The Journal of Sir Walter Scott: From the Original Manuscript at Abbotsford.

Few writers have recorded their own reversal of fortune with such steady hand. Here is Scott at his desk in the dark years, refusing self-pity, keeping faith with his pen.

What it's about

This is the personal journal that Sir Walter Scott kept in his later years, transcribed from the original manuscript held at his home, Abbotsford. It covers the period in which the beloved author of the Waverley novels was engulfed by financial catastrophe, and it records his resolve to repay his enormous debts through sheer labour of writing. Around that central drama move the daily details of literary work, family, friendship, Scottish life and gathering ill health.

Themes

The journal is a study in fortitude and in the discipline of a working writer. It reflects on fame and its emptiness, on grief and money and mortality, and on the strange consolation of routine when everything else has collapsed. Scott's dry humour, his affection for the land and people of Scotland, and his unsparing honesty about his own moods give the diary a warmth that outlasts its sorrows.

Why it still matters

As a document of the writing life under pressure it has few equals, and as a self-portrait it reveals the man behind the historical romances more fully than any biography. Readers who know Scott only as a novelist discover here an intimate, humane voice, and a moving example of dignity in adversity.

Who it's for

Lovers of literary diaries and letters, admirers of Scott's fiction, and anyone drawn to first-hand accounts of resilience. It can be opened anywhere and read a few pages at a time, though the cumulative story is what stays with you.