The Scots: A Genetic Journey

I eagerly awaited my copy of this book. Written by a distinguished author, it seemed to cover all the bases for my interest in "the ancient story of Scotland", from history to genetics to culture. When my copy arrived, I found it packed with numerous interesting and detailed facts to read and to guide my research. There was only one problem: virtually none of the claims in The Scots, A Genetic Journey are linked to or supported by specific, clearly indicated references. True, there is a brief Bibliography at the end of the book, but there is essentially no practical way to use these general references (some of which are quite dated) to support each of the numerous very specific statements packed into every page. Also, while the source of photographs is indicated, the drawn figures (e.g., frequency of Y chromosome groups across the British Isles, p. 93) are unreferenced. (Whose work is the basis for this figure - the author? a colleague? a journal paper? a scientific database? - we aren't told and can't easily check the source for the information presented.) While many scientific publications intended for a general audience do not have copious, line-by-line references to the primary literature to backup every statement, these popular audience books generally do cite specific sources for major claims, further reading, and new developments such as those promised to be revealed by this book ("remarkable conclusions about our origins and identity"). Again, for me anyway, one of the most important aspect of genealogical searches is that they must be reliable - if I suspect that my great-grandfather immigrated from Scotland to New York on such and such a date, I want to be sure of that supposition on the basis of strong corroborating evidence and documentation, lest my family tree contain mistakes and errors. The same goes for genetic information, e.g., as presented on p. 87: "A British variant on he European marker M269, known as S145, could be said to be the most emphatic signal of Celtic language speakers of the British Isles." Great - this finding is interesting and important. But where may I find the exact study that led to this conclusion (a few lines down " a recent large sample of Welsh men..."? - whose large study? which Welsh men? How was the study performed? How can I read more about it and update its status in the 2022 scientific literature?)? While some readers may find this book of interest, its lack of references makes the book completely useless for me; since I cannot verify the accuracy and basis for many of the claims presented in this book, I cannot rely on them.

Great book. I love the bibliography. So much information to help with my genealogical research.

Repetitious and slow reading.

It was exactly what I wanted

It's all about prehistory and history of Scotland; very little about DNA/genetics. Not badly written but editors who give titles like this should be shot.

Fascinating

The writing confirmed my understanding of my own genetics 🧬!

If you have any Scots blood in you veins then you need to read this book. Great research and almost reads like a novel.
George Purvis, Marco Island, Florida

Information on the DNA's that has been found. The different changes in the planet and humans survival.

Very informative and interesting. Good read!!