Anne of Geierstein or the Maiden of the Mist

by Walter Scott

1912. No Edition Remarks. 524 pages. No dust jacket. Red cloth. Black and white illustrations throughout. Pages and binding are presentable with no major defects. Minor issues present such as mild cracking, inscriptions, inserts, light foxing, tanning and thumb marking. Overall a good condition item. Boards have mild shelf wear with light rubbing and corner bumping. Some light marking and sunning.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Scotland, Novels, Romance, British Literature

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1829

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really surprised myself by enjoying this hugely. Maybe I should revisit Quentin Durward, set in a similar era, because I didn't like that much at the time. But I got quite involved in the fate of the characters here, it wasn't obvious what was going to happen, there was some genuine tension, and although Sir Walter was criticised at the time for writing about a country he had not visited, I found the descriptions of the Swiss mountains perfectly plausible. And Sigismund is a darling.

[Steve R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another inappropriately named novel in the Waverley series. The title character probably graces far less than 100 of the novel's approximate 750 pp. and is a relatively light weight entity for all that. However, her family history is certainly an interesting one, with her absent father the Count of Geierstein, operating incognito in more than one personage. As well, there is a noted degree of the supernatural attending her now deceased mother and her maternal grandfather and grandmother, both of whom dabbled in eastern mysteries. Anne's wraith-like appearances early on in the novel do much to draw the interest of Arthur Philipson, whose personage has a much stronger claim to be the real focus of the novel. A supposed merchant's son, he meets Anne while traveling through Switzerland with his father. Their true identities are not revealed until about half way through the novel, although most who encounter the young man suspect the truth. He is a standard Scott hero: a little romantic, trusty with a sword, honorable above all else, dutiful to his familial and political leaders and quite prone to allowing his affections for a lovely young lady get the better of him. Anne and he say solemn, final farewells to one another several times throughout the story, but the reader never even comes close to believing that any of them will come to pass. However, forget Anne and Arthur: the real story is that of Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy. He is sympathetic to the cause of Margaret of Anjou, the exiled Lancaster Queen who has been forced to leave England with the victory of Edward IV for the cause of York in the protracted War of the Roses. Plans are made for Burgundy to take the provinces of Lorraine (contested for by the young upstart Ferrand de Vaudemont) and Provence (ruled by the charmingly ineffectual King Rene) and then support an Lancaster-led invasion of England while Edward is in France trying to wrest lost provinces from Louis XI. However, Burgundy's headstrong and ill-considered desire to teach the Swiss a lesson lead to exceptionally poor results for him and his supporters. He wants to do so largely due to the fate of one Archibald de Hagenbach, a German robber-baron who, along with his aide Kilian, made for some of the best characterizations in the entire novel and, once again to my regret, they get killed off far too soon! They were truly evil in their unbridled selfishness and lack of conscience. The nefarious Campo-Basso and the steady, earnest Colvin, respectively work against and for Burgundy's aims. The operation of the mysterious Vehmique Court, which has assumed for itself ultimate powers to judge and execute those it finds guilty, work their way out through the machinations of Anne's father on the fate of Burgundy. Covering much the same historical period as the earlier Quentin Durward, this novel gives a truly mesmerizing characterization of this mercurial leader, whom Margaret characterized as 'wilful, sudden, haughty and unpersuadable' and whom Scott states combined in a truly unique manner 'cruelty and justice, magnanimity with meanness, economy with extravagance, and liberty with avarice'. The final note on his eventual death describes what its writer felt to be the wealthiest Duchy in all of Europe, one which ceased to be by the events described at the conclusion of this novel. The minor character of Sigismund, a slow-thinking, but seemingly resourceful Swiss farmer/soldier, is very well drawn, and the scene in the Inn of the Golden Fleece, presided over by its domineering John Meng, shows Scott at his humorous best. However, taking the novel as a whole, one must conclude that for once, Scott's sense of historical fascination truly overwhelmed his normal attention to the personalities and motivations of his supposedly principal characters. Still, it made for an excellent story!

[Samichtime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent tale with great illustrations. 🧑‍🎨 I was convinced to read this by a gemologist who claimed this book single-handedly disrupted the opal market! 😳

[Monty Milne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott himself didn’t think much of this novel (“Get a good name and you may write trash”, he said of it), but I think he was being unfair on himself. The critical reception was good. It takes some gumption to write a historical novel set in a country you have never visited and while you don’t have access to a library. In those terms alone, it’s a remarkable achievement. The Swiss, of course, loved it. I was amused to read in the introduction that enthusiastic Switzers presented Scott with no fewer than six of their enormous two-handed swords. The logistics alone of getting such items from Switzerland to Scotland must have been formidable. Scott, of course, was delighted with the gifts.

We first meet Anne of Geierstein moving lightly over the Alps like a beautiful spirit of the mountains. The moment young Arthur Philippson sees her, we know the story will end with them getting married and living happily ever after. She seems like a humble mountaineer and he is a travelling merchant, so do you think perhaps they are approximate social equivalents and thus perhaps suitably matched? But no, think again! For Anne is really a Countess and cannot mate with the son of a merchant! But fear not, gentle reader, for it will eventually emerge – to the surprise of no reader whatsoever – that Arthur is really just as much a toff as she is. Phew, that’s allright then! We can’t have toffs marrying riff raff!

There is more to this than meets the eye, though. Older men are the ones who solve all the problems – not the violent and flighty youngsters. And this is a tale of tension between emerging national identities, disputed lands, and disputed laws. This speaks not only to the perennial conflict between generations but also to a Europe troubled then as now by competing identities. Once again, Scott gives us some wonderful escapism in a novel packed with exciting incident – but also gives us something more to chew on.

[Suzannah Rowntree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Scott's best, but a worthwhile read drawing upon some fun aspects of history.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some Scott novels are hard to get into as he slowly builds the setting. Although the setting of this book is unfamiliar (Switzerland) and might needs a careful description, the first chapter is full of action and the beginning reminds me of The Talisman. In fact Arthur and Anne have the same reserve and caution of The Talisman's Kenneth and Edith. I read this book alongside A Gentleman in Moscow and I was sorely tempted to write chapter titles beginning with the letter A because this book is full of the first letter of the alphabet. I also read it at the same time as we were studying the artist Paul Cezanne and I encourage readers to study paintings of his favorite mountain--the same mountain where Queen Margaret made her retreat. Some of the minor characters are delightful (Annette and Sigismund). Scott portrays the rustic characters sympathetically and even highlights the snobbery of the nobility (Queen Margaret). The villains are utterly villainous. Charles the Bold is a tragic hero as is Rudolph Donnerhugel and their arrogance leads to their demise. Queen Margaret (War of the Roses, Henry VI's wife) and her father King Rene are excellent foils. In fact, all the leaders in this book, from the Swiss Cantons to the city burghers to the princes, kings, and queens, give us lessons about how to govern and how not to govern. Scott layers the story with descriptions of place; disguised characters; mysteries; supernatural elements; and a dive into history.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Swashbuckling, international intrigue and a bit of romance — good reading for long winter nights.

[Diane · Rating 1 out of 5]

Took me forever (2 years) to read this .... came close to DNF

[Gem K · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone but Anne was BORING and she was only there for two seconds

[Laura]

Volume I (of 2)
Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

Volume II (of2)
Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

[Valerie]

For some reason, it is easy to find old editions of Sir Walter Scott for sale...I can't imagine why anyone would get rid of them.

[Ange · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story. Takes place around 1450's and, although, it takes place mainly in Switzerland, it involves the war of the roses.