The Journal of Sir Walter Scott

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Pages: 685

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About this book

Daily writing, family visits and negotiations with publishers share the pages of Walter Scott's diary, kept from 1825 to 1832. Beginning in Edinburgh, Scott explains his wish to record events as they come to mind, encouraged by reading Byron's notes. Recollections of travel in Ireland sit beside portraits of friends, observations on conversation and the irritations of requests for autographs.

Later entries move between court business, evenings with Anne and Walter, and plans with Cadell to secure the copyrights of the Waverley Novels. Scott considers the money a new annotated edition might earn while also recording days when low spirits interrupt his work. The journal offers a close view of an author's working life, with practical calculations and personal moods sharing the same dated entries. Editorial notes draw on letters and recollections to explain people and events.

About the author

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) was a Scottish poet and novelist who effectively invented the historical novel with works like Ivanhoe and Waverley. Enormously popular across Europe, he shaped how the nineteenth century imagined the past.