The symbol stones of the Picts remain one of Scotland's greatest archaeological enigmas. First appearing on record in the thrid century AD the Picts were one of the dominant nations of the early medieval Scotland. Thier kingdoms dominated the northern part of the country from Shetland to the Forth, and competed for power with their neighbours, the Scots, Britons, Anglians, and Vikings. In the eighth century the Picts were finally absorbed into the kingdom of Alba, the core of what was to become the medieval kingdom of Scotland.

The Picts are best known today for the wealth of highly accomplished stone sculpture that they have left to us. Among these are many that bear a distintive group of symbols, some apparently abstract and decorated with the geometrical motifs of Celtic art, such as the crescent and V-rod or the double-disc and Z-rod, others beautifully naturalistic, such as the serpent, eagle and salmon. These appear both on unshaped standing stones, and on Christian cross-slabs. Symbols also appear on a small number of portable artefacts, including silverware and playing pieces. there have been many attempts to decipher the symbols' significance, with suggestions ranging from personal names and tribal totems, with the stones serving as memorials, boundary markers or statements of lordship. To this day, however, the meaning of the symbols remains obscure.

For the first time, The Pictish Symbol Stones of Scotland brings together every known symbol stone in Scotland, including a large number of previously unseen discoveries. Highly illustrated with over 100 new detailed measured drawings by John Borland, plus photographs and archive sketches, alongside the details and locations of all the Scottish stones recorded Symbol Stones provides an indispensable resource for anyone, academic or amateur, with an interest in Pictish sculpture.