Most Popular Books by Walter Scott

The Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it is composed of six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day.Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet, FRSE (15 August 1771 - 21 September 1832) was a Scottish historical novelist, playwright and poet with many contemporary readers in Europe, Australia, and North America.Scott's novels and poetry are still read, and many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and of Scottish literature. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, Old Mortality, The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor.Although primarily remembered for his extensive literary works and his political engagement, Scott was an advocate, judge and legal administrator by profession, and throughout his career combined his writing and editing work with his daily occupation as Clerk of Session and Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire.A prominent member of the Tory establishment in Edinburgh, Scott was an active member of the Highland Society and served a long term as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1820-32).

Edgar, the brooding young master of Ravenswood, retains none of his ancestral estates but a crumbling castle. Embittered by the lawsuits that have stripped him of his patrimony and shortened his despairing father's life, he determines to confront Sir William Ashton, the lawyer whose machinations led to the decline of Ravenswood's fortunes. But Edgar's plans take an abrupt turn upon meeting Sir William's lovely daughter, Lucy, and a romance blossoms against the tumultuous backdrop of the two warring families. Sir Walter Scott's immensely popular Waverly novels enthralled readers with their dashing mix of historical fiction, romance, and revenge. This installment, originally published in 1819, takes place in the early 1700s amid Scotland's Lammermuir Hills. Edgar and Lucy's troubled relationship — beset by social, political, and religious barriers — reflects Scotland's struggles in the early 18th century, as the country and its citizens were torn asunder by the Jacobite rebellions. Scott's treatment of the lovers' inexorable destiny unfolds in a gothic atmosphere, punctuated by supernatural elements and symbolic imagery. The inspiration for Donizetti's opera Lucia di Lammermoor, this novel remains a compelling example of its author's ability to transmute the effects of historical change into literary art.

Quentin Durward is a historical novel by Walter Scott, first published in 1823. The story concerns a Scottish archer in the service of the French King Louis XI.Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian. Many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and of Scottish literature.