http://www.opinionjournal.com/weekend/fivebest/?id=110010903


  FIVE BEST
Great Scots
The first minister of Scotland chooses works that reflect the spirit of
his native land.

BY ALEX SALMOND
Saturday, November 24, 2007 12:01 a.m.

1. "The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith (1776).

With its espousal of freedom, industry and self-determination, "The
Wealth of Nations" is considered a founding document of the Scottish
Enlightenment, which deeply influenced the great political and
philosophical movements of the modern era. I prefer to think of Adam
Smith's seminal work as an economist's treasure trove. I have spent
countless hours delving into its arguments about taxation, trade, public
works and the division of labor, pausing for classic passages such as:
"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the
baker, that we can expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own
interest."

2. "How the Scots Invented the Modern World" by Arthur Herman (Crown,
2001).

To understand the central truths of Scottish character and culture, from
their origins to today, you could do no better than to look into "How
the Scots Invented the Modern World." Arthur Herman covers it all:
Scotland's contributions to democracy, capitalism and banking, as well
as to literature and the arts. From the Scottish Reformation of the
1600s to David Hume and the Enlightenment in the 1700s, from Robert
Louis Stevenson in the 1800s to the devolution of 1997 that restored the
Scottish Parliament for the first time in nearly 300 years, Herman
conjures the spirit of a people rooted in education and reason. His
description of the opening of Edinburgh's first medical school in 1726
is particularly telling: "Edinburgh taught its doctors to be hands-on
generalists, who could spot a problem, make a diagnosis, and apply
treatment themselves."

3. "Sunset Song" by Lewis Grassic Gibbon (Jarrolds, 1932)

We Scots have our share of historical and literary warrior-characters
like William Wallace, the medieval Scottish patriot who still stirs a
fierce pride in his latter-day countrymen. My favorite Scottish
"warrior," however, is Chris Guthrie, a farmer's daughter in the early
years of the 20th century and the heroine of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's
"Sunset Song." In this first novel of Gibbon's "A Scots Quair" trilogy,
Chris's heart belongs to her family's farm, but the modern world has
begun to encroach on the nearby village of Kinraddie. Her husband dies
in World War I, and in the postwar years the sun begins to set on
agrarian life in a country that Chris has "loved and hated in a breath."
But her ultimate devotion to her land--her Scotland--transcends family,
love, war and death.

4. "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame (Scribner, 1908).

Edinburgh native Kenneth Grahame truly captures the spirit of Scotland
in this quintessential children's story about a lovable animal quartet.
The adventures begin when Mole warily accepts an invitation from a water
rat--Ratty--to join him in his row boat. "Believe me, my young friend,"
Ratty says, "there is nothing--absolutely nothing--half so much worth
doing as simply messing about in boats." A friendship is born, and soon
the circle expands to include Mr. Badger and Mr. Toad, who likes nothing
half so much as messing about in motor cars. As the story unfolds, the
animals display their loyalty, humility, dedication, generosity and a
fighting spirit when confronted--all virtues esteemed in Scottish
culture and brought charmingly to life by Grahame.

5. "The Works of Robert Burns" (Wordsworth Poetry Library, 1994).

For auld lang syne, I must pay tribute to Robbie Burns (1759-96), who
put those words into poetry and song. A Scots country lad whose writing
led him to the salons of Edinburgh, Burns took his love of Scotland, its
dialect and traditions and shared it with the world. Our national bard
may be most remembered around the globe on Hogmanay (New Year), but we
in Scotland recall his wit, his humor and his devotion to his country
every day, whether we stand in Parliament "gath'rin votes" or worrying
over the progress of "time or tide."

Mr. Salmond, a former economist for the Royal Bank of Scotland, is the
leader of the Scottish National Party