The 'Blackwood' Group

Literary reputation and personal character meet in George Douglas's sketches of six writers associated with Blackwood. John Wilson, John Galt, D. M. Moir, Susan Ferrier, Michael Scott and Thomas Hamilton make up the volume's subjects. The opening considers Wilson's enduring reputation as Christopher North, then traces his childhood near Paisley and his education at Glasgow and Oxford. Stories of sport, study and conversation show the range of interests through which Douglas approaches his life.

Galt's portrait moves into the practical difficulties of founding settlements. The middle passage describes his work at Guelph and Goderich, his energetic plans and his strained dealings with company directors. Ambition, administrative friction and wounded pride become part of the account of a literary career. Readers interested in Scottish writers can follow these portraits for their attention to temperament and circumstance as well as books.