A LAND AFFLICTED: SCOTLAND AND THE COVENANTER WARS 1638-1690 Raymond Campbell Patterson. Pub. by John Donald 1998 ISBN 0 85976 486 9 308pp £ 12.95

It is perhaps as well to begin by saying what this book is not. John Donald used to have a rather fearsome reputation as publishers of extremely weighty and well nigh unreadable academic tomes on very obscure aspects of scottish history. Of late however they have lightened up considerably (literally as well as figuratively) and this is the third volume in Mr. Patterson's very useful trilogy covering Scotland's wars from 1296.

While well researched it is popular rather than academic in tone and perhaps none the worse for that, for in this single volume Mr Patterson provides a clear and very comprehensive overview of the period. This is not by any means confined to the campaigns of Montrose but succeeds in taking a global approach not only to the pivotal Civil War period, including the fighting in Ulster, but also to the counter-insurgency operations against the western Covenanters after the Restoration.

Notwithstanding its warlike theme, this is not a military history. It has to be said that far better and more detailed studies are available on most of the battles and campaigns covered, even if some such as C.S. Terry's delightful little study of Rullion Green in 1666 are long out of print. Instead, the value of this particular volume is the way in which Mr Patterson successfully weaves the whole story together in a continuous narrative, providing a coherent overview of both domestic politics and Anglo-Scots relations from the latter point of view. There are certainly aspects of his interpretation with which one could take issue although his jaundiced view of Montrose is refreshing. There are also some curious errors - but with the exception of the awful maps these are minor slips which it would be invidious to carp about.

This is an excellent book. It is a clear and above all readable account of the subject. Buy it.

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