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What a lovely wee book! It is only about 105mm by 145mm and will easily fit into a pocket or handbag. It covers in excess of nine centuries, from Duncan I to the present Queen Elizabeth. Each Scottish Monarch has a short biography and, in a publication of this size, it is impossible to provide comprehensive details of each monarch's life but it does provide basic information in a clear manner. 
A work of reference it is not. If you wish to know, for example, the dates of the reign of James IV (1488-1513) and very abbreviated details of his character ('strong, able, energetic, full of enthusiasm and ideas'), his achievements: 'built up the Scottish Navy, supported universities and a college of surgeons and the first printing press in Scotland'. In 'compacting' the essential elements of each Scottish monarch's life in a few words the author is to be complimented.
The main focus of this wee publication is the illustrations. Drawn, in the main, from the portraits held by the National Galleries of Scotland the illustrations dominate this publication. Without them the text would be, quite simply, almost worthless. In saying that I do not denigrate the work of the author who wrote the text. I would not like to try to 'reduce' the lives of so many Kings and Queens, as Nicholas Best has had to do.
It has always puzzled me that those who write the text for books, leaflets and other publications are given fulsome acknowledgement of their efforts whilst those professional photographers whose work actually make this publication worth buying are not mentioned at all. In this particular example the photographs are superb yet there is not one mention of the women or men who actually made this publication possible. The only acknowledgement regarding the photographer's art is: "All photographs copyright Ó National Galleries of Scotland, 1999". I can imagine an 'in house' photographer being asked to produce excellent quality photographs, such as these, and feeling her, or his, frustration that the author gains all the 'glory'.
Having made my case for the recognition of professional photographers I would recommend that all who visit this site buy this wee book. It is small, beautifully illustrated and is an excellent introduction to Scottish History. I shall buy one to put into my son's Christmas Stocking in the hope that he will learn something of the history this small nation in which I am privileged to live.