Drawing on the traditional Border folk tales of his youth, Hogg's collection of short stories builds a coherent picture of pastoral life in Southern Scotland in the 19th century. Together, the stories assert the values of the rural folk tradition and ballad literature. This volume is part of the Stirling edition of the complete works of James Hogg. After 100 years of relative obscurity, James Hogg (1770-1835) is now considered to be one of Scotland's major writers. This edition of his works results from 15 years of academic research into Hogg's first manuscripts, proofs and early editions. Each volume includes a full introduction, explanatory notes and commentary.