In his latest book, Angus Calder explores the culture of Scotland, one of Europe's oldest nations. Offering a rich mix of social history, cultural observation, and a sharp sense of politics, Calder looks at Scotland as a place that has throughout its history had a strong democratic tradition. The period since the 1707 Treaty of Union with England has seen a nation with a quite distinct and independent identity, and it is no surprise that the decaying imperial state to its south, lumbered with anachronistic institutions and byzantine class distinctions, has latterly held little allure. Calder's writings on 'republican' Scotland are lively and insightful, and raise questions about nationalism and the future of the 'United' Kingdom in ways that cannot now be ignored.