Product Description
Young Frank Osbaldistone, sent to live in Scotland, is drawn to the powerful figure of Rob Roy MacGregor, who, with his wife, fights for justice and dignity for Scotland. Twists of plot and a romantic outlaw's cunning escapes make this a classic epic. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not His Best
For those seeking the famous tale on which the recent film was based, this will sorely disappoint. This is Scott's tale of a young Englishman, son of a prosperous middle class businessman, who is sent to live with distant cousins in the north of England (just below the Scottish border) because of his failure to live up to his father's mercantile expectations of him. Here he becomes involved with all manner of intrigue and gets pulled into a vortex of events involving rebellion against the English crown, a scheming cousin, a beautiful girl and that famous Scottish outlaw and freedom fighter, Rob Roy.

But the outlaw, certainly the most interesting character in the tale, is only a side player so to speak, and makes a number of appearances, often in disguises (a favorite Scott motif), only to guide and/or rescue our blundering hero. This is most definitely not a tale of high adventure and derring do, and the complex and twisted intrigues of the plot do not sustain the book adequately.

For those who like period pieces or the works of the masters (and Scott was certainly one), this book might be okay. But this is one of those rare instances where the movie, based, at least on the face of it, on Scott's own preface to his book (in which he sketches out the life and times of the historical Rob Roy), is better.

And frankly the movie wasn't half bad; superior, in my view, to that other film of historical Scotland of the same production vintage Braveheart (Special Collector's Edition) with Mel Gibson. Oddly enough, the Rob Roy film (Rob Roy) did worse at the box office. Who can account for tastes?

SWM

We can be friends, Frank, only "as if I were man, or you woman"
Frank Osbaldistone, like Edward Waverley, is another young, weak Walter Scott dreamer male hero. In the novel ROB ROY Frank falls in love with Diana Vernon, an 18 year old orphan, a niece by marriage of his ferociously Jacobite Roman Catholic uncle, Sir Hildebrand Osbaldistone. Uncle Hildebrandand his six sons live a traditional early 18th century country squire life in Northumbrian England up against the border of Scotland.

But before meeting Diana or "Die," Frank returns to London from four years as an apprentice merchant on the Continent. His father, William Osbaldistone, destines Frank for a career prepping to be his successor. But Frank is a poet at heart and makes it clear that he will not serve.

In punishment, and to shape Frank up, his Protestant, pro-King George The First father ships Frank off to his younger brother Hildebrand --Catholic, pro-The Old Pretender,James Stuart. Uncle Hildebrand's immensely learned, Jesuit-trained son Rashleigh is then invitedto London to work for Frank's father.

Rashleigh's purpose is, however, evil: to rob his uncle in order tobring funds to Glasgow to help fund a planned 1715 invasion of Scotland by the exiled Old Pretender.

Meanwhile, young Frank Osbaldistone, residing in relative idleness and ease with his uncle and his five remaining loutish cousins in Osbaldistone Hall, has fallen for a fair niece of Uncle Hildebrand's deceased wife, 18 year old Diana Vernon.

By her father's will, Diana must either marry one of her cousins or join a nunnery. She is also very active in the 1715 plot to bring James Stuart back as the rightful King. At a certain point Frank is written to from London about cousin Rashleigh's theft and is urged to head him off in Glasgow and retrieve the funds, or the London firm faces ruin.

With advice and secret material aid from Diana, Frank sets off. He is befriended by the only major historical character in the novel, the Jacobite supporter Robert MacGregor Campbell, best known as Rob ("Red" in Gaelic) Roy, so called for the matted red hair all over his body.

How all this plays out I leave for you to enjoy during five or six hours of very pleasant reading.

But do notice some of the characters. Rob Roy's wife wife Helen is a fierce amazon of a Highland lady. Frank Osbaldistone first sees her standing atop a ridge, leading an armed mass of old and young MacGregors barring the advance of English Redcoats.

A few minutes later Helen MacGregor has won the skirmish and her sword has blood on it. Minutes after that she weighs down with a rock a hostage for her captured but not released husband and tosses him to drown in deep water.

