Magnus Magnusson’s timely and vivid look at Scotland’s long and difficult road to nationhood takes as its starting-point Sir Walter Scott’s Tales of a Grandfather, which has molded the views of generations of Scottish schoolchildren since its first appearance in 1827-29.

Like Scott, Magnus Magnusson is a master story-teller, who investigates such questions as: Where did the ‘Scots’ come from? What happened to the Piets? What is the truth about such historical figures as Macbeth, William Wallace and Robert Bruce? What was the significance of the tragic reign of Mary Queen of Scots? Who were the Covenants? What lay behind the Massacre of Glenoc? What were the long-term effects  of the 1707 Treaty of Union with England? What was the impart of ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ and his brutal defeat at Culloden?

In this journey through Scotland’s past, the author has visited many of the places which have shaped its history and takes account of all the latest historical research.