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The Oxford Companion to Scottish History (Oxford Quick Reference) UK ed. Edition

by Michael Lynch (Editor)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 38 ratings
See all formats and editions
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The Oxford Companion to Scottish History interprets history broadly, including archaeology, architecture, climate, culture, folk belief, geology, and the langauages of Scotland. It covers more than 20 centuries of history, including immigrants, migrants, and emigrants. It extends from Orkney and Shetland to Galloway, the Western Isles to the Borders. It deals extensively with Scots abroad, from Canada to Russia to New Zealand. It includes entries on historical figures from Columba, Macbeth, and William Wallace to James (Paraffin) Young. It covers Burns Clubs, curling, and shinty. It ranges from clans to Clearances and Covenanters.
Over 500,000 words in length, and written by more than 70 distinguished contributors, it aims to explain as well as describe. It is more than a historical dictionary or an encyclopedia. Multi-authored entries analyse key themes such as kingship, national identity, women and society, urban and rural life, the economy, housing, living standards, and religious belief across the centruies in an authoritative but approachable way.
The Oxford Companion to Scottish History has a broader range of topics and approaches, and a more authoritative list of contributors than any of its competitors. It also stands alone in providing analysis of issues such as national identity and living standards.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0199693056
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0199693054
  3. Edition
    UK ed.
  4. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  5. Publication date
    April 22, 2011
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    11.69 x 8.27 x 1.32 inches
  8. Print length
    768 pages
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

reference, subjects, information, authoritative, explanations
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Review from previous edition: "eExemplary and wonderfully readable" --Financial Times"A treasure-trove of informed entries ... will become the main point of entry for both serious and casual readers of Scottish history" --History Today"An essential purchase for anyone who wants or needs to know about any aspect of Scotland" --Glasgow Herald"Brings freshness to both subject matter and writing ... accurate and reliable" --History Scotland"Compelling reading ... a handy and entertaining reference" --Aberdeen Press and Journal

About the Author

Michael Lynch was formerly Sir William Fraser Professor of Scottish History and Palaeography at the University of Edinburgh. He was also Chairman of the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland and President of the Historical Association of Scotland.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; UK ed. edition (April 22, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 768 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0199693056
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0199693054
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.69 x 8.27 x 1.32 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 38 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
38 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tyler
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2017
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A nice encyclopedia of Scottish history that I used to brush up on some topics for a few essays.
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C. Samples
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Service
Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2017
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Great reference book, although a bit hard to navigate.
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green-cheese
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2012
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Just the job and well worth the asking price. Excellent! I shall dip into this volume for years to come.
One person found this helpful
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Terry Lee
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2011
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This a great book and very helpful in learning about the History of the Scottish people and their customs and country.
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Dr
5.0 out of 5 stars A very useful work. Well worth Buying. Note details of how it is set out
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2015
I have the hardback edition-- I would recommend getting it in Hardback if you can afford it, and are going to consult it often
This Oxford Companion to Scottish History is a very useful guide to Scottish History in a broad range of topics
Some 170 authors contribute to this companion
The articles are of a high scholarly quality
See the Amazon details on this work fora general overview
The companion assumes a moderate knowledge of Scottish History-- see my comments in Summary

It is difficult to explain how it is organised in a brief statement-- some will find the arrangement very helpful ,others will find it irritating
I tend to find it irritating ,but by the same token, I find the information very helpful
There is a thematic index at the start
Articles can be short or long, with major articles be large. There is a full index which you will need to consult regularly ( it partly depends on your question ) Another problem is the small type
The entries are in two columns per page

The articles are arranged around key words and concepts, and are often divided up by chronology
If you like long articles that draw many facts together you will probably like this dictionary (I certainly find much to commend in this approach )
To give an example
The article on culture is long and is dived into 25 sections. Pages. 116--159
Culture -- introduction)
1 -- Prehistoric Scotland
2-- Picto-Celtic
3--Medieval
4--Renaissance and Reformation (1460--1660 ) General
5--Renaissance and Reformation (1460--1660) Philosophy
6-- Renaissance and Reformation (1460--1660) Language and Literature
Other sections ( 7-- 10 ) cover Literature// Art // Poetry// Music // )

11--Enlightenment (1660--1843) General including Philosophy
Other Enlightment sections (12-- 16 ) are Art// Language and Literature //. the Novel //. Music // Medicine

17-- Age of Industry ( 1843--1914 ) general
Other sections of Age of Industry are (sections 18--20 ) Art// Medicine // Literature

21-- Modern Times (1914-- 1990's ) General
Other sections of Modern Times are ( sections 22-- ) Art//. Medicine and Medicial Achievements //. Literature // The Novel

