Sir Walter Scott's Tales of a Grandfather Covering Series I-iii in 5 Books Dated 1836

Sir Walter Scott, the Scottish novelist and poet (1771-1832), is considered by many as having established the historical novel genre with his works set in various centuries although focusing predominately around the 17th and 18th centuries. In May 1827 he came up with the idea of writing the History of Scotland addressed to his six-year-old grandchild, John Hugh Lockhart. The project being partly inspired by the success of John Wilson Crocker’s Stories for Children Selected from the History of England. The First Series comprised the period between the reign of Macbeth (1033) and the Union of the Crowns (1603) and was published in December 1827, with the intention of introducing it to the Christmas market. The sales were so high that before the end of the month, the publisher Robert Cadell had already ordered a revised and enlarged edition.

The Second Series of Tales was published in November 1828 ending with the Union of England and Scotland (1707). The Third Series, which lead up to the after-math of the Battle of Culloden (1746), came out in December 1829.

This finely bound 5 volume set covers Series I-III and whilst numbered 1-5 on the spine they were originally part of a larger 48 volume set of works, The Waverley Novels, with these 5 books being numbered internally as volumes 22-26. Published in 1836 by Robert Cadell.

Bound in crushed half Morocco with marbled boards and end papers and with the spines having 5 raised bands forming 6 gilt decorated compartments. Gilt top page edges. Foxing to plates and first and last few pages and age toning mainly to the margins. Externally some generally light shelf wear with minor scuffing, a little loss to gilding and a few marks. Top front hinge of volume I with a 2 cm split and a small area of chipping to head of volume IV. A good looking, tightly bound set.

Each volume measures some 16.5 cm in height,10.9 cm in depth and the overall shelf coverage is around 12.6 cm. Unpackaged weight 1.82 kg.

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