Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume 23

A lively anthology gathers the colourful legends, legal riddles and folk yarns that have long haunted the Scottish Borders and low‑country towns. Revised by the early nineteenth‑century editor