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.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 23 h 45 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 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
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since
by Walter Scott · 1814
Edward Waverley arrives in Scotland with a head full of romances as Jacobite loyalties put the British crown at stake.
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
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.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
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
All 16 books
More like this
Free
Free
Free
FreeOur mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Popular in classics
See all
Free
