Independence or Union: Scotland's Past and Scotland's Present

There can be no relationship in Europe's history more creative, significant, vexed and uneasy than that between Scotland and England. For centuries the island of Britain has been shaped by the unique dynamic between Edinburgh and London, exchanging inhabitants, monarchs, money and ideas, sometimes in a spirit of friendship and at others in a spirit of murderous dislike.

This seminal new book by Tom Devine, Scotland's premier historian, explores this extraordinary story in all its ambiguity, from the seventeenth century to the present. He shows that, when not undermining each other with invading armies, both Scotland and England have broadly benefitted from each other's presence - indeed for long periods of time nobody questioned the union which joined them. But as Devine makes clear, this has for the most part been a relationship based on consent, not force, on mutual advantage, rather than antagonism - and it has always held the possibility of a political parting of the ways.

Now, as this potential parting comes under intense scrutiny, and Scotland and England's relationship hangs in the balance, Independence or Union is the book everyone should read to understand the future of the United Kingdom.