Born in Edinburgh, the ninth child of a lawyer, Scott contracted polio as a child which left him with a permanent limp. He trained as a lawyer and it was not unt"Waverley" was published. This was an instant success and he produced a string of novels in the following years, such as Rob Roy, Guy Mannering, Ivanhoe, Old Mortality, and The Talisman.

A prominent figure in Edinburgh society, he was knighted in 1820 and organized the visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822. He practically re-invented Highland society and clan tartans (which had not previously existed in this form) for the visit. Even the king was bedecked in false tartanry. Scott's interest in things Scottish led him to rediscover the Scottish crown and sceptre which had been left, forgotten, in Edinburgh Castle. He also fought a successful defence of Scottish Banknotes - his portrait is on current Bank of Scotland notes in memory of that event.

Scott paid no attentio to his finances; expanding his baronial country mansion and buying historical Scottish artifacts put him $200,000 in debt. Eschewing his former anonymity, he worked furiously to produce work under his own name which would pay off his debts. He had achieved 70% of his goal by the time he died in 1832; the remainder was paid when his estate sold various copyrights. In 1840 a grateful nation erected a magnificent monument to him in Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh.