Although Allan Cunningham is best remembered today as a minor poet, anthologist, and biographer, he also produced tales, a drama, and three substantial novels. His fiction enjoyed little success in his own time, but there are elements in it which make it of interest to the modern reader, especially to the reader interested in the history of Scottish literature.

The son of John and Elizabeth Harley Cunningham, Allan Cunningham was born in the parish of Keir, Dumfriesshire, in the southwest of Scotland. In 1784 his father, after an unsuccessful period as a farmer, became gardener and land steward at Blackwood House, the estate of a Mr. Copeland. When Allan was two years old, his father took a similar position working for Patrick Miller at Dalswinton. Miller was also Robert Burns's landlord, and Allan developed an early devotion to Burns that colored his entire life's work. He became a voracious...