A lively, wide-ranging and insightful introduction to Scottish identity... The book appears intended as a college text on teh subject. It's a good one. Gardiner's style is clear and readable. Because he expresses his opinions, the narrative itself has a rugged, partisan Scottish personality. i know no bettersingle-volume introduction to contemporary Scotland and Scottish society. If you would get a handle on Scotland, people and soul, and how its past shapes its present, this is the way.