This book is a peerless collection of Scotland’s finest houses at their height of beauty, before the destructive forces of the 20th century swept so many away and emptied others of their contents. Here are the famous palaces and castles, from Holyroodhouse and Glamis to Inverrary and Culzean, recorded in photographs of timeless authority. Also profiled are the fragile ensembles of 18th-century houses—Arniston, Newhailes, Drum—shown with their gardens, plasterwork, tapestries, furniture, and paintings. Most breathtaking of all is Hamilton Palace and its incomparable collections photographed months before the house was demolished and its treasures scattered. Featuring more than 200 of Country Life’s finest photographs of some 20 houses, this collection truly shows the splendor of the Scottish house.

Ian Gow is the curator of collections at the National Monuments Record of Scotland and the author of several books, including Scotland’s Lost Houses and Scottish Country Houses 1600–1914.