Battle for Scotland

''We may be about to see a new country - indeed, two new countries, - emerging on these islands. Half a lifetime ago, I sat down to write this book as a work of history. As it''s aged, it''s become current affairs.''

Just twenty years ago it seemed impossible that Scotland would ever get home rule, let alone full independence. And even following a vote that did not result in Scottish independence, there are still talks of a second referendum.

In The Battle for Scotland, first published in 1992, Andrew Marr provides the historical backdrop to these extraordinary events. He attempts to explain the deep sources of Scottish national feeling and the political will which brought us to this deeply uncertain time.

In a substantial introduction written before 2014''s referendum, Marr considers the questions every voting Scot (and every non-voting UK citizen) were asking themselves at the time.