The second masculine woman of the novel is young Die Vernon. In Chapter ten she reveals how much her brilliant but unscrupulous cousin Rashleigh had made her mistress of: Latin, Greek, "most of the modern languages of Europe," science, history, poetry, classics. She can also ride, jump a horse and shoot. For her five loutish cousins have made a tom-boy of her. Her heroic ancestors were sung by Shakespeare and other bards. And she is very proud of their devotion to Stuart monarchs.

Later, Frank is made jealous of a mysterious man (it is Die's father, but that is revealed only slowly) whom he judges his rival in love. Diana makes it clear that she and Frank can only be good friends:

"Boys and girls prate themselves into love; and when their love is like to fall asleep, they prate and tease themselves into jealousy. But you and I, Frank, are rational beings, and neither silly nor idle enough to talk ourselves into any other relation than that of plain honest disinterested friendship. Any other union is as far out of our reach as if I were man, or you woman -- To speak truth," she added, after a moment's hesitation, "even though I am so complaisant to the decorum of my sex as to blush a little at my own plain dealing, we cannot marry if we would; and we ought not if we could." (Chapter Seventeen)

Frank Osbaldistone is an unmanly man and Diana Vernon is a manly woman. Is it any wonder then that sociologists of gender and feminists love Walter Scott's ROB ROY?
-OOO- ... Read more

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The Heart of Mid-Lothian, Complete. please visit www.valdebooks.com for a full list of titles ... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1895Notes: This is an OCR reprint of the original rare book. There may be typos or missing text and there are no illustrations.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Guy Mannering is exciting melodrama by the pen of Sir Walter Scott
Guy Mannering is the second of the Waverly novels by Scotland's greatest novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). The novel was first published in 1815 cementing quondom poet Scott's best selling fame with the general public.
The novel begins on a dark and stormy night in southwest Scotland during the reign of George III. England and Scotland were united as Great Britain in 1707; one of Scott's motivation for penning the Waverly novels was to introduce English readers to their new fellow citizens north of the border.
Guy Mannering is a young Englishman who finds shelter from the storm at the estate of the Laird of Ellangowan. Mannering enjoys astronomy and astrology. He predicts to Mr. Bertram, owner of Ellangowan, that he will have a son who will face momentous events during his fifth, tenth and twenty-first year of life. That night is born Harry Bertram. A few years later Harry is stolen at the age of five by smugglers aided and abetted by the evil lawyer the odious Glisson.
Sixteen years pass. Mrs Betram has died and her husband the weak laird also sinks into the grave insolvent. The lawyer Glissin obtains the estate. Nothing has been heard of little Harry who had been abducted on the same night his protector on a mountain ride Mr. Frank Kennedy, a government revenue agent, was murdered. Harry Bertram (under the pseudonymn of Mr, Brown) returns to Scotland. He had been raised in Holland and became a British soldier in India serving under Colonel Guy Mannering. Mannering and Henry have quarreled. Henry is in love with Julia Mannering the high spirited daughter of the Colonel. While on his way back home to Ellengowan, Henry meets Mr. Dandie Dinmont a colorful farmer who is being beaten by thugs on a dark road. Henry befriends him spending a week at Charliehope the home of Dinmont. Dinmont raises terriers and a breed is named for him. Harry is captured by smugglers but is rescued by the sybil witch Meg Merrilies who stand over six feet tall
Meanwhile, Colonel Mannering has taken into his care Lucy Betram and Harry's eccentric clergical tutor named
Dominie Sampson. Lucy is in love with Charles Hazelwood a wealthy lawyer whose family does not want him to marry someone of a lower financial strata of society.
Harry shoot Hazelwood in an accident. He is imprisoned but eventually, through the help of his friends, is realeased. Mr. Pleynell, a lawyer, proves to the court that Harry is not an imposter but the real Harry Betram of Ellangowan. He weds Julia and inherits the estate. His sister Lucy becomes the bride of Hazelwood. The evil Glissin and the smugglers who stole Harry away end in grisly deaths.
Guy Mannering is more interesting that Waverly. Scott's dense Scottish dialect will slow you down but there is an excellent glossary of Scottish terms and historical footnotes to make the novel easier to digest for 21st century readers. Scott is an acquired taste but is important as the father of the historical romance in fiction. He induced men, not just women, to become devoted novel readers. His colorful characters influenced writers such as Dickens and he was admired by Jane Austen. I enjoyed this book and you will too!

