The cover blurb advertises this as a "traditional" history. Using Walter Scott's The Miscellaneous Works Of Sir Walter Scott: Tales Of A Grandfather, History Of Scotland as his framing story and whipping boy, Magnusson recasts the entirety of Scottish history in a more modern vein than Scott's nineteenth century work.
I am still searching for a defining work on the whole of Scottish history. While this was an enjoyable read, it is not the best in a strictly academic sense. I felt rather gypped out of learning more about an amazing period in Scottish history. He does not talk about Scottish involvement in the British empire, Scottish industry, Scottish advancements in science and technology, changes in the church, involvement in both World Wars, etc. Then, after Scott dies, he only writes about the push of Scottish nationalism. After the 1745 Jacobite rising, he basically gives a mini-biography of Sir Walter Scott. Secondly, he leaves out most of the 19th century. First of all, he, like Sir Walter Scott in his Tales of a Grandfather, has written his history in a very personal tone, including his own biases, stories, and opinions along the way. There are two things which I think Magnusson could have done better.
This includes castles, battlefields, markers, monuments, and even sights linked to historical figures in Scottish folklore. Magnusson gives the reader specific locations for a variety of historical interest sights.
I would also recommend it to anyone planning a trip to Scotland. This book gave me a much better view of the broad panorama of Scottish history. I had previously done intensive reading and research on particular areas of Scottish history (particularly the Reformation and Enlightenment eras), but I had never read a general history of Scotland. However, I thought it was a good basic introduction, or broad overview, of Scottish history. Firstly, I must begin by saying that Magnus Magnusson's Scotland is definitely in the popular history category. Well, it took me a while, but I finally finished it.
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