- Paperback: 472 pages
- Publisher: Crown Publications; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (1 Oct 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0609809997
- ISBN-13: 978-0609809990
- Product Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.3 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 258,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Synopsis
Explores the seminal contributions of Scotland to the development of modern Western civilization, discussing the impact of such ideals as democracy, freedom of speech, equal opportunity, and a commitment to education.
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First Sentence
Just as the German Reformation was largely the work of a single individual, Martin Luther, so the Scottish Reformation was the achievement of one man of heroic will and tireless energy: John Knox. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Just as the German Reformation was largely the work of a single individual, Martin Luther, so the Scottish Reformation was the achievement of one man of heroic will and tireless energy: John Knox. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Reviewing Thomas Cahill's How the Irish Saved Civilization evoked a nagging question: "Why hasn't someone done this for the Scots?" Now, someone has, and a highly worthwhile read it is. Herman tears down a few misconceptions about the Scots as he rebuilds their image as original thinkers and practical achievers. Herman is not the first to consider John Knox as the taproot of the Scottish expression. Knox's Calvinist severity, however, often clouds the fact that the Scots severed from the Catholic church only a generation after Henry VIII achieved that for England. And they accomplished it without the power of a monarch. Herman sees Knox's thinking as planting seeds leading to a flowering of democratic ideals.
These ideals weren't lofty theoretical flights, however. In an excellent summary over two chapters, Herman outlines the Scottish Enlightenment and the men who created it. Unlike the Continental Enlightenment, the Scots version had a deep religious base. They sought their deity through rational investigation, searching for its expression rather than pushing it to a distance as did the Deists. These Scots saw "the proper study of mankind" as a practical question leading to social betterment. Education became a universal in Scotland at a time when most schooling remained under the cloak of religious authority.
Herman contends the Act of Union as of immense benefit to Scottish society at many levels. The chief result was the elimination of prejudicial economic policy. As long as they remained independent, the Scots were unable to compete with English mercantilists. While many Scottish nationalists see the Act of Union as a subversion of local values, Herman, along with many Scots, view it as providing new opportunities. He stresses the opened doors to trade led to rapid enrichment of the port cities of Scotland and world-wide contacts. Ships meant shipbuilding and many Scots later brought their talents to the New World resulting in the speedy clipper ships.
Herman follows the exodus of Scots around the globe - North America, Australia, India. Each place they entered, they left a mark. Most of it seems positive today - strong commercial enterprise, extending education, uplifting political ideals. Herman paints a glorious picture, deftly omitting a few blemishes. His descriptions of the Highland clans verges on the romantic, but fails to note their signal of the burning cross emigrated to become the image of America's Ku Klux Klan. Scots driven from their home lands resulted in many becoming the slave overseers of the South's plantations.
These are minor points. The scope of Herman's book, as he states, is global, both physically and intellectually. He has assembled a wealth of material, presented it forcefully and cogently. There's much more to deal with here than simply learning something [more?] about the Scots. Too often portrayed as backward romantics, Herman has shown the Scots to be an essential foundation for today's intellectual, commercial and political environment. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
47 of 51 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a Scots-American, I can relate to author Arthur Herman's outstanding in-depth review of what Scots in the past have contributed, and in fact still do,to the progress in every field of endeavor that affects the whole world. I see now only too clearly the shortcomings in information I experienced in 5 years of history classes in high school in Scotland - a course replete with inanities of dates, English royalty and the like. Herman tells it as it is and gives all the facts in a smooth transitional way covering many centuries of events. Makes me proud of my Scots heritage and I can recommend this book for all who want to know and understand the origins of Western freedoms and the impact that Scots have made in engineering, science, mathematics, religious beliefs, humanities et al.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Most books I've attempted to read on Scottish history were marred by either a dull academic style or an over-romantic view of half truths. We finally have a book without all this baggage. Written by an American gives us a unique independant perspective on Scottish achievement, shedding light on the great Scots that shaped modern history. Herman does an excellent job laying out his views on controversial subjects such as the Act of Union in 1707 as a masterstroke for the Scots or the divided opinion to Bonnie Prince Charlie's '45 rebellion.
This should serve as addictive reading for anyone with a keen interest in Scotland.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great White Scottish Man History
I have to start off by saying that I quite enjoyed reading this book. Mr Herman writes in a flowing and engaging style that brims with neat sketches of the Scottish people who had... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Marvolio
preposterous title aside, this is an excellent history of the Scottish...
As many intellectuals do - particularly when highly specialized in academia - this book takes things too far, extending an idea until it is so over-stated as to be almost... Read more
Published 12 months ago by rob crawford
A History of Scotland without heather hills and haggis
This book should be required reading for all MSPs, Scottish schools, and anyone who wears a kilt in Scotland (the symbol of servitude). Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2010 by Ossian
How the Scots Invented the Modern World
This is an excellent and readable history of Scotland and its influence on the development of Western civilisation as we know it. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by A. H. Shaw
Ego massaging and empire apologising
This is popular history at its most informed, lucid and dangerous. Herman's book is very well written. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2004 by "spottyleopard"
Many a Muckle Makes a Mickle!
For any Scotsman (like me), this must prove an enthralling read. The idea of the 'Scotsman on the make' is well established, but imagine what it does to our fluttering national ego... Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2003 by Captain Cook
Informed but not nationalistic
A must for anyone who blames all our present ills on the English, this book reveals the benefits gained from the 1707 Union, both for our country but also for England and America. Read more
Published on 31 May 2003 by Malc
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