"William Nyberg has highlighted some very interesting points in regard to the role of the engraver in the narrative of the American Revolution and the New Republic. Nyberg takes particular aim at the immigrant Scottish community and how artisans and merchants from the old country promoted both the ideas of freedom and the basic tenants of the Scottish Enlightenment in their new homeland. He does this all through the agency of Robert Scot.

"The book includes a well-organized and well-arranged set of appendices that effectively demonstrate the areas in which Scot operated, his importance to the history of the Early Republic, and the ways in which he stimulated resistance to the British, support for the Republic, and interest is Scottish philosophy, history, and literature."

"Nyberg draws attention to the importance of symbolic images in order to convey a persuasive message, ensure domestic tranquility, and advance the interest of the new nation. Almost from the moment he arrived in Virginia, Scot used his skills as an engraver to turn paper currency into a vehicle for propaganda and conciliation while, at the same time, deterring the efforts of counterfeiters. In 1776 his note worth Fifteen Spanish Milled Dollars advertised a conquering Virtus subduing a vanquished monarch with the inscription Sic Semper Tyrannis."