A Very Good Read
As a child I struggled with Ivanhoe (though my English teacher's advice to skip the first 30 pages certainly did help).As an adult, I enjoyed Waverly but still found it rather hard going.With this background I approached Guy Mannering with some trepidation but ended up enjoying the book thoroughly.This edition is excellent and the notes and glossary are very helpful.The story moves fairly slowly compared with modern novels but the richness of detail, the topographic descriptions and especially the humor make it memorable. Read it when you have time to enjoy it and don't be put off by the rather archaic Scottish dialect (I was brought up close to the Scottish border but many words and phrases were completely unknown to me)

"Prodigious, prodigious, pro-di-gi-ous," exclaimed Dominie Abel Sampson.
Sir Walter Scott's second novel GUY MANNERING; OR, THE ASTROLOGER is built around three sets of incidents spread out between +/- 1760 and +/- 1782.

--First incidents: around 1760 Guy Mannering, English, fresh out of Oxford University and on a walking and painting tour, finds shelter from the elements in a manor house called Ellangowan in Galloway in Southwestern Scotland. There he is hosted by its Laird, Godfrey Bertram, who is dining with his companion, the absent-minded, taciturn Presbyterian non-pulpited divine, Dominie Abel Sampson. The night of Mannering's arrival, Lady Bertram gives birth to her first child, a son, Henry, later usually styled Harry.

As a joke, Guy Mannering draws on now passe astrological lore he had picked up from an early mentor. Mannering casts young Harry's horoscope. He had once before cast a horoscope: his girl friend's, and foreseen that that 18 year old would either die or be imprisoned at age 38. He now foresees a similar negative rhythm for the infant Harry: big trouble or great danger at ages 4, 10 and 20. Mannering's horoscope is wrapped up and hung around the infant's neck. It is still there to identify him 20 or 21 years later.

On that birthing occasion we also meet a six-feet tall, broad Lowland Scots-speaking gypsy woman, Meg Merrilies. Meg is come to keep away evil spirits from the first-born son of a family that has allowed loyal Meg's tribe to squat on Bertram land for centuries. Her first words are a chant:

"Canny moment, lucky fit;
Is the lady lighter yet?
Be it lad, or be it lass,
Sign wi' cross, and sain wi' mass." (Book I. Ch. 3)

Meg foresees that young Harry will live a full 70 years but with three major breaks in his upward course, followed by three re-stitchings of his predestined path. We also overhear a meeting between the gypsy woman and a smuggling German sea captain, Dirk Hattaraick.

--Second set of incidents: four years later, around 1764, the ambitious but impoverished Laird Bertram was appointed a justice of the peace. His devious estate manager and lawyer Gilbert Glossin was made a minor justice official. Good natured Bertram's new self-image required him to crack down uncharacteristically both on smugglers from the nearby Isle of Man and on the gypsies whose presence both his ancestors for centuries and he had tolerated. The Laird became great chums with revenue agent Frank Kennedy. Months later Kennedy snatched away from the boy's tutor, Dominie Sampson, four-year old Harry Bertram to let the youngster enjoy watching the arrest of Captain Hattaraick and his crew of smugglers run aground by a British warship.

Witnesses who arrived later found evidence of a scuffle. Kennedy was dead, the boy Harry Bertram had disappeared. The County sheriff (not named) did a thorough investigation and ruled murder. Meg Merrilies was suspected and spent some time in prison before being released. The boy was never found. Shocked by the news, his mother gave birth prematurely to a girl (not named) and died. The murder remained unsolved 17 or more years later.And we have read through the tenth chapter of Volume One of this Three Volume novel.

--Third Set of incidents: 17 years later or so, toward the end of the American Revolution, say 1782, the story resumes. Guy Mannering had married his sweetheart and become Colonel of his regiment in India, winning military fame. His teenage daughter Julia Mannering was wooed in India by a young recruit from Holland named Vanbeest Brown. Guy Mannering erroneously suspected this subordinate of wooing his wife, not his daughter. They fight a duel in which Brown is wounded. But bandits fall upon them and the combatants are separated. Mrs Mannering dies. Colonel Mannering resigns his commission and returns to England, enriched by inheritances. But the injured Brown has survived and eventually returns with the regiment to England -- unknown to Guy Mannering.

