Scotlands of the Mind

Does Scotland as a 'nation' have any real existence? In Britain, in Europe, in the World? Or are there a multitude of mulitform 'Scotlands of the Mind'?

These soul-searching questions are probed in this timely book by prize-winning author and journalist, Angus Calder. Informed and intelligent, this new volume presents the author at his thought-provoking best. The abosorbing journey through many possible Scotlands - fictionalised, idealised, and politicised - is sure to fascinate.
This perceptive and often highly personal writing shows the breathtaking sope of Calder's analytical power. Fact or fiction, individual or international, politics or poetry, statistics or statehood, no subject is taboo in a volume that offers an overview of the vicissitudes and changing nature of Scottishness.

Through mythical times to manufactured histories, from Empire and Diaspora, from John Knox to Home Rule and beyond, Calder shatters literary, historical and cultural misconceptions and provides invaluable insights into the Scottish psyche. Offering a fresh understanding of an ever-evolving Scotland, Scotlands of the Mind contributes to what Calder himself has called 'the needful getting of a new act together'.