14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · 554 pagesHardcover · 6 × 9 in · 554 pagesAbout 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
You will enjoy this if you like stories of divided loyalties, vivid Scottish scenery, comic old gentlemen, songs and legends, and the way a real war looks to an innocent young man.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A romantic imagination meets real war
- Edward grows up without firm direction
- Stolen cattle open a romantic world
- Love and ambition draw Edward closer
- Small choices lead Edward into rebellion
- Battle exposes the cost of adventure
- Dreams cannot choose wisely for Edward
- Loyalty has more than one meaning
- Old promises meet new times
Who’s who
- Edward WaverleyA shy, dreamy English heir and dragoon captain who longs for romance and is carried into the Jacobite rising of 1745.
- Fergus Mac-IvorThe proud, clever chieftain of Clan Ivor, who serves the Stuart cause and hopes for an earldom.
- Flora Mac-IvorFergus's gifted sister, a poet and harpist, whose whole heart belongs to restoring the exiled royal family.
- Baron of BradwardineA brave, learned and endlessly talkative old Scottish laird, loyal to the Stuarts and proud of his ancient line.
- Rose BradwardineThe Baron's gentle, sensible young daughter, who values Edward's kindness and worries for her father's safety.
- Colonel TalbotAn honest English officer and old friend of Sir Everard, who wants to save Edward from the consequences of his choices.
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Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since
by Walter Scott · 1814
A dreamy English officer rides north in 1745 and finds the Highlands, a chieftain's sister and a rebellion waiting.
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“an author to whom Karl Marx again and again returned, whom he admired and knew as well as he did Balzac and Fielding.”
In short
What happens when a young man who has read too many romances meets a real war? Edward Waverley, a dreamy English captain, rides into Scotland in 1745 expecting adventure.
Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since at a glance
- Reading time
- About 13 h 5 min10 h 25 min fast, 15 h 35 min slow
- Length
- 187,000 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1814by Walter Scott
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A dreamy boy grows up on romances
The book begins with a family, not a battle. Edward Waverley is heir to the great English estate of Waverley-Honour. His uncle, Sir Everard, is a Tory who still loves the exiled Stuart kings. His father, Richard, changed sides to become a Whig and win a place in government.
As a boy, Edward is left to read whatever he likes, and he likes Italian romances and old tales of knights. His gentle tutor never steers him. Scott says plainly that this scattered reading is the root of his hero's trouble. Edward knows a good deal that few people know, yet he lacks steadiness.
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A dreamy English officer rides north in 1745 and finds the Highlands, a chieftain's sister and a rebellion waiting.
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Details
- First published
- 1814
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 15 h 30 min
- Level
- Challenging
- Paperback
- 554 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Hardcover
- 554 pages · 6 × 9 in
- Large print paperback
- 576 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Large print hardcover
- 576 pages · 8.5 × 11 in
- Delivery and returns
- Printed when you order. Usually here in 12 to 14 days.Arrives Wed 2 Dec to Tue 8 Decto United States, printed for you at cost
For Christmas, order by Thu 12 Nov
Cite this edition
Scott, Walter. Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/waverley-or-tis-sixty-years-since.
Scott, W. (2026). Waverley; or, 'tis sixty years since. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/waverley-or-tis-sixty-years-since (Original work published 1814)
Scott, Walter. Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/waverley-or-tis-sixty-years-since.
@book{scott2026waverley,
author = {Scott, Walter},
title = {Waverley; or, 'Tis Sixty Years Since},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/waverley-or-tis-sixty-years-since},
note = {First published 1814}
}
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What is Waverley about?
Waverley follows Edward Waverley, a young English officer who travels to Scotland in 1745. He meets a Lowland baron and a Highland chieftain, falls in love, and is drawn into the Jacobite rising in support of Prince Charles Edward.
Is Waverley a true story?
The characters are invented, but the setting is real. The 1745 rising, the battle of Preston and the Prince's march are historical. Scott drew many scenes from stories told by old men who remembered them.
Why is it called 'Tis Sixty Years Since?
Scott set the story sixty years before the narrator's stated present of November 1, 1805. The subtitle reminds readers that the events are a recent past, still remembered by old people and already changing into history.
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).
“Charlie is my darling, my darling, my darling,”
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