Alasdair Gray (one of the contributors to this book) in a memorable phrase once called on the Scots to "work as if you live in the early days of a better nation". Probably there have always been some people in Scotland who have done exactly that, and we are now in a period when there is more opportunity and more need for them. The restoration of the Scottish Parliament, even if it is still drastically limited in its powers, is by its mere existence a demand for a better Scotland. This book brings together some of these, not all but a good cross section, who are helping to build this better nation. They are spirits of the age in literature, painting, sculpture, music, ideas and science. Of course there are other vital activities and we hope to include them in a subsequent volume. Following the good example of Hume, Burns and Walter Scott, the contributors give a brief account of their experiences, influences and objectives. In doing that, they give us a clearer sense of their personalities than any subsequent biographer is likely to achieve. Together they build up a complex picture of contemporary Scotland, and of the opportunities and obstacles which challenge us.The book is edited by the cultural historian Paul H. Scott whose own account of his diverse experiences was published in his autobiography, A Twentieth Century Life in 2002.
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