This collection of Scottish short stories has been chosen to give as wide as possible a picture of Scottish fiction of the nineteenth century. Authors such as Walter Scott, James Hogg, John Galt, Margaret Oliphant and Robert Louis Stevenson are widely known as major figures outside Scotland, and this collection - which also includes stories from lesser-known authors such as W.E. Aytoun, James Grant, George McDonald, William Black and William Alexander - places them within the context and tradition of Scottish literature.
The volume has been compiled and annotated by Douglas Gifford (former senior lecturer in English studies at the University of Strathclyde) for use in schools and universities as well as for general reading.