Scotland's mountains and glens retain the secrets of the long and frequently violent geological history that has gone into their making. Volcanoes have played a major role in the creation of Scotland and while the youngest, a mere sixty million years old, were responsible for much of the scenic splendour of the Inner Hebrides, the rocks composing many of the famous Scottish landforms as, for example, those of Glencoe and the Edinburgh district are also the direct result of volcanism.
Volcanoes and the Making of Scotland is extensively illustrated with maps, sketches, cross-sections and photographs and relates what can currently be seen in the worn-down remains of Scotland's old volcanoes to active analogues around the world. Brian Upton is emeritus professor of petrology in the University of Edinburgh.