Book Review

Twenty Scottish Tales and Legends
Edited by Cyril Swinson
Hippocrene Books, Inc.
Reviewed by Olivia Kerr

This is a delightful collection of tales culled from the works of three authors — Elizabeth W. Grierson, W.J. Glover, and Sir Walter Scott (primarily Scott. His stories take up half the collection.) Along with a variety of authors comes a variety of tales: fairy tales, history, and legends.

Readers may find many of the fairy tales familiar, being Scottish versions of well-known Irish tales. The Scottish versions compare favourably with their better-known cousins, being every bit as rich and lively, and in at least one case far surpassing the Irish version. "The Good Housewife and the Little People" is a variant of "The Horned Women," a strange little story which has never made much sense to me. The Scottish version supplies the missing explanations for the events and actions which remain inexplicable in the Irish.

The historical stories tell of the events and heroes of Scotland’s struggle with England. The tales relate deeds of courage and wit, particularly the deeds of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Although I enjoyed the individual tales, I was rather annoyed by the way these stories were all jumbled together at random. Why not present them in proper order? And for heaven’’ sake, why put some of them in backwards? The story of Robert the Bruce’s final victory over the English is followed by stories of his earlier defeats and English pursuit. The stories themselves entertain, thrill, and inform, so why detract from them with a confusing order?

I must also confess to being puzzled by "The Story of Macbeth," basically just a plot summary of Shakespeare’s famous play, with a couple of minor changes thrown in (to disguise this fact?) Was this the best Scott could do?

But this is quibbling. The stories delight. The wonderful paintings by Allan Stewart bring extra life and detail to the tales, bringing out the Scottish-ness of them. I loved the fact that in the illustration for "The Battle of the Birds," we do not see a standard-issue, fairy tale prince, but a Scottish warrior, complete with mail shirt, helmet, and big, drooping mustache. I only wish the paintings could have been printed in colour (like on the dust jacket) rather than in black and white.

All in all, these Scottish Tales and Legends will make a fine addition to your collection.

—published in WIP Summer 1999