Ten books about...
the independence referendum
BY ALAN TAYLOR & ROSEMARY GORING
Ahead of the last weekend before the vote, here are 10 of the most interesting books about the issues we face. They might help you make up your mind, or simply confirm why you're putting your tick in the yes or no box. Better start reading fast...
1 The Scots and the Union, by Christopher A Whatley
Bringing a historian's rigour to the second edition of his highly praised work, Whatley shows how the union came about, and describes its waning appeal - in some quarters at least - after the second world war.
2 Women Saying No, ed Maria Fyfe
Can these short essays turn the incoming tide of women thinking they will vote yes?
The passionate tone suggests it could. Written by those of overtly political persuasion and others with no party line at all, it is a heartfelt series of pleas, warning of the dangers of leaping over a wall on the other side of which, writes Fyfe, may lie a bed of roses or - she suggests - a bed of nettles.
3 Arts of Independence, by Alan Riach and Alexander Moffat
Written as a series of conversations, this is the only serious discussion of independence using culture as the basis for the argument. Even though it has been woefully absent from much of the political pundits' debate, Riach and Moffat believe culture is the only issue worth addressing.
4 My Scotland, Our Britain: A Future Worth Sharing, by Gordon Brown
Lordly and magisterial in tone, Brown presents this personal overview of the country he grew up in with panache and nostalgia, hoping, of course, to bolster the unionist tendency.
5 The Annals of the 2004-2014 Holyrood Parish, by Eberhard Bort
The stuff from which anoraks are made, this lucid year by year account of the happenings in Holyrood is oddly rivetting, though not a patch on the original Annals, by John Galt. His take on today's affairs would be worth having.
6 Scotland: A Creative Past, An Independent Future, by Paul Henderson Scott
One of the staunchest advocates of independence over the last few decades. Trenchant, insightful, fearlessly partisan, this is only the most recent of Scott's works to address the nationalist cause and rebut the fears raised by the Unionist side. It also reminds us of the many things that are seriously wrong with the country, that must be improved, and soon.
7 Scotia Nova, Poems for the Early Days of Better Nation, ed Alistair Findlay and Tessa Ransford
Whatever the verdict on the 18th, these poems look ahead to a country that will be reshaped by a new relationship with the rest of the UK, or refashion itself solo. Gung-ho, bitter, wistful but above all vivid, they are a refreshing change from hustings huff and puff.
8 Scotland's Choices: The Referendum and What Happens Afterwards, by Iain McLean, Jim Gallagher and Guy Lodge
Written by an ex-pat, an Englishman and one resident Scot, this is a level-headed and comprehensive assessment of the issues we need to address as independence or continued union draws nigh.
9 Head of State, by Andrew Marr
Another year, another referendum. It is 2017 (Scotland is still in the Union) and the UK is voting on whether to leave Europe. It'll send shivers up spines on both sides of the debate, not least because of its insider knowledge of how Westminster really works. Surely it's not like this at Holyrood?
10 Scotland's Future
The White Paper that sets out a blueprint for independence. With so few hours left before the vote, if you have time for nothing else, this is the one to turn to.
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