The Temple Edition of the Waverley Novels

W. Scott's sketched the story and outlined everything. Walter Scott inserted the humour and brushed all up.' ""* There was plenty of contemporary speculation, however, which came nearer the mark. John Murray, for example, got an early copy of the novel, read it, and sent it to Mr Canning, writing upon the title-page, "By Walter Scott." Canning called on Murray next day, said he had begun it, found it very dull, and concluded: "You are quite mistaken; it cannot be by Walter Scott." But a few days later he wrote to Murray: "Yes, it is so; you are right. Walter Scott and no one else." †

It is said that Waverley' was first offered anonymously to a London publisher, named Phillips, who refused it. Then Ballantyne negotiated with Constable who haggled about price. Lockhart, however, admits that for those days Constable's offer of £700 for the copyright of an anonymous novel was a very liberal one. The final agreement of an equal division of profits between publisher and author was more satisfactory although Constable afterwards regretted that he did not accept Ballantyne's offer of the entire copyright for £1000. The book was published on July 7th 1814 in three volumes as we have seen, and the whole impression of 1000 copies had disappeared within five weeks, a second edition of 2000 copies had disappeared before the summer was over-but the early sale of the novel is best set forth in tabular form ::

* Life of J. G. Lockhart, by Andrew Lang.
+ Memoirs of John Murray, by Samuel Smiles.

First edition of 'Waverley,' 1000 copies, 7th July 1814.

August 1814.

October 1814.

November 1814.

January 1815.

Lockhart further informs us that in the collected editions prior to 1829, 11,000 copies were disposed of, and that the edition of 1829 known as the Author's Favourite Edition had already sold 40,000 copies when he wrote his biography of Scott in 1837.