The Lay of the Last Minstrel

One of Sir Walter Scott's most celebrated and accessible works, The Lay of the Last Minstrel was a huge publishing phenomenon when it first appeared in 1802, with six editions appearing in three years years and sales of 27,000 in a decade. Its impact on Border tourism was vast, as countless people, moved by Scott's evocative description of the moonlit Melrose Abbey, flocked to the area. Painters t...