In both detail and broad perspective this is a ground breaking study. It is the first book to be written on the Dominican Order in Scotland. Set in the early modern era, it opens with the place of the Dominicans within the political history of the realm, arguing that the Dominicans had an independent and self-consciously Scottish identity. Then, various aspects of their work are covered; universities, law courts, prayers for the dead. Manuscripts of anniversary foundations reveal the urban patrons of the order, from whom the friars were, it is argued, recruited. Fresh examination of the antifraternal literature in Scotland sets it in its historical context for the first time and is brought to bear on the works of John Knox.