How the Scots invented the Modern World
Subtitle: the true story of how western Europe's poorest nation created our world & everything in it
By: Arthur Herman.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Crown Publishers
Published: 2001
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 392
Subjects: Civilization, Modern -- Scottish influences; National characteristics, Scottish; Scots -- Foreign countries; Enlightenment -- Scotland; Scotland -- Intellectual life; Scotland -- Civilization
Description: "Mention of Scotland and the Scots usually conjures up images of kilts, bagpipes, Scotch whisky, and golf. But as historian and author Arthur Herman demonstrates, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Scotland earned the respect of the rest of the world for its crucial contributions to science, philosophy, literature, education, medicine, commerce, and politics - contributions that have formed and nurtured the modern West ever since.".

"Here is the untold story of how John Knox and the Church of Scotland laid the foundation for our modern idea of democracy; how the Scottish Enlightenment helped to inspire both the American Revolution and the U.S. Constitution; and how thousands of Scottish immigrants left their homes to create the American frontier, the Australian outback, and the British Empire in India and Hong Kong.".

"How the Scots Invented the Modern World reveals how Scottish genius for creating the basic ideas and institutions of modern life stamped the lives of a series of remarkable historical figures, from James Watt and Adam Smith to Andrew Carnegie and Arthur Conan Doyle, and how Scottish heroes continue to inspire our contemporary culture, from William "Braveheart" Wallace to James Bond."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 362-376) and index.