Arthur Herman agues that Scotland's turbulent history, from William Wallace
to the Presbyterian Lords of the Covenant, laid the foundations for 'the
Scottish miracle'. Within one hundred years, the nation that began the
eighteenth century dominated by the harsh and repressive Scottish Kirk had
evolved into Europe's most literate society, producing an idea of modernity that
has shaped much of civilisation as we know it.
The author follows the lives and work of thinkers such as Adam Smith and
David Hume, writers such as Burns and Boswell, as well as architects, technicians
and inventors, and traces their legacy into the twentieth century.
Written with wit, erudition and clarity 'The Scottish Enlightenment' claims
the Scots' rightful place in the history of the western world.
Contents:
Preface
Prologue
Part 1: Epiphany
1. The New Jerusalem
2. A Trap of Their Own Making
3. The Proper Study of Mankind I
4. The Proper Study of Mankind II
5. A Land Divided
6. Last Stand
7. Profitable Ventures
8. A Select Society: Adam Smith and His Friends
Part 2: Diaspora
9. 'That Great Design': Scots in America
10. Light from the North: Scots, Liberals and Reform
11. The Last Minstrel: Sir Walter Scott and the Highland Revival
12. Practical Matters: Scots in Science and Industry
13. The Sun Never Sets: Scots and the British Empire
14. Self-Made Men: Scots in the United States
Conclusion
Sources and Guide for Further Reading
Acknowledgements
Index
Reviews:
'Compulsively readable' - Paul Henderson Scott, Sunday Herald
' sparkling book. Herman argues his case with an impressive accumulation of
evidence' - New Statesman
