When the original edition of Scottish Gold and Silver Work was published in 1956 it was the first in its field, and today it remains the only comprehensive treatment of the subject. However, during the years that have passed, a great deal has happened in this field. Not only have researches vastly exceeded everything published prior to the date of the book's appearance, but as a subject, Scottish silverware has attained independent status, and its history is no longer even putatively covered under the title of "English Plate." The need for a new edition, updated, corrected, and improved, is therefore obvious. No alternative general history of the subject appeared during the interval of the two editions. By tracing the history of this complex art form, from the earliest Celtic gold and silver work to the Burgh craftsmen of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Finlay and Fothringham have created the most comprehensive text on this subject ever published.
