The Times Great Scottish Lives

Discover the fascinating lives of the iconic figures that have shaped Scotland from the early nineteenth century to the present day.

Explore the rich history of Scotland’s cultural, social and political landscape, with more than 100 obituaries carefully curated from The Times archive.

The Scots have contributed richly to the world, most notably in literature and science, but also in the arts, law, politics, religion, scholarship and sport. In this volume, The Times brings together a unique and fascinating collection of obituaries. The list includes people who have made the greatest impact in their fields, others who have led particularly interesting or influential lives, and a selection of notable Scottish figures in the history of The Times.

This book features the major Scottish figures of influence from the last 200 years and includes a diverse range of people, including: Sir Walter Scott, Sir David Livingstone, Thomas Carlyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, Keir Hardie, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Phoebe Traquair, James Ramsay MacDonald, John Logie Baird, Mary Somerville, Jim Clark, John Smith, Donald Dewar, Eugenie Fraser, Robin Cook, Jock Stein, R. D. Laing, Margo MacDonald, William McIlvanney, Tam Dalyell and Ronnie Corbett.

About the author

Magnus Linklater is a commentator, columnist, and former Scotland editor of the Times. He was editor of the Scotsman from January 1988 until July 1994. He was educated at Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar, and Eton College and went to Magnus Linklater is a commentator, columnist, and former Scotland editor of The Times. He was editor of The Scotsman from January 1988 until July 1994. He was educated at Belhaven Hill School, Dunbar, and Eton College and went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, before taking up a career in journalism, working on the Daily Express, the Evening Standard, and The Sunday Times, before moving to The Observer, where he became managing editor (news). He was appointed editor of the London Daily News in 1986, then moved to The Scotsman, which he edited for six and a half years, before joining The Times.
Mr Linklater is the author of several books on current affairs and Scottish history.