One of the main forces in early nineteenth-century literature, Sir Walter Scott was not
only among the greatest novelists of his time, but influenced generations of writers,
including literary giants such as Stendhal and Tolstoy. Though chiefly remembered
for his historical epics Ivanhoe, Rob Roy and Guy Mannering, Scott penned a
number of short stories which have been unjustly eclipsed by the enduring fame of
his longer works.

Mostly set in the Highlands of Scotland and presenting a vast array of memorable
characters, the stories in this collection are tinged with an element of the
supernatural or explore themes of murder and guilt, revealing the author's great
talent in the shorter-fiction form. This volume also includes a long excerpt from
Scott's Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft, which questions how much credit can
be given to ghost stories and alleged supernatural occurrences.