Sir Walter Scott, the renowned author of Rob Roy, Kenilworth, and Ivanhoe, brings readers this enlightening picture of Scottish country life, now in a handsome edition with a critical essay and detailed notes and glossary. Now restored to its original elegance and liveliness, with sexually explicit material that has long been suppressed, Saint Ronan's Well turns its back on the wars raging on the world stage at the beginning of the nineteenth century, presenting instead a dark comedy that explores a society at war with itself. The story is set in a sleepy Tweedside village boasting little more than a run-down inn. When a nearby mineral spring, Saint Ronan's Well, becomes a popular vacation spot, the character of the little village changes, as it becomes infiltrated by a gaggle of wealthy tourists and by the influences of modernity. Saint Ronan's Well features a rich cast of players, from the sentimental proprietor of the inn, to the wealthy young gadfly living far beyond his means and constantly in search of easy money, to the town gossip, always with an ear to the ground. The characters wrestle their way noisily to a climactic finish: one dead in a duel, one dying of shame, one fleeing to a monastery, and one leaving for Spain. In the end, the excitement dies down and the tourists depart; only the innkeeper, Meg Dods, remains. Displaying the eclectic pageant of Scottish life with artful dialogue and an intricate web of plots and sub-plots, Saint Ronan's Well is a classic in the British literary tradition.