skinner and Kilgour) of the SEC that consecrated the first American Episcopal Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury (a former Loyalist) in Aberdeen after the American Revolution. The Scottish Episcopal Church, unlike the Church of England, did not require an oath of loyalty to the Crown, which kept English bishops from consecrating Seabury.

DISCLAIMER: The above post is for informational purposes only.

T.