Taking leave, love-stricken Vanbeest Brown traces Julia Mannering to Scotland where her father is keen to purchase the old estate of Ellangowan. But immoral lawyer Gilbert Glossin has dispossessed his onetime patron, the old laird, of his ancestral holdings.

Meg Merrilies and CaptainDirk Hattaraick reappear, the latter, it develops, long protected by Glossin. New characters also make their appearance, most notably, the amiable lowland farmer Dandie Dinmont (the terrier breed will be named for him after Scott's novel). Dinmont provides an even warmer reception to young Vanbeest Brown than the Laird had given Guy Mannering two decades earlier.

An austere, wealthy aunt of Miss Lucy Bertram dies in Edinburgh, having been persuaded by none other than Meg Merrilies that somehow her nephew Harry Bertram has survived and will soon return to claim his ancestral home. Guy Mannering, Lucy's host after the sudden death of her father, volunteers to go to Edinburgh for the reading of Lucy's aunt's will. The current sheriff ofthe shire, Mac-Morlan, gives Colonel Mannering letters of introduction to his predecessor as county sheriff, now a prominent lawyer in Edinburgh. We finally learn that lawyer's name: Paulus Pleydell, Esquire. Pleydell in turn gives Mannering letters of introduction to David Hume and a few other luminaries of the Edinburgh enlightenment. Pleydell also agrees to represent Dandie Dinmont in a property suit.

All of the major players are now linked, in place and the plot gathers speed.

The greatest family of the shire, the Hazelwoods, also come into play. The wealthy Laird of Hazelwood begins to think highly of the crooked lawyer Glossin. The laird's son, Charles, falls in love with Miss Lucy Bertram. It slowly seems likely that Vanbeest Brown is Lucy's missing older brother Harry Bertram, though this is first surmised only by lawyer Glossin and Harry's loyal old protectress, the gypsy Meg Merrilies.

In a scuffle Brown/Bertram accidentally wounds Lucy's admirer Charles Hazelwood. All players shortly come together in a fiery ending so complicated that I had best leave its fun and denouements entirely to you.

Themes embedded in GUY MANNERING occur in other Walter Scott works as well: gypsies, inter-generational tensions, a missing heir, the role of cities and lawyers in accelerating the sunset of the "auld ways" of feudal Scotland, the virtual impossibility of a poor untitled man marrying a rich titled girl -- or vice versa. Once encountered, some of the characters can never be forgotten, notably Meg Merrilies, Dandie Dinmont and taciturn Dominie Sampson with his repeated exclamation of "pro-di-gi-ous!"

And we see old superstitions still holding sway a hundred or so country miles west of contrasting Edinburgh, with its immortal 50 year ascendancy in art, learning and science comparable only to eras of Periclean Athens and Medici Florence. -OOO-

A fun hodge-podge of a novel (no spoilers here!)
I read Walter Scott for atmosphere, for mood, for humor and characterization and perhaps most of all, to listen to his voice. Scott has an endearingly present narrative persona--he's that chatty, knowledgeable, and even slightly eccentric uncle, the one with all the hobbies and interests and entirely too many books, who seems to be a kind of expert on every subject. The best Scott novels tap into this feeling of cozy kinship and exploit it, and in the end this is often more important than the story proper.

More than many other Waverley novels, more than Waverley itself certainly, Scott's second novel, Guy Mannering (1815), excels at producing this complicated, friendly, peculiar narrative hodge-podge. There's a bit of everything here, from romantic scenery to sharp satire, from a bookish name-dropping to curse-muttering gypsies. There's smugglers and kidnappers, astrologers and cranks, the Scottish lowlands and the English lake district. Like all Scott, there's old and new joyfully intermingled--a birth mystery worthy of Tom Jones yet a good deal of what would become Treasure Island. More Gothic and less historical than Waverley, more fun than Heart of Midlothian, less forced than Ivanhoe, this novel was an unexpected treat. It remains underrated and understudied.

Consider that Scott dashed this novel out in six weeks, and you'll get some idea of both his own considerable talents and also the casualness, almost carelessness of its tone. Like all of his novels, Guy Mannering should be imbibed slowly, savored rather than gulped. Kudos to Penguin Classics for tapping into the Edinburgh Edition and providing us with a cheap, well-annotated text of this neglected classic!

