From Library Journal
Prebble's 1968 volume chronicles Scotland's failed 1695 attempt to establish a colony in Central America in an effort to break free from Britain and become an empire. Everything that could go wrong did, and the plan ended in disaster, costing the lives of several thousand Scots as well as nearly half the country's wealth which wasn't much to begin with. Other new Scottish history titles from Dufour include Hugh Peebles's Warshipbuilding on the Clyde (ISBN 0-85976-530-X), John Riddell's The Clyde: The Making of a River (ISBN 0-85976-526-1), and George Seton's portrait of St. Kilda (ISBN 1-84158-033-3). Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
In 1695, the Scottish parliament set out to establish a colony in Central America, in an attempt to transform Scotland into a great trading nation. It was the dream of William Paterson, founder of the bank of England and erratic genius, who saw this colony as "the door of the seas...the key of the universe" and a bridge between east and west. Three years later, the whole enterprise collapsed: 2,000 colonists lay dead and half of Scotland's wealth had been lost. The Darien venture was one of the most harrowing disasters to befall any nation, and the forced parliamentary union with England in 1707 was the bitter consummation of those who had dreamed of creating a Scottish empire.


About the Author
John Prebble needs little introduction. He was one of Scotland's best-known and most popular historians. The author of Glencoe, Culloden, The Highland Clearances, and many other bestselling books, he was an outstanding storyteller and gripping writer.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal