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Canongate Classics
The Journal of Sir Walter Scott
"I have all my life regretted that I did not keep a regular (journal). I have myself lost recollection of much that was interesting and I have deprived my family and the public of some curious information by not carrying this resolution into effect." Sunday 20 November, 1825. With these words Scott began what many regard as his greatest work, a diary which was to turn into an extraordinary day-to-day account of the last six years of his life, years of financial ruin, bereavement, and increasing ill health. As he laboured to pay off debts of over £120,000, Scott emerges, not simply as a great writer, but as an almost heroic figure whose generosity and even temper shine through at all times. This edition presents a complete edited text and notes drawing on a wealth of other material including correspondence, reminiscences and the memoirs of Scott's contemporaries. It remains one of the standards by which Scott scholarship is judged.
976 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1890
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About the author
Walter Scott
10.5k books2,005 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.
Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.
Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.
Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.
Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.
Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.
Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish novelist, poet, historian, and biographer, widely recognized as the founder and master of the historical novel. His most celebrated works, including Waverley, Rob Roy, and Ivanhoe, helped shape not only the genre of historical fiction but also modern perceptions of Scottish culture and identity.
Born in Edinburgh in 1771, Scott was the son of a solicitor and a mother with a strong interest in literature and history. At the age of two, he contracted polio, which left him with a permanent limp. He spent much of his childhood in the Scottish Borders, where he developed a deep fascination with the region's folklore, ballads, and history. He studied at Edinburgh High School and later at the University of Edinburgh, qualifying as a lawyer in 1792. Though he worked in law for some time, his literary ambitions soon took precedence.
Scott began his literary career with translations and collections of traditional ballads, notably in his Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. He gained early fame with narrative poems such as The Lay of the Last Minstrel and The Lady of the Lake. As the popularity of poetic storytelling declined, especially with the rise of Lord Byron, Scott turned to prose. His first novel, Waverley, published anonymously in 1814, was set during the Jacobite rising of 1745 and is considered the first true historical novel. The success of Waverley led to a long series of novels, known collectively as the Waverley Novels, which blended historical events with compelling fictional narratives.
Over the following years, Scott produced a remarkable number of novels, including Old Mortality, The Heart of Midlothian, and The Bride of Lammermoor, each contributing to the romantic image of Scotland that became popular throughout Europe. With Ivanhoe, published in 1819, he turned his attention to medieval England, broadening his appeal and confirming his status as a major literary figure. His works were not only popular in his own time but also laid the groundwork for historical fiction as a respected literary form.
Scott married Charlotte Genevieve Charpentier in 1797, and they had five children. In 1820, he was granted a baronetcy and became Sir Walter Scott. He built a grand home, Abbotsford House, near Melrose, which reflected his passion for history and the Scottish past. However, in 1825, financial disaster struck when his publishers went bankrupt. Rather than declare bankruptcy himself, Scott chose to work tirelessly to pay off the debts through his writing. He continued to produce novels and non-fiction works at a staggering pace despite declining health.
Walter Scott died in 1832, leaving behind a literary legacy that influenced generations of writers and readers. His works remain widely read and studied, and he is credited with helping to revive interest in Scottish history and culture. Abbotsford House, now a museum, stands as a monument to his life and achievements.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 11, 2013
Begun in late 1825 when he was 54,Scott's Journal is the last masterpiece of one of the 19th century's greatest writers. Within a few months he would become a widower, be financially ruined, be forced to sell his house in Edinburgh, hand Abbotsford over to a trust, and set himself to the task of paying off debts of £130,000 (millions in today's terms) through his writing. The effort brought him ill health and sent him to an early grave seven years later. This famous, hugely successful man became more and more isolated and lonely, and it was onto the pages of the Journal that he poured out his heart. As a self-portrait of crumbling genius it is unrivalled. But it also tells us so much about the world in which Scott lived. Whatever you think of him as a poet or novelist, the real man is in these pages. A huge book but moving and fascinating right to the end.
May 27, 2020
A fascinating insight into the world of the great Scottish novelist with mention of such as Wordsworth, Garrick, Turner (£25 per plate for illustrating one of Scott's works). The sums of money that Scott earns, and needs to pay off his debts, are tremendous even in today's terms. The journal ends with a trip to the Mediterranean and Italy, where an amusing incident is when Scott meets the King and records, "The King spoke to me about five minutes, of which I hardly understood five words. I answered him in a speech of the same length, and I'll be bound equally unintelligible." The journal ends mid-sentence, leaving the reader wanting more but finally, all credit to W M Parker for transcribing the journal for the illustrated extracts are almost illegible!
March 6, 2020
The Scottish poet and novelist Sir Walter Scott kept this diary between 1825 until his death in 1832. He recorded daily his activities and feelings. I always find it interesting to read the diary of any man; give it a good or a bad one. Diaries show you how similar human life is. It tells you how common the occurrence of bad and good events in people's life. They all have bad and good days. The grief at the death of a family member or a friend and the feeling of happiness in celebrations. It makes you appreciate that life gives and takes. It teaches you that life passes like a blink of an eye. Perhaps, it may wake up a sleeping mind! Therefore, I would always encourage people to read old diaries (and to have one) although it is a difficult endeavor.
This diary, in particular, was not the best diary I read. I am spoiled by the diaries of Henry Stanley in his search for Livingstone in Africa, the diary of Nansen Fridtjof during his exploration in the North Pole, and the diary of Shackleton in his last voyage, which are among the best diaries the reader can find. However, every diary has its own taste. This one, I confess, was dull and very slow. Walter Scott is aristocratic and his diaries reflect his living style. Many meetings, dinners, politics and money talk. However, in his long diary, you will definitely be touched, for example, by the days of his wife's death. He suffered a lot and described his feeling vividly in the diary. The reader may also learn something from his continuous loss of health during the last years of his life. I once read a remark from an old man declaring that: It is very difficult to be happy when you are old and sick. This is certainly a valid remark in Scott's case. The last days of any person are filled with agony and sadness and no one can deny this fact.
I will not recommend people to read this long diary (you may if you must) but I would encourage people to read diaries in general (if you find a good one). There is something to be learned from them if the reader is patient enough.
This diary, in particular, was not the best diary I read. I am spoiled by the diaries of Henry Stanley in his search for Livingstone in Africa, the diary of Nansen Fridtjof during his exploration in the North Pole, and the diary of Shackleton in his last voyage, which are among the best diaries the reader can find. However, every diary has its own taste. This one, I confess, was dull and very slow. Walter Scott is aristocratic and his diaries reflect his living style. Many meetings, dinners, politics and money talk. However, in his long diary, you will definitely be touched, for example, by the days of his wife's death. He suffered a lot and described his feeling vividly in the diary. The reader may also learn something from his continuous loss of health during the last years of his life. I once read a remark from an old man declaring that: It is very difficult to be happy when you are old and sick. This is certainly a valid remark in Scott's case. The last days of any person are filled with agony and sadness and no one can deny this fact.
I will not recommend people to read this long diary (you may if you must) but I would encourage people to read diaries in general (if you find a good one). There is something to be learned from them if the reader is patient enough.
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March 3, 2019One of our favourite entries:
"Also read again, and for the third time at least, Miss Austen's very finely written novel of Pride and Prejudice. That young lady had a talent for describing the involvement and feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with."
Sir Walter Scott
Journal entry, March 14th 1826
But who was Walter Scott?....https://www.janeausten.co.uk/sir-walt...
"Also read again, and for the third time at least, Miss Austen's very finely written novel of Pride and Prejudice. That young lady had a talent for describing the involvement and feelings and characters of ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful I ever met with."
Sir Walter Scott
Journal entry, March 14th 1826
But who was Walter Scott?....https://www.janeausten.co.uk/sir-walt...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews