Count Robert of Paris

They were the literary phenomenon of their time: The Waverly novels, 48 volumes set in fanciful re-creations of the Scottish Highlands (and other lands) of centuries past, published between 1814 and 1831 and devoured by a reading public hungry for these sweeping, interconnected melodramas. The series popularized historical fiction, though they're also abundant in astute political and social commentary. [i]Count Robert of Paris, [/i]Volume 46 of [i]Waverly, [/i]is part of the fourth and final series in Scott's Tales of My Landlord. Ranging over the Near East, this is a tale of adventure and romance set during the first Crusades in the late 11th century. Scottish novelist and poet SIR WALTER SCOTT (1771–1832), a literary hero of his native land, turned to writing only when his law practice and printing business foundered. Among his most beloved works are [i]The Lady of the Lake [/i](1810), [i]Rob Roy [/i](1818), and [i]Ivanhoe (Waverly Vols. 16 and 11) [/i](1820).