The Scottish Chiefs (Scribner's Illustrated Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Fine Family Fare
Review: This tale of Scots resistance against English King Edward is essential to those who grew up with "Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled" in their ears. Others may enjoy it more for its romance. What pleased me most was seeing the medieval (turn of 13th-14th century) history through the focus of the English author Jane Porter, whose text was published in 1809, and the 1921 edition's illustrations by N.C. Wyeth. Atheneum's reissue is well bound and printed; the book feels pleasant to the hand. Most of all, Porter's latinate sentences beg to be read aloud. Although sold for ages 9-12, the text would be difficult for many of my college freshmen. Lucky the child with a parent to read it aloud! Lucky the adult with a child to read it to, or, failing that, to have these 500+ pages on the bedside table to peruse at day's end.