"A fascinating and long overdue account of the personalities who have shaped and sustained modern Scottish nationalism since its foundations a century ago." --Ian Jack, writer and journalist

"This book provides a fascinating backdrop to the interesting political times Scotland now faces and the characters that lived the dream that has never died." --Kenny MacAskill, former SNP minister and former MSP

"A compelling journey through eighty years of Scottish political history, full of insights and lessons for us all. Scholarly and thorough, but also creditably human." --John Harris, The Guardian

Professor James Mitchell is Professor of Public Policy and director of the Academy of Government at Edinburgh University, having previously held similar posts at Sheffield and Strathclyde Universities. His works include The Scottish National Party: Transition to Power (with Rob Johns and Lynn Bennie), The Scottish Question and Takeover: Explaining the Extraordinary Rise of the SNP (with Rob Johns).

Dr Gerry Hassan is a writer and commentator. His PhD was on the Scottish political commentariat and its relationship with the public sphere. He is the author and editor of over twenty books on Scottish and British politics, social change, policy and ideas. These include The Strange Death of Labour Scotland (with Eric Shaw), Caledonian Dreaming: The Quest for a Different Scotland and Independence of the Scottish Mind: Elite Narratives, Public Spaces and the Making of a Modern Nation.

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