"Brilliant, provocative . . . a great book."—New Statesman "An important book . . . It is a new starting line from which all subsequent discussions of nationalism will have to begin."—New Society "A better explanation than anyone has yet offered of why nationalism is such a prominent principle of political legitimacy today. This is a terse and forceful work . . . the product of great intellectual energy and an impressive range of knowledge."—Times Literary Supplement "Periodically, an important book emerges that makes us, through the uniqueness of its theory, perceive history as we have not seen it before. Ernest Gellner has written such a volume. Students of nationalism will have to come to grips with his interpretation of the causes for the emergence of nationalism, since he has declared that most of the previous explanations are largely mythical."—American Historical Review