The Emperor's New Kilt: The Two Secret Histories of Scotland

Did you know that a Scot landed in America a century before Columbus? Or that Scotland had electric lighting 70 years before Edison patented the light bulb? Probably not, because Scotland has two histories. The image of the Scots as whisky-drinking, tartan-sporting, tight-fisted kilt wearers is famous throughout the world. The image is manufactured. Yet Scotland's reputation for producing inventors, thinkers, and explorers--people who have changed the course of world history--is nowhere near as prevalent. The scale of Scottish influence has truly been underestimated. This book looks at the things Scots are famous for--and shouldn't be, and the things they aren't famous for--and should be. Jan-Andrew Henderson is the author of "The Town Below the Ground: Edinburghs Legendary Underground City".