The Scots have always had a reputation for clarity of thought and also for the vigour with which it is put into words. This new edition of David Ross's acclaimed collection spans the entire gamut of a nation's recorded thought and experience from Calgacus in AD 84 to Annabel Goldie in 2011. It covers a vast range of subject matter and demonstrates a remarkable variety of moods and tones, from the literary to the colloquial and bawdy. Packed with sharp observation and humour, it sounds other notes too. Meditative, triumphant, tragic, accusing, tender - and often hilarious - it reveals the spirit of Scotland in a truly unique way.