A flagship series for Edinburgh University Press for many years, The New History of Scotland books have become classic texts. Written by authors at the forefront of their discipline, titles in this series provide an ideal introduction to Scottish history for students and for general readers. This popular and enduring series is now being updated with thoroughly revised editions both by original and by new authors.

A galloping and rip-roaring piece of work.'' C.P. Hammond Bammel `Fascinating and relevant.'' Scottish Review of Books

`A subtle and highly original blend of social and cultural history. This book will serve Scotland well.'' R.J. Morris, University of Edinburgh

What did it mean to be a Scot in an age marked by the movement of people and the flow of information?

This revised and updated volume is a blended history of the Scots in a period of major transformation during the industrial era from 1832 to 1914. Examining Scottish society through the lens of modernity, Graeme Morton charts the interplay of social change within Scotland and the relentless eddy of historical developments home and away.

Where previous histories of this period have focused on industry, this book takes a closer look at the people who helped to innovate and forge the Scottish nation through technology and opportunity. In the homeland and from a distance, identity was a key element in explaining industrial Scotland, as cultural and societal innovations were melded in this foundry of a confident and self-determined nation