Walter Scott published his first major work, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border: consisting of historical and romantic ballads, collected in the Southern Counties of Scotland; with a few of modern date, founded upon local tradition, in January 1802. Printed in Kelso, near Edinburgh, by Scott's friend James Ballantyne, published in the Strand, London, by Cadell and Davies, and sold both in London and Edinburgh and Scotland, the initial two volumes contained 52 assorted ballads classified as “Historical”, “Romantic” or as modern “Imitations”. The Minstrelsy was an immediate literary and commercial success. Following an encouraging review in the January 1803 number of the newly established Edinburgh Review (for which Scott contributed articles until political differences led him to sever his connection in 1808), an extended three-volume Minstrelsy comprising 86 ballads was published on 25th May 1803....
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Citation: Oliver, Susan. "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 April 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3542, accessed 14 December 2025.]
