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Scotland: The Autobiography 2,000 Years of Scottish History By Those Who Saw It Happen
A vivid, wide-ranging, and engrossing account of Scotland's history, composed of timeless stories by those who experienced it first-hand. Contributors range from Tacitus, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Oliver Cromwell to Adam Smith, David Livingstone, and Billy Connolly. These include not only historic moments--from Bannockburn to the opening of the new parliament in 1999--but
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Hardcover
,
512 pages
Published
July 3rd 2008
by Overlook Books
(first published 2007)
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Community Reviews
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A collection of extracts from original sources throughout Scottish history. A great book to dip into, some real gems of social history. A must for the bookshelf of any historically-minded Scot.
Seems to be a great read with an angle more from the standpoint of the ordinary soul over 2000 years of Scottish history
A jigsaw puzzle approach to history, this book offers brief looks at people and events distinctly Scottish seen through the eyes of the individuals whose experiences are represented. It's an innovative way to give a reader a "feel" for a country. Some of my favorite pieces are the account of the execution of Mary Stuart (1587), James Boswell and Samuel Johnson on Johnson's visit to Scotland (1773), Muriel Spark's account of the origin of her character Miss Jean Brodie (1929), an account of a "hu
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As a tribute to my Scottish ancestors on my mother's side, when I saw this title I had to buy the book. The author tells the history of Scotland using hundreds of direct quotes from the writing of prominent and not so prominent Scots. From 80 AD, Tacitus, son-in-law of the Roman Governor of Britain Agricola, writes of the Roman fleet trying to see if Britain was really an island. Like so many of the people quoted, he mentions the terrible weather.
As a patriotic lover of my homeland I was interested to see what this book had to offer. I was pleasantly surprised! It is written in the form of diary entries, newspaper articles, etc by the people (or friends of the people) who were around at the time. Reminded me of how many good things have come out of my beloved country. Every Scot should have a copy!
Such a great way of looking at the history of a country. This book tells the story of Scotland from the point of view of the people who lived through the events. It uses journal entries, letters, newspaper articles, etc in order to give a history of the country of Scotland.
This is how history should be written and taught. Truly amazing. Writing history from the diaries and documents of people that were there.
I started reading this book because I was about to embark on a visit to Scotland, as well as suffering from a vague sense that I should be reading a little more nonfiction. I finished the book motivated by sheer stubbornness. I found the format of the book theoretically fascinating. It's use of primary sources arranged in chronology gave me a detailed and unique look into the life of a nation. In retrospect, I have decided that I did not need to know Scottish history on this kind of level. If I
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If you want to get familiar with something intriguing pieces of the history of Scotland, I recommend this book full-heartedly. As a whole, hundreds of stories from upper lever of society at that certain time to the lowest show you a panoramic view of life on this sacred land, a great place which has absolutely and unequivocally captured my heart and spirit.
What a wonderful menagerie of personal letters and recorded documents throughout time revealed to us here. I really enjoyed this read and would highly recommend if you find Scotland captivating. It will give you a firsthand experience of the times and of the ones telling their story.
Interesting look at Scottish history. Didn't initial expect the whole book to be a series of first hand documents (with nothing but a short paragraph highlighting the significance) but that's what it was. Having some experience / knowledge of Scotland is required to get the most out of this book. I felt that it provided very unique and rewarding vantage points of countless events in Scotland's history, BUT, you need to have a working knowledge of those events to truly enjoy it.
this is a fantastic collection of contemporay acocunt through outs scotlands history. my attention wavered after the second half of the twentieth century. it the first hand accountsof everyday life that relalt gripped me and makes for enlightening if somewhat often disturbiong reading. if you ponder the plight of poverty in todays society take a gandrr at the lives of the people in this book to get some rela perspective. i cannot recommend this highly enough.
It took me a long time to finish this book. I don't think having it being in so many voices on so many topics is advantageous. It is also too long. If a third of the material was removed, it would be a better book. I can not recommend this book even though I like books on Scottish History.
Jun 02, 2015
Richard Thomas
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
scottish-history
An indispensable book for anyone interested the sources for Scottish history. For me, this is a reference book to check memory and recollection against the actual record and whilst it would be hard for me (at least) to read it at a sitting it is a constant standby to dip into and to learn from.
Ach! Difficult, eclectic narrative history of Scotland. Stay with it, and you'll want to go to Scotland as soon as you finish it. Actually, it made me want to go after the first couple of narratives.
This is a collaboration of stories from those of the Scots lands. Intriguing and insightful, humorous, daring, and bold stories.
A good blend of historically significant documents and more quotidien descriptions of Scottish life through the ages.
I liked it a lot since it really gave a better understanding about the history from many viewpoints.
The history of Scotland through the letter, diaries, etc of the people who lived the history
Insightful collection of Scottish historical documents written by those who lived it. Worth reading
Such an interesting way to study the history of a country.
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“A considerable debt is owed to these, and to many other books. The aim, however, with Scotland: The Autobiography, has been to gather a sufficiently fresh range of voices and perspectives to make it feel as if Scotland’s tumultuous history were being told for the first time.”
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