Addendum: Someone asked me, so I thought I'd add: this is the novel featuring Dandy Dinmont, for whom the popular terrier is named.

Great Story
There are some appalling cliches here - the mysterious gypsy, a lost infant (who turns up as a strapping handsome adult, but who still has the identifying talisman tied around his neck) - but my guess is that these weren't such cliches back in 1805 (so this predates Il Trovatore by a few decades).Even so I was completely taken with this, and found the last 100 pages to be very compelling reading, put down very reluctantly.

... Read more

Product Description
This Halcyon Classics ebook edition contains what are often considered to be the best of Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott's work.Along with classic novels like 'Ivanhoe,' this collection also contains his epic poems 'Marmion' and 'The Lady of the Lake.'Includes an active table of contents.

Contents:

Waverley
Rob Roy
Ivanhoe
The Bride of Lammermoor
The Heart of Mid-Lothian
Marmion
The Lady of the Lake
... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library’s preservation reformatting program. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Three novels by Sir Walter
This volume contains The Antiquary, The Black Dwarf, and Old Mortality. (It is not all the Waverly novels as the cover might suggest.)These three wonderful novels in this format is a bargain, although Old Mortality is widely available singly.These are deservedly great novels of the Western Canon. And fun to read... ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Love, love, loved it!
Although it takes a few chapters to adjust to the old fancy language in this book, it is WELL worth it!Set in the time of knights and ladies, this book has it all - from romance to battles, from King Richard to Robin Hood!I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.A great read! ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Covenanters; Bothwell Bridge, Battle of, Scotland, 1679; Bothwell Bridge, Battle of, 1679; Fiction / Classics; Fiction / Historical; ... Read more

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Notes on the Corpus Hermeticum.Volume 1 ISBN 1564594815, Volume 3 ISBN 1564594831, Volume 4 ISBN 156459484X. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

But one disappointment....
I like this book for a study on Hermetics...I read "The Kybalion" The Hermetica"and am also reading "Initiation into Hermetics " by Franz Bardon. The only thing i didn't care for in the book was the Christian overtone at some points of the book. This is not the fault of the translator as far as I can tell and may just be this readers opinion.
I have one other translation by Brian Copenhaver. His introduction to the Hermetica is more on a college level and was harder for this reader to understand, where asthis version was much better for this reader. Fora study about Hermetics I recommend buying this book.

Dated and problematic
If you just want to read the Hermetica, read Brian Copenhaver's translations, which are much better than Scott's.And of course, these aren't by Sir Walter Scott (of Ivanhoe fame) anyway, if you're interested in him for some reason, but by a quite different Walter Scott.

Scott's translations are still valuable for the specialist.You should be able to find used copies of the trade paperback edition (Hermes House, at one point), though, which are rather better bound than these Kessinger xeroxes.

If you have Copenhaver, you'll probably want these, although I'd recommend a different printing.

The core teachings of Gnosis
I am going to review this volume because I read every single English word of it, cover-to-cover. I admit that I didn't read the corresponding original language text, because my Latin was never all that good, and I have no Greek. I wish that I did, though. Just in English translation I can see where these teachings transport you to an entirely different sort of mind-set, an entirely different world.
Indeed, you will either come to develop a sort of intuitive understanding of the spiritual principles being discused here, or you will simple give up in disgust and dismiss it as meaningless and incomprehensible. Perhaps it is incomprehensible to modern sensibility, but it is far from meaningless. If you are familiar with Plato and Plotinus it will help. I also find that a familiarity with the concept of the Tao helps with understanding what is meant by Kosmos. I suppose that there could be esoteric teachings encoded and hidden in the original text, but personally I find the exoteric spiritual and metaphysical speculations to be quite interesting and valuable in their own right.
There was a reason that these teachings were preserved through so many centuries, while so much else was consigned to flames or left to rot.... ... Read more

Product Description
Marmion is an epic poem by Walter Scott about the Battle of Flodden (1513) that was published in 1808.

