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By the author of Waverley

Case 6 - Lord of the Isles and Triermain

[Sir Walter Scott]. <em>The bridal of Triermain, or, The vale of St. John: in three cantos.</em> [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed by James Ballantyne and Co. for John Ballantyne and Co.; and for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; and Gale, Curtis, and Fenner, London, 1813.

[Sir Walter Scott]. The bridal of Triermain, or, The vale of St. John: in three cantos. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed by James Ballantyne and Co. for John Ballantyne and Co.; and for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; and Gale, Curtis, and Fenner, London, 1813.

Scott began writing this lighter poetic romance while he was already labouring with the complicated Rokeby. He planned to publish it anonymously at the same time as Rokeby, hoping that the public would think it by an imitator or rival – Scott’s first instance of a taste for mystification that would mark his career as a novelist.

The narrative interweaves three stories with a Lakes District setting: the eighteenth century courtship of Arthur and Lucy, the Arthurian legend of Lyulph’s tale, and the twelfth century romance of Sir Roland de Vaux.

[Sir Walter Scott]. <em>The bridal of Triermain, or, The vale of St. John: in three cantos.</em> [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed by James Ballantyne and Co. for John Ballantyne and Co.; and for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; and Gale, Curtis, and Fenner, London, 1813.

[Sir Walter Scott]. The bridal of Triermain, or, The vale of St. John: in three cantos. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed by James Ballantyne and Co. for John Ballantyne and Co.; and for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; and Gale, Curtis, and Fenner, London, 1813.
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Sir Walter Scott. <em>The Lord of the Isles: a poem.</em> [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., Edinburgh, 1815.

Sir Walter Scott. The Lord of the Isles: a poem. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., Edinburgh, 1815.

Scott’s last major poetic work focusses on the return of Robert Bruce to Scotland in 1307, and his subsequent period of struggle against the English, culminating in the Battle of Bannockburn. Interwoven is the story of the love of Edith of Lorn for Ronald, Lord of the Isles. The text is open at the scene in which their wedding is interrupted by the return of the fugitive Bruce, who conceals his identity and demands sanctuary.

Commercially, it sold less than both Lady of the lake and Marmion, and Scott accepted that his vogue as a poet was waning. His mind, and endeavours, turned increasingly to a career as a novelist.

Sir Walter Scott. <em>The Lord of the Isles: a poem.</em> [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., Edinburgh, 1815.

Sir Walter Scott. The Lord of the Isles: a poem. [1st edition]. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co., Edinburgh; and Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown; by James Ballantyne and Co., Edinburgh, 1815.
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