Industrial Nation: Work, Culture and Society in Scotland, 1800-Present - Hardcover

Knox, William

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0748610847 ISBN 13: 9780748610846

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press, 1999

Synopsis

This is a social and cultural history of Scotland's industrial rise and relative decline, concerned above all with the leaders and workers (industrial, political, manufacturing, mining and engineering, as well as religious, union, educational and moral) who produced the former and suffered in the latter. Political, social and economic events, movements and trends are mixed together in this work. The author assumes no previous experience.

About this title

Review:

An ambitious - and in some respects a pioneering -- book ! this history of the working class in Scotland manages to weave together an impressive array of material, drawn - like the illustrations - from all parts of the country, and contains some shrewd insights...Scholars interested in almost every aspect of working-class life in Scotland will find a lot to think about ... A well-presented, soundly based and stimulating survey of an important subject. Masterly ... space does not permit a full consideration of all the manifold themes in this noteworthy book ... Indeed, I enjoyed reading it twice, in order to gain the full benefits which it offers. An important book. Although the focus is Scotland, Knox sets this lucid account firmly within the broader historiography of recent British labour and social history ... Knox's ability to summarise key debates and issues, which he does periodically before examining the Scottish evidence, makes the text especially useful for an undergraduate readership ... As a fresh introduction to modern Scotland, and in its balance, insight and reader-friendly organization, this book surpasses the existing literature. This is a stimulating work, reflecting the latest research on the subjects, much of it by Knox himself ... It has no real rival, particularly for the modern period, and is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Scotland's past and present - and what may happen in the twenty-first century. A broad overview of the political, cultural, social and economic situation of industrial Scotland over the last two centuries ... an informative introduction to a lengthy and important era of recent Scottish history. An ambitious - and in some respects a pioneering -- book ! this history of the working class in Scotland manages to weave together an impressive array of material, drawn - like the illustrations - from all parts of the country, and contains some shrewd insights...Scholars interested in almost every aspect of working-class life in Scotland will find a lot to think about ... A well-presented, soundly based and stimulating survey of an important subject. Masterly ... space does not permit a full consideration of all the manifold themes in this noteworthy book ... Indeed, I enjoyed reading it twice, in order to gain the full benefits which it offers. An important book. Although the focus is Scotland, Knox sets this lucid account firmly within the broader historiography of recent British labour and social history ... Knox's ability to summarise key debates and issues, which he does periodically before examining the Scottish evidence, makes the text especially useful for an undergraduate readership ... As a fresh introduction to modern Scotland, and in its balance, insight and reader-friendly organization, this book surpasses the existing literature. This is a stimulating work, reflecting the latest research on the subjects, much of it by Knox himself ... It has no real rival, particularly for the modern period, and is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand Scotland's past and present - and what may happen in the twenty-first century. A broad overview of the political, cultural, social and economic situation of industrial Scotland over the last two centuries ... an informative introduction to a lengthy and important era of recent Scottish history.

About the Author:

William Knox is Senior Lecturer in Scottish History at the University of St Andrews. K is the author of Hanging By a Thread: the Scottish cotton industry, c.1850-1914 (Carnegie, Preston, 1995); James Maxton (MUP, 1987); Scottish Labour Leaders, 1918-1939: a Biographical Dictionary (Mainstream, 1984); and Industrial Nation: Work, Culture and Society in Scotland, 1800-Present (EUP, 1999).

About this edition

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0748610847
• ISBN 13: 9780748610846
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368