Scotland: A Concise History, Fitzroy Maclean and Magnus Linklater (Thames & Hudson, 2012, first published 1970, 4^th edition) 260pp., paperback, £9.95, ISBN 978 0 500 28987 7

For this 4^th edition of Fitzroy Maclean's definitive history of Scotland from early times to the 1990s, the assessments of Scotland's place in the UK has been left unchanged, but Linklater, Scotland Editor of The Times, has written a new chapter detailing the more recent momentous events which have set the nation on a new course.  He discusses the controversies over the Holyrood Parliament building, the impact of devolution and the transfer of taxation from Westminster.  He also reviews the release of the Lockerbie bomber, the global financial crisis and current issues about independence and the Scottish National party.  For almost half a century, Maclean's readable account has been the source for a brief record of Scottish history, art, craftsmanship and intellectual life.

The book, available at an astonishing low cost, has some 245 illustrations and 2 maps bringing together paintings, documents, objects and photographs steeped in Scottish history, many of them unfamiliar and all  carefully documented.  The volume is fully indexed and the new edition bound to be exceptionally popular.