The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment

The Scottish Enlightenment might be summed up in the remark of the founder of the Encyclopaedia Britannica that if he stood at the Mercat Cross of Edinburgh, he could, in a short while shake, the hands of 50 men of genius (nowadays he would be more likely to meet fifty Members of the Scottish Parliament). This latest addition to the respected series of Cambridge Companions summarises it in a more academic way, in a collection of essays on its different aspects by distinguished contributors. It is not a guide for the beginner: it shares the besetting sin of works written...