As you can see, the general articles are very comprehensive
The articles have no bibliography but there is a very helpful bibliography divided into broad sections in the back
Cross references to Articles are starred *
I had thought of adding another general article but the review is already long

One of my dislikes is that there are relatively few biographical articles
Eg on Sir Walter SCOTT
True the information is all there when one consults the index but all this jumping around form place to place can made it hard to keep the details in mind
He is mentioned in a number of articles including Buildings // Culture 11--14--24--25. //. Dress -- Highland // Economy, Tertiary Sector --3. // Edinburgh --3//. Edinburgh Castle// Gardening and Landscapes // Germany, The Baltic and Poland --2. // historians 4--5. //Historical Clubs and Societies // Historical Sources--2 // Ireland --3// National Identity -4--5 //. Oral Tradition 1--2 //. Printing and Publishing. //. Russia. //. The Scots Language. //song -Traditional and Folk -1

As you can see you do get a lot of material on Sir Walter Scott when you have looked up the various references
Also the references put Sir Walter Scott in a number of historical or literary contexts
You also see the fragmentation of the presentation

Major figures like Kings and Queen have articles along with a helpful articles on Kingship
Major figures like John Knox has an articles and some lesser figures also have articles -- my guess is a short article on them would do and they didn't need to be woven into the larger arlicles
Important Highland and Island Clans , and Families are also covered like the Campbells

Being an editor is no easy job
You need a good set of authors. -- this work scores well here
You need to get the most information into the least amount of space
You need to decide on how to present the information-- recognising that it is usually differcult to please everybody
Given the Editors choice of presentation did they achieve there goal -- well at least for me , I think they did do a good job
### The Companion gives a broad overview of many major subjects to understanding Scottish History and Culture
###. Many insights come from there approach that are hard to get by dividing up the topics on a different basis
###. One can track long term developments like in the article on Culture
%%%%%% What was happening in the areas of thought, literature, music , art and later Medicine etc

Or using the Section on Renaissance and Reformation and articles on Religious Life, Schools and Schooling and Churches among others what picture can one draw of both the continuities and discontinuities of the times

SUMMARY
This Companion is packed full of important and often hard to find information
The articles are well written and signed
It is organised around key words and concepts like culture mentioned above
There are extensive starred cross references
The bibliography is arranged by broad categories and us up to date to the time of publishing. Pages 684--706
There is a comprehensive index. Pages. 707--732
Although the some of the features -- see my note on Sir Walter Scott can be a bit irritating, the wide coverage of important topics and the depth of coverage make this a very important Companion. I have found it full of excellent material, and refer to it often when I am reading about Scotland

There are about grey scale maps of high quality
There are 5. genealogical tables

Who is this work for
This work will work best with those who know a moderate amount about Scottish History or have studied History

Can a novice use it
It all depends on your level of interest. By way of example
I live in New Zealand at the bottom of the world. Many people emigrated to New Zealand to find a better life and many people married across non traditional lines for their home countries, so a number of us have say some English, Scottish and Irish blood among others. When you you want to find out about you background you need to start reading somewhere and having Companions or Dictionaries are often helpful. Why do the Scots put such as emphasis on education ? did you fore bearers come from the Highlands or Lowlands? . Did they leave because of the Highland clearances and many such issues ? As you read about these you see how they were related to many other issues in Scotland. In New Zealand Dunedin and Otago was settled by Free Church Colonists so you start reading about churches and related articles ( the Free Church was a major rupture in the State Church -- the Church of Scotland when about a third of it Ministers and Elders left over issues of State Control -- see the article for a better fuller definition).
I am not sure whether you see where I am going but there are many ways into Scottish History-- your questions may be very different from mine, but if you you have questions and an inquisitive mind then you could well find this companion a life investment. You will dip to to it at times and read it more fully at other times. It will deepen your understanding and deepen your insight
3 people found this helpful
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Dag Stomberg
5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive coverage of the Country's Past
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2010
Thoroughly researched and written in a spirited and approachable style, here is a comprehensive coverage of Scotland's rich past.
Truly an encyclopedic reference to a complex story with unparalleled insight.

This is a book for lovers of a fascinating history!

Dag Stomberg
5 people found this helpful
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AndyB
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 17, 2019
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George Crichton
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on June 1, 2017
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Lots of history and well written.
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Murray
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Value
Reviewed in France on March 10, 2017
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Hard Cover second hand reference library book in excellant condition. Never opened I think, Library stamps only. Good as new
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Reviewed in Germany on May 8, 2013
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Elizabeth Barbeau
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Resourc
Reviewed in Canada on July 3, 2011
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This is an immense asset to my genealogical research and study of the country of my ancestors. I would recommend it to any who are interested in Scottish history
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