Scotland

A History from Earliest Times

Five hundred million years of Scottish history from the author of Arthur and the Lost Kingdoms: "Deserves a prominent place in the history canon" (Scots Magazine).

Covering the Ice Age to the recent Scottish Referendum, the acclaimed historian and author explores the history of the Scottish nation. Focusing on key moments such as the Battle of Bannockburn and the Jacobite risings, Moffat also features other episodes in history that are perhaps less well documented.

From prehistoric timber halls to inventions and literature, Moffat's epic explores the drama of battle, change, loss, and innovation interspersed with the lives of ordinary Scottish folk, the men and women who defined a nation.

(P)2021 Tantor

A good, but flawed history

As others have pointed out, Moffat does make a few mistakes with Scottish History, simple facts that could have been fact checked better, but even this can happen to great writers.

Overall, the book is dense at times, and requires a certain level of concentration to get through. I think the biggest thing for me is that the book seems to jump from topic to topic within chapter, and then back to a previous topic. It can make, at times, for a very confusing book. However, I do believe that the book does have value, and offers a good starting point for a political, economic, and cultural history all wrapped up in one. The chapters that focus on medieval history seem to be the best, while the more modern eras, the last two chapters, read like a list of elections at times.

In sum, a good beginners history, but be ready to fact check if need be.

Very good until it wasn't.

this is a LONG book, covering centuries. It could drift into white noise because of the length. However, I did appreciate the history, even when it was clearly opinionated.
The end led my discouragement and decision to reduce the star count. Acidic attack on USA political candidates and campaigns was not contributory to the position of Scotland. Or if it is, there's a lot of missing starch in Scotland's proclaimed starchy strength. Unprofessional and disappointing. Had this occurred earlier in the recording, I would have abandoned the book and missed some history. :( thumbs down 👎

Outstanding approach to history!

This exceptional history, book captures history at many levels, not just through the lens of the privileged people or kings, but captures the stories of the peoples, the land and the culture..

Good until…

I enjoyed this book until the postscript. At that point the author felt the need to chime in about American politics. He obviously has no idea what he is talking about regarding our politics. He spewed lies in a typical arrogant British tone. Maybe he should stick to history and leave American politics to Americans.

Very informative

I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book and will recommend it to others. Previous reviews have mentioned the afterword because of the content related to recent political events in the US and I personally fail to find fault with the content included. It was very straightforward and factual. In this case, the facts are very much unflattering to the US. Just like the many things the author discusses in the history of Scotland that are less than savory, they still happened and can’t be ignored. This is history and you have to be open to hearing the bad bits as well as the good. We learn history in order to prepare for a better future. While there is much to be entertained by in history, there is much more to be concerned about by not learning about the bad bits. I implore you to disregard the reviews that suggest this book “defaces the US” or “states political views as fact”, it really does no such thing. It is a fine and researched history that packs a lot into a mere 22 hours without inundating you with inconsequential trivia.