THE NEW WAVERLEY ALBUM. ILLUSTRATED WITH Numerous Engravings on Steel, FROM DESIGNS BY CLARKSON STANFIELD, R.A., DAVID ROBERTS, R.A., W. DANIELL, R.A., COPLEY FIELDING, GEORGE CATTERMOLE, PREFACE. It is the prerogative of the poet to give to "airy nothings a local habitation and a name." And the imaginative characters, which, at the all-potent will of their creator, live and die in any particular locality, henceforth impart to that place, wherever it may be, an interest and an attraction unsurpassed by the realities of history. Floating on the canals of Venice, the mind reverts to the hapless fate of gentle Desdemona, or to the Jew Shylock and his treacherous bond, as much, or more, as to the sober history of the Doge-governed city. And so it is with those places which have been immortalised by the genius of the Shakspeare of Novelists, Sir Walter Scott. On the wild east coast of Shetland we look for the old Udaller, Magnus Troil, and his fair daughters, Minna and Breda. Whitefriars, the Alsatia of all bankrupts, spendthrifts, and the rest of that same family, becomes classic ground through the "Fortunes of Nigel." The round tower of Ashby de la Zouch is a place of pilgrimage through the romance of "Ivanhoe ;" and even the Links of Eyemouth possess a marvellous attraction through the sad story of the "Bride of Lammermoor." More or less, we are all interested in certain places, in consequence of the fictitious interest imparted to them by novelists and poets. We should like to visit Juan Fernandez, for the sake of Robinson Crusoe; to pay our respects to the island where Prospero worked his spells; to see the exact spot where the white lady of Avenel made her first appearance; and perhaps, following the example of Professor Wilson, roll on the ground where "Tam o' Shanter" was composed. The next best thing to visiting remarkable places is to look upon faithful representations of the same, sketched by the pencils of skilful artists. And our object in sending forth this volume is, as far as possible, to answer this purpose. Here we have accurate and picturesque views of the most interesting places mentioned by Sir Walter Scott in his most popular fictions. The illustrations are drawn by the most eminent artists, and are engraved by the most successful engravers. The pictures recommend themselves, and require no word of praise. The accompanying text is simply intended to be illustrative of the pictures. It is designed to point out the most remarkable features, geographical or historical, of each scene, and to introduce that portion of each of the novels which has given to the locality its peculiar attraction. With these few words of preface, we humbly offer the result of our labours to the attention of the reader. It has been our earnest effort to render both pen and pencil sketches accurate in every particular, at the same time to make both agreeable, and thus to make our "New Waverley Album a pleasant companion for a summer's day or a winter's night. |