The Lay of The Last Minstrel

<p>One of Sir Walter Scott's most celebrated and accessible works, <em>The Lay of the Last Minstrel</em> was a huge publishing phenomenon when it first appeared in 1802, with six editions appearing in three years years and sales of 27,000 in a decade. Its impact on Border tourism was vast, as countless people, moved by Scott's evocative description of the moonlit Melrose Abbey, flocked to the area. Painters too were inspired by the scene, and such was its fame that even prime m