Scholarly Editions
In its time it was the biggest literary project in the UK and was directed and organised from Aberdeen. Several members of staff at Aberdeen (Dr J. H. Alexander, Professor David Hewitt, and Professor Alison Lumsden) were then engaged on it but it was international in its scope. Some fifteen editors have been involved, three research fellows, eight consultants, ten research students, and many editorial assistants. Over £350,000 was raised in research grants.
To date over 100,000 volumes of Scott’s fiction have been purchased in Edinburgh Edition texts
For more information about individual volumes and how to purchase them see Edinburgh University Press
Building on this expertise the Centre is currently engaged in editing a 10 volume edition of Scott’s Poetry under the leadership of Professor Alison Lumsden. Three volumes in the Edinburgh Edition of Walter Scott’s Poetry have been published: Marmion, edited by Ainsley McIntosh (2018) and The Shorter Poems, edited by Gillian Hughes and P. D. Garside (2020), and Poetry from Waverley Novels and Other Works, edited by David Hewitt (2024). A further four volumes will be published as part of the AHRC project The Edinburgh Edition of Walter Scott’s Poetry: Engaging New Audiences.
This project will also create a range of materials for schools based on and inspired by Scott’s poetry.
- For more information about The Edinburgh Edition of Walter Scott’s Poetry see EEWSP
- Professor Lumsden discusses the poetry edition - BARS Blog
- Listen to the AHRC Research Fellow and Assistant and Professor Lumsden discuss their work
- Find out more about the materials we are developing for Schools here.
Partnership with Abbotsford, the Home of Walter Scott
The Centre works closely with Abbotsford, Scott’s home in the Scottish Borders. Professor Lumsden is Honorary Librarian for Scott’s library, which contains around 11,000 books placed where Scott left them, and she is on the Board of the Abbotsford Trust. Recent collaborations include an RSE funded networking project to explore the significance of Scott’s chapbook and popular print collections.
We have also collaborated with Futurelearn to develop a MOOC "Walter Scott: The Man Behind the Monument". This runs most years and is free to join. To date approximately 6,500 learners from 118 different countries have joined us to find out about Scott. Find out more here.
For an example of the impact of our work with Abbotsford see Uncovering Walter Scott's Creative Inspiration.
You can visit an on-line exhibition on Scott’s chapbooks at Abbotsford here:
- From the Baskets of Travelling Pedlars to Abbotsford: (abdn.ac.uk)
- And view the launch event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5kgIb_tiVk
You can find out more about Scott’s home and his library here:
- http://www.advocates.org.uk/library/specialcollections/abbotsford/abbotsford.html
- http://www.scottsabbotsford.co.uk/
Listen to Professor Alison Lumsden speak about Scott: