Throughout the 1990s, Ninian Dunnett has been interviewing Scots to record their views on themselves, Scotland and the world they live in. The interviews, many of them originally featured in The Herald, have been gathered together with commentary, song, folklore and humour to create Out on the Edge, a book which captures Scottish life today in the words of ordinary people whose voices aren't often heard in the wider world. Often oral histories concentrate on stirring up the past; Out on the Edge is distinctive as a book which focuses on the present. It draws on the lives of people from across Scotland, and from all walks of life, including postbus drivers, factory workers, school children, farmers, hairdressers and mountain rescue volunteers. The result is a wide-ranging yet intimate portrait of a country and its people. Amid the blare of our media-spun, image-conscious, opinionated world, Out on the Edge reminds us of what we can gain by being better listeners.