| How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World and Everything in It | 
 enlarge | Author: Arthur Herman
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Category: Book
List Price: CDN$ 22.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 27466
Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Pages: 480
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0609809997
Dewey Decimal Number: 941.1
EAN: 9780609809990
ASIN: 0609809997
Publication Date: September 24, 2002
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Condition: Save a tree, buy from Green Earth Books. Ships from USA; Allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery. All books guaranteed. Read -> Recycle -> Reuse
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| Customer Reviews:
 Scotland Forever in a Splendid Read for Everyhone: January 23, 2004
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I am a Presbyterian pastor who received this excellent short
history of Scotland as a Christmas gift from a parishoner. It is a wonderfully well written, anecdotal and colorful survey of those doughy "North Britons" known as the Scotch.
What an amazing cast of characters strust with gusto across the Scottish stage. Philosphers such as David Hume; educators and ministers such as John Witherspoon (the only clergyperson to sign our Declaration of Independence), Bonnie Prince Charlie,
the greatest Scottish authors Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns
as well as James Boswell the chronicler of Dr. Johnson to famous architects and scientists.
Herman writes in a popular style meaning he is easily understood and clear in his writing. One important memory I will take from this book is how influential the Scotch were in American history. Scotch enlightenment philosophy inspired our own Constitution and influenced such thinkers as Madison and
Jefferson,
Scotland is a small country but mighty in world history. It was the most literate and innovation society in Europe during the eighteen-nineteenth century and continues to add to the liberal progressivism necessary if a democratic society is to flourish.
This would be an excellent resource for folks planning a visit to Scotland or anyone who wants to benefit from Professor Herman's insight, wisdom, humanity and scholarship.
Highly well done and assuredly well recommended by this
reviewer! Get out the kilts and put haggis on your menu!
 Hmmm, maybe I missed something... January 6, 2004
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
but I found this one of the driest books I've read in ages. I was quite eager to learn more about the history of Scotland and the Scots; it's part of my heritage. And I have read scholarly works before, so it's not that I am unfamiliar with such or expected a novel. However, this man took what is doubtless a very interesting topic, and made me cringe repeatedly with his complete lack of finesse with words. It was so dull and ham-handed!I cannot recommend anything in its place, and there is some good data in the book, but I am really astonished at the good reviews! By all means buy it, but just don't expect a riveting read to keep you awake till the wee hours or anything.
 a little point.......to maopingpong November 29, 2003
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
Maopingpong is wrong to state that the Scots were ' subjugated ' by the English.Scotland has never been conquered by the 'southern cousins',and Scotland joined the United Kingdom as a full partner in 1707,unlike the Irish and Welsh.
Very enjoyable and informative November 2, 2003
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The title of this book is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, I would imagine. I took the contents with a grain of salt. I did, however learn a lot from this book and very much enjoyed its style. Though my Ulster Scot (I learned that from the book) ancestors are long in the past, I gained a certain amount of pride from learing about the many contributions made to civilization by the Scots.
On the other hand, I'm sure a similar book could be written about the contributions of any number of people groups, and some slam books could be written about the Scots, too.
But it was a fun and interesting book and I intend to read it again sometime. I would reccommend it as a fun and informative read. A light sort of history book.
If the Scots were so great ... October 6, 2003
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
then why have they been subjugated by the English for all these years?For a non-Scot, this book was a fascinating read. However, as a serious point of argument, I am considerably more skeptical about the author's outrageous claim that the Scots invented the modern world. True, Adam Smith and David Hume were intellectual giants of the first order. Even the lesser lights cited by the authors have made significant contributions. I am not here to dispute at all that Scotland contributed towards the formation of the moder world view, but to hype it up to the level of inventing modernity reminded one of Al Gore's Internet boast. What I found incredible is the author's almost complete omission of Scottish contribution to science. Lord Kelvin was mentioned, but his seminal contribution to science hardly discussed. James Clerk Maxwell, the scientist with arguably the most impact on our daily life with his founding of electromagnetic theory, was mentioned in one sentence as a semi-traitor to Scotland (moving from Aberdeen to Cambridge). Still as entertainment, the book should be well worth the while. I doubt even the author was that serious about his claim.
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