This is the first volume of a distance-learning history of Scotland course. The 26 major topics are covered in five books, designed for self-study and written to accompany the course. These volumes are: two tutorial volumes, two volumes of reprinted articles and essays, and a volume of documents. The first half of the course covers the period 1707 to 1850.

Beginning with the Union of 1707 and Jacobitism, the course considers topics, including: industrialization, politics, religion, the environment, class, demography and culture, as well as looking at the differences between Highland and Lowland society and economy. The project team for this part of the course includes: C.G. Brown, G. Carruthers, A.J. Cooke, I. Donnachie, W.H. Fraser, M.T.G. Fry, B. Harris, A.I. Macinnes, I. Maver, T.C. Smout, N.L. Tranter, C.A. Whatley, I.D. Whyte and D.J. Withrington. The period 1850 to the present is covered in the second half of the course.

Again, a wide range of topics is studied and some topics, such as industrialization, demography, urbanization, religion, class, education, culture, and Highland and Lowland society is continued. The project team for this second part of the course includes: R.D. Anderson, R. Anthony, C.G. Brown, E.A. Cameron, R.J. Finlay, J.O. Foster, C. Harvie, W. Kenefick, R.A. Lambert, I. Levitt, A.J. MacIvor, R.J. Morris and P.L. Payne.