The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter

By Al R. Young

Jane Porter's The Scottish Chiefs is the gripping tale of the Scottish hero, William Wallace. It is a story of valor, faith, and integrity, whose heroes measure up to the stature of N. C. Wyeth's illustrations.

Of course, if you're deeply dependant upon conventionally happy endings, you may want to find out what happened to Wallace and the cause to which he gave his life, before you embark on Porter's telling of the tale. Even so, the book and the characters are, like life, larger than life, and the heroism to which the story introduces youth has a way of lingering into manhood.

Not knowing what the manuscript of the book was like as it emerged from the author's pen, I can only speculate on the nature and extent of the editor's influence; nevertheless, even the publisher saw fit to use large print to announce on the book's title page that the story was edited by none other than Kate Douglas Wiggin. Thus, although the book is not her child, it seems possessed of almost everything to be expected from a nephew.