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The Oxford Companion to Scottish History interprets history broadly, including archaeology, architecture, climate, culture, folk belief, geology, and the langauages of Scotland. It covers more than 20 centuries of history, including immigrants, migrants, and emigrants. It extends from Orkney and Shetland to Galloway, the Western Isles to the Borders. It deals extensively with Scots abroad, from Canada to Russia to New Zealand. It includes entries on historical figures from Columba, Macbeth, and William Wallace to James (Paraffin) Young. It covers Burns Clubs, curling, and shinty. It ranges from clans to Clearances and Covenanters. Over 500,000 words in length, and written by more than 70 distinguished contributors, it aims to explain as well as describe. It is more than a historical dictionary or an encyclopedia. Multi-authored entries analyse key themes such as kingship, national identity, women and society, urban and rural life, the economy, housing, living standards, and religious belief across the centruies in an authoritative but approachable way. The Oxford Companion to Scottish History has a broader range of topics and approaches, and a more authoritative list of contributors than any of its competitors. It also stands alone in providing analysis of issues such as national identity and living standards.
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That may not be fair. But this is an odd duck among the Oxford Companion series. Most of them are specialized dictionaries. The companion for British History, for instance, includes short biographies of major historical figures, brief accounts of major events, and special articles on subjects such as money, the church, and population patterns. For almost any historical topic, it gives you a place to start.
So imagine my shock when I went to look up the Battle of Prestonpans in the Companion to Scottish History, and it's not there. The articles go from "Population patterns" to "Printing and Publishing." Nor is it in the index -- and even if it were, the index isn't really an index! I didn't know it was possible to create an index that requires an instruction manual -- but this book manages it. The index doesn't tell you which page to seek things in; it tells you which articles to search.
If you want to just sit down and read the book, or already know which article to read, the quality is good. There is genuinely a lot of information here. But this simply is not a quick reference guide. It's more a book of essays. Be prepared.... (