By the author of Waverley

[Sir Walter Scott]. Peveril of the Peak. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1822. Four volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.

Peveril of the Peak is set in the midst of the so-called Popish Plot of 1678, when Jesuits were alleged to be planning to assassinate King Charles II, to bring his Catholic brother to the throne. First published in four volumes, it is Scott’s longest novel and one of his English-based novels. The title refers to Peveril Castle in Derbyshire, and the plot follows Julian Peveril, a Cavalier who is in love with Alice Bridgenorth, a Roundhead’s daughter. Julian and his father are accused of involvement in the Popish Plot.

Scott’s work on this novel was interrupted by his leading role in organising the visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822, the first Hanoverian monarch to visit Scotland.

[Sir Walter Scott]. Peveril of the Peak. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1822. Four volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.
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[Sir Walter Scott]. Quentin Durward. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1823. Three volumes; Vol. 2 displayed.

Set in fifteenth century France Quentin Durward was Scott’s first fictional venture into continental Europe. The plot centres on the rivalry between Louis XI of France and the violent, impetuous Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. The title character is a young Scot of good family who engages himself in the Guard of Louis, and protects the Burgundian heiress Isabelle de Croye against planned treachery.

While writing this novel, Scott was deeply affected by the death of his brother Tom, which left him the last survivor of twelve children. Quentin Durward sold slowly in Britain but caused a similar sensation in France to Waverley in Scotland, and Ivanhoe in England.

[Sir Walter Scott]. Quentin Durward. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1823. Three volumes; Vol. 2 displayed.
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[Sir Walter Scott]. St. Ronan’s well. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1824. Three volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.

St. Ronan’s well was Scott’s only novel with a contemporary setting, the Scottish spa of St. Ronan’s well, whose idle fashionable society is satirically described. The story deals with the bitter rivalry of two half-brothers, Valentine Bulmer the Earl of Etherington and Francis Tyrrel, both of whom wish to marry Clara Mowbray, daughter of the laird of St. Ronan’s.

[Sir Walter Scott]. St. Ronan’s well. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1824. Three volumes; Vol. 1 displayed.
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[Sir Walter Scott]. St. Ronan’s well. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1824. Three volumes; Vol. 3 displayed.

A bold departure from his usual settings and subject matter, it portrays the domestic comedies and tragedies of a small Scottish spa town. Perhaps his least favourably received novel, some readers felt he was descending into an inferior genre by writing a novel of contemporary manners.

[Sir Walter Scott]. St. Ronan’s well. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson and Co., London, 1824. Three volumes; Vol. 3 displayed.
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