Fundamental groups, geometry, and some papers of Scott

Abstract Throughout the history of 3‐manifolds, the fundamental group has played a central role. There is a list of reasons for that, and exactly what that role is has evolved over time, but it has always been a player. The papers under consideration here all written by G. Peter Scott (1944–2023) in a period 1972–1978, highlight and reflect the beginnings of a transitional period for the subject viewed through the prism of fundamental groups.