How the Scots Invented the Modrern World was a veritable hardcover smash, selling more than 48,000 copies in five printings and landing on bestseller lists across the nation, including the Washington Post and the Independent Bestseller List. Now in paperback, this lively and engrossing work traces the history of Scotland"s many contributions to our culture, drawing on the most recent research of scholars and historians to demonstrate just how central the Scots have been in the making of what historians call "the great transformation" -- the rise of the West into the world"s dominant power.