Scott started writing Marmion, his second major work, in November 1806. When Archibald Constable, the publisher, learnt of this he offered a thousand guineas for the copyright unseen. William Miller and John Murray each agreed to take a 25% share in the project. Murray observed: "We both view it as honourable, profitable, and glorious to be concerned in the publication of a new poem by Walter Scott." Scott later said that he thoroughly enjoyed writing the work. He told his son-in-law, Lockhart, "Oh, man, I had many a grand gallop among these bracs when I was thinking of Marmion."

While Scott practised manoeuvres with the Light Horse Volunteers, formed to defend an invasion from France, in 1807 he polished his description of Flodden. Marmion was finished on January 22 and published on February 22 1808 in a quarto first edition of two thousand copies. This edition priced one and a half guineas sold out in a month. It was followed by twelve octavo editions between 1808 and 1825.

The poem tells how Lord Marmion, a favourite of Henry VIII of England, lusts for Clara de Clare, a rich woman. He and his mistress, Constance De Beverley, forge a letter implicating Clara's fiancé, Sir Ralph De Wilton, in treason. Constance, a dishonest nun, hopes that her aid will restore her to favour with Marmion. When De Wilton loses the duel he claims to defend his honour against Marmion, he is obliged to go into exile. Clara retires to a convent rather than risk Marmion's attentions. Constance's hopes of a reconciliation with Marmion are dashed when he abandons her; she ends up being walled up alive in the Lindisfarne convent for breaking her vows. She takes her revenge by giving the Abbess who is one of her three judges documents t ... Read more

Product Description
Historical novel, first published in 1828.Set in Perthshire, Scotland, in 1396. According to Wikipedia: "Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (1771 –1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe during his time. In some ways Scott was the first English-language author to have a truly international career in his lifetime, with many contemporary readers all over Europe, Australia, and North America. His novels and poetry are still read, and many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and of Scottish literature. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of The Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor." ... Read more

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By turns thrilling and comic, Rob Roy contains Scott's most sophisticated treatment of the Scottish Highlands as an imaginary space where the modern and the primitive come together. Newly edited from the `Magnum Opus' text of 1830, this edition includes full explanatory notes and a critical introduction exploring the originality and complexity of Scott's achievement. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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The Lady of the Lake is a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1810. Set in the Trossachs region of Scotland, it comprises six cantos, each of which concerns the action of a single day. The poem has three main plots: the contest among three men, Roderick Dhu, James Fitz-James, and Malcolm Graeme, to win the love of Ellen Douglas; the feud and reconciliation of King James V of Scotland and James Douglas; and a war between the lowland Scots (led by James V) and the highland clans (led by Roderick Dhu of Clan Alpine). The poem was tremendously influential in the nineteenth century, and did much to inspire the Highland Revival. By the late twentieth century, however, the poem was virtually forgotten. Its influence is thus indirect: Schubert's Ave Maria, Rossini's La donna del lago (1819), the racist custom of cross burning, the last name of U.S. abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and the song "Hail to the Chief" were all inspired by the poem.

It shares its name with the Arthurian character the Lady of the Lake, but other allusions to the legend are scant. (Quote from wikipedia.org)

About the Author

Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832)
Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 - 21 September 1832) was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet popular throughout Europe during his time.

In some ways Scott was the first author to have a truly international career in his lifetime, with many contemporary readers all over Europe, Australia, and North America. His novels and poetry are still read, and many of his works remain classics of both English-language literature and of Scottish literature. Famous titles include Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of Carolina , Waverley and The Heart of Johnson.

After completing his studi ... Read more

Product Description
The official illustrated companion book to the winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Costume Design, Sound, and Visual Effects.

Director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise, Alien) brings the glorious battles of the ancient Roman arena back to the big screen. Set against the splendor and barbarity of the Roman Empire in AD 180, Gladiator tells an epic story of courage and revenge: The great Roman general Maximus (Russell Crowe) has been forced into exile and slavery by the jealous heir to the throne, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Trained as a gladiator, Maximus returns to Rome, intent on avenging the murder of his family by Commodus, now emperor. The one power stronger than that of the emperor is the will of the people, and Maximus knows he can attain his revenge only by becoming the greatest hero in all the Empire.Russell Crowe heads up an international cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielson, Oliver Reed, Derek Jacobi, Djimon Hounsou, and Richard Harris. Directed by Ridley Scott from a script by David Franzoni and John Logan, Gladiator is produced by Franzoni, Douglas Wick, and Branko Lustig, with Walter F. Parkes serving as executive producer.

