3 Review(s)

As son-in-law and literary executor to Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), John Gibson Lockhart (1794-1854) was uniquely placed to produce a definitive biography of the great poet and novelist. First published in 1837-8, shortly after Scott's death, this celebrated seven-volume work is based on personal memories, correspondence, and Scott's own autobiographical sketches. Wide-ranging in his purview, Lockhart is also detailed in his descriptions: the Aberdeen Journal of the day observed that the volumes trace Scott's life and literary efforts with 'the most minute distinctness'. Volume 4 leads readers through the productive years of 1816-20, covering the publication of the first Tales of My Landlord (1816), The Heart of Midlothian (1818), and the preparation of the manuscript of Ivanhoe (1820). Using Scott's private correspondence, Lockhart reveals much about the writer's agreements and disputes with distinguished men of politics and letters.