Sir Walter Scott

3,334 books • 106 series

Sir Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1771. As a child he was entranced by the tales of the Scottish Borders, and soon he was reading broadly in the fields of history and legend; these interests were to mould the later man. After an extensive flirtation with German Romanticism -- he published two translations -- he returned to his initial love, the Borders and their ballads, publishing the important three-volume collection Minstrelsy of the Scottish Borders in 1802-3. The success of this collection, whose texts he had extensively rewritten, led him to publish the extremely popular book-length narrative poem The Lay of the Last Minstrel in 1805. Others followed the widespread popularity of this one, notably The Lady of the Lake (1810).

He had become a partner in the printing firm Ballantyne, and in 1813 had to rescue it from bankruptcy, in the process incurring enormous personal debts. To help pay these off, he picked up and finished the text of a novel about the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion that he'd started and abandoned in 1805. When published in 1814, Waverley was a huge success. Writing with phenomenal industry, he followed Waverley with a long string of historical and quasi-historical novels of which Guy Mannering (1815), Old Mortality (1816), Rob Roy (1818), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), The Bride of Lammermoor (1819), Ivanhoe (1819), Kenilworth (1821), The Fortunes of Nigel (1822), Quentin Durward (1823) and Redgauntlet (1824) are among the most noteworthy. These were published anonymously; his authorship of them was not revealed until 1827.

Created a baronet in 1820, Scott died in 1832. He is widely regarded as the father of the historical novel.

Apr 1, 2011
Cover of Redgauntlet (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Redgauntlet (Barnes & Noble Digital Library) (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Apr 1, 2011
Cover of Anne of Geierstein (Barnes & Noble Digital Library): Or the Maiden of the Mist

Anne of Geierstein (Barnes & Noble Digital Library): Or the Maiden of the Mist (Barnes & Noble Digital Library)

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Complete Poetical and Dramatic Works of Sir Walter Scott, with an Introductory Memoir by W. B. Scott.

The Complete Poetical and Dramatic Works of Sir Walter Scott, with an Introductory Memoir by W. B. Scott.

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of Christmas in the Olden Time. [From Marmion Introduction to Canto VI.] Illustrated.

Christmas in the Olden Time. [From Marmion Introduction to Canto VI.] Illustrated.

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Second Edition. Vol. IX.

The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Second Edition. Vol. IX.

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Second Edition. Vol. XI.

The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Second Edition. Vol. XI.

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Eve of Saint-John. a Border Ballad.

The Eve of Saint-John. a Border Ballad.

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott ... with a Memoir of the Author. Illustrated by Many Engravings, Etc.

The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott ... with a Memoir of the Author. Illustrated by Many Engravings, Etc.

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Vol. XIII, Second Edition

The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Vol. XIII, Second Edition

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Vol. V, Second Edition

The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Vol. V, Second Edition

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Vol. XVIII, Second Edition

The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott. Vol. XVIII, Second Edition

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott.

The Works of John Dryden ... Illustrated with Notes, Historical, Critical, and Explanatory, and a Life of the Author, by Walter Scott.

Mar 28, 2011
Cover of The History of Scotland, Etc.

The History of Scotland, Etc.

Mar 27, 2011
Cover of The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott. with Memoir of the Author

The Poetical Works of Sir Walter Scott. with Memoir of the Author

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of Waverley Novels. Abbotsford Edition.

Waverley Novels. Abbotsford Edition.

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border ... Third Edition. Vol. I, Fourth Edition

Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border ... Third Edition. Vol. I, Fourth Edition

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of Waverley Novels. Abbotsford edition. VOL. IV

Waverley Novels. Abbotsford edition. VOL. IV

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of Memoirs of the Life of Robert Cary, Baron of Leppington and Earl of Monmouth. Written by Himself, and Now Published from an Original Manuscript in the Custody of John Earl of Corke and Orrery and Edited by Him. with Some Explanatory Notes

Memoirs of the Life of Robert Cary, Baron of Leppington and Earl of Monmouth. Written by Himself, and Now Published from an Original Manuscript in the Custody of John Earl of Corke and Orrery and Edited by Him. with Some Explanatory Notes

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The State Papers and Letters of Sir Ralph Sadler. Edited by Arthur Clifford. to Which Is Added, a Memoir of the Life of Sir Ralph Sadler; With Historical Notes by Walter Scott. Vol. II

The State Papers and Letters of Sir Ralph Sadler. Edited by Arthur Clifford. to Which Is Added, a Memoir of the Life of Sir Ralph Sadler; With Historical Notes by Walter Scott. Vol. II

Mar 25, 2011
Cover of The Bride of Lammermoor. a Drama in Five Acts. Based on the Novel by Sir Walter Scott

The Bride of Lammermoor. a Drama in Five Acts. Based on the Novel by Sir Walter Scott

Mar 24, 2011
Cover of Poems and Ballads. with a Memoir of the Author by Sir W. Scott, Bart. and a Supplement By.

Poems and Ballads. with a Memoir of the Author by Sir W. Scott, Bart. and a Supplement By.

Mar 20, 2011
Cover of The Lay of the Last Minstrel. by Sir Walter Scott. with Notes and a Chronological Summary of His Life, and Index.

The Lay of the Last Minstrel. by Sir Walter Scott. with Notes and a Chronological Summary of His Life, and Index.

Mar 20, 2011
Cover of Historical, Legendary, and Romantic Tales from the Works of Sir Walter Scott. Selected by W. T. Dobson. with Illustrations, Etc.

Historical, Legendary, and Romantic Tales from the Works of Sir Walter Scott. Selected by W. T. Dobson. with Illustrations, Etc.

Mar 17, 2011
Cover of The Sale-Room. [By Sir Walter Scott, and Others.] No. 1-28.

The Sale-Room. [By Sir Walter Scott, and Others.] No. 1-28.