This is the official full-color companion book, featuring excerpts from the screenplay, historical sidebars and illustrations, details on period costumes and epic set designs, behind-the-scenes photographs from the location filming, and interviews with the screenwriters, actors, and director.Amazon.com Review
Historians not affiliated with the movie Gladiator praise it as the most realistic depiction of Roman combat ever committed to celluloid. Gladiator: The Making of the Ridley Scott Epic illustrates how the filmmakers achieved that authenticity. It's the official tie-in, and one of the handsomest movie books Newmarket Press has ever produced. (No, it's not as fancy as The Art of the Matrix, but it's not that kind of massive book--this one is for the howling yet discerning fans in the cineplex coliseum.) The filmmakers explain how they coped with the considerable weight of Roman movie tradition--"Transcending the Toga," they call it--mostly by drawing their inspiration more from Gérôme's 1872 gladiator painting Pollice Verso ("Thumbs Down"), an evocative rendering of the life-or-death drama subject to the emperor's whim. Ridley Scott is famous as a director (the modern equivalent of an emperor), but he started out as a painter at London's Royal College of Art, and his training has served him well.

Explications of scary stunts and ingenious special-effects scenes, crisp film stills, fascinating storyboards, architectural renderings, thumbnail histories, cast profiles, production drawings of boar-tusk helmets and spiky maces--this little book packs in a lot of information, and enlarges one's appreciation of a very big movie. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Gladiator
Great book.Love it.Cool pictures and sketches from the production included.Quite a few awesome full page pictures from the film.

Present for a fan
I bought this as a present for my boyfriend since he is a big fan of
this movie. Just got the book in the mail yesterday in good condition.
He'll really love it. I recommend buying it for the Gladiator fan in your life. :)

A great book from a great movie
This is a fantastic 'making of' book charting the fascinating process of filmmaking from script to screen. And it doesn't skimp on the color pics either. Ridley Scott' epic GLADIATOR is given the full epic treatment here, with accolades aplenty and no shortage of impressive obstacles faced while making the film. I love all of Scott's films, from The Duelists to the recently released Kingdom of Heaven. But sometimes the accompanying books don't quite match the majestic tone of the films themselves. This is different. Walter Parkes' treatment is fair and doesn't fail to connect with the reader. Showcasing all the necessary film techniques and humorous asides along with abandoned concepts, this also contains cast and crew thoughts and praises Scott for his remarkable visionary touch. A solid read and well worth the price. Buy it now!

awsome!
this book is awsome although I would have prefered more pictures of the cast on location.

awsome!
this book is awsome although I would have prefered more info on the cast on the set. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
The Antiquary, Scott's personal favorite among his novels, is characteristically wry and urbane. A mysterious young man calling himself 'Lovel' travels idly but fatefully toward the Scottish seaside town of Fairport.Here he is befriended by the antiquary Jonathan Oldbuck, who has taken refuge from his own personal disappointments in the obsessive study of miscellaneous history. Their slow unraveling of Lovel's true identity will unearth and redeem the secrets and lies which have devastated the guilt-haunted Earl of Glenallan, and will reinstate the tottering fortunes of Sir Arthur Wardour and his daughter Isabella.
First published in 1816 in the aftermath of Waterloo, The Antiquary deals with the problem of how to understand the past so as to enable the future. Set in the tense times of the wars with revolutionary France, it displays Scott's matchless skill at painting the social panorama and in creating vivid characters, from the earthy beggar Edie Ochiltree to the loquacious and shrewdly humorous Antiquary himself.
The text is based on Scott's own final, authorized version, the "Magnum Opus" edition of 1829. ... Read more

Product Description
"The Ultimate Collection" is proud to present the best stories, novels, poetry and narratives of the most famous authors. All editions have been thoroughly reworked with interactive table-of-contents for easy access to the various parts of the book and have been optimized for Kindle. This edition includes the following writings:

The Lady of the Lake
Waverley, or 'Tis Sixty Years Since
The Antiquary
Old Mortality
The Heart of Midlothian
The Bride of Lammermoore
Ivanhoe
Kenilworth
Quentin Durward

... Read more