23 h 45 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a young man raised on romances enters a country divided by loyalty?
Edward Waverley arrives in Scotland as a young English army officer with his head full of stories. On leave, he visits the proud Baron of Bradwardine at Tully-Veolan, then travels into the Highlands. It is 1745, and supporters of the exiled Stuart family seek to win back the British crown.
Among them are the ambitious clan chief Fergus Mac-Ivor and his serious, devoted sister Flora, who seems to Edward a true heroine. Rose Bradwardine offers a warmer, plainer view of life. In Walter Scott's Waverley, Edward's romantic expectations meet real people, competing loyalties, and a country whose quarrels cannot fit neatly into his books.
What you’ll discover
- Romance meets real life Follow Edward as the world beyond his reading challenges his cherished ideas of adventure.
- A country of divided loyalties Enter a Scotland where clan ties, family honour, and devotion to the Stuarts shape lives.
- Two different views Meet Flora's serious devotion and Rose's gentle sense through Edward's romance-filled eyes.
- Songs, customs, and landscapes Linger over Highland habits, old ballads, and places Scott takes time to bring before you.
- The historical novel takes shape Explore why many readers see this story as the beginning of the historical novel.
Who will love it
For readers who enjoy history told through people, travellers who like Scotland, and anyone curious about where the historical novel began.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Scott sets a story sixty years back
- A boy raised on romances
- Tully-Veolan and the old Baron
- Into the Highlands with Fergus and Flora
- What the story is really about
- How Scott tells it
Who’s who
- Edward WaverleyA young English gentleman raised on romances, who becomes an army officer and is sent to Scotland, where his ideals meet real life.
- Fergus Mac-IvorA clever, proud Highland chief who is devoted to the Stuart cause and has his own ambitions for it.
- Flora Mac-IvorFergus's sister, graceful and serious, loyal to the Stuart family, and the woman who seems to Edward a true heroine.
- The Baron of BradwardineAn old, learned and proud Lowland laird at Tully-Veolan, loyal to the Stuart cause and fond of family honour.
- Rose BradwardineThe Baron's gentle, sensible daughter, who offers Edward a warmer and plainer view of life.
- Sir Everard WaverleyEdward's uncle, master of Waverley-Honour, who leans toward old loyalties and who looks after his nephew's future.
- Davie GellatleyA simple, singing fellow at Tully-Veolan who wanders the estate and mixes old ballads with odd remarks.
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Waverley oder Vor sechzig Jahren
by Walter Scott · 1814
Edward Waverley arrives in Scotland with a head full of romances as Jacobite loyalties put the British crown at stake.
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In short
Waverley is a novel by Walter Scott, first published in 1814 without his name on the title page. Scott was already a well-known poet, and he held back his name while he tested a new kind of book.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Scott sets a story sixty years back
Scott begins by talking about the book itself. He explains that he chose the name Waverley because it carried no promise of any one kind of tale. He says he did not want a title that signalled a gloomy castle story or a fashionable novel of manners. The chapters at the start are a kind of conversation with the reader about what sort of book this will be.
The subtitle matters too. Sixty years is long enough for a world to change, and short enough for it to be remembered. In 1745 the Highlands of Scotland were governed by clan chiefs, and many men there followed their chief before they followed any king. By 1814 much of that order was gone. Scott wanted to catch what was left of it, through the memories of living people.
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What is Waverley about?
It follows Edward Waverley, a young English officer sent to Scotland in 1745, as he meets Lowland and Highland families and is drawn into the loyalties and conflicts surrounding the Jacobite rising.
Is Waverley a true story?
No. Edward and most of the main characters are invented, but the setting is real. The novel is built around the Jacobite rising of 1745, and Scott drew on memories and records of the period.
Why is Waverley called the first historical novel?
Scott set a fictional hero among real events and customs, and tried to show how people truly lived through them. Many critics see this blend as the start of the modern historical novel.
The author
Walter Scott
1771–1832 · Scottish novelist and poet
Walter Scott (1771–1832) was a Scottish novelist, poet and playwright. He was born in Edinburgh and lived in Scotland, including at Abbotsford near Melrose, where he died. He wrote Marmion (1808), The Lady of the Lake (1810), Waverley (1814), Rob Roy (1817) and Ivanhoe (1819).
More by Walter Scott
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