How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe's Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It

Scotland’s extraordinary progress from relative poverty at the time of its 1707 union with England to arguably the most economically advanced region in Europe by the late 1700s is an important case study for anyone interested in economic development. Arthur Herman’s scholarship is cursory and he frequently overstates his case, but his book offers interesting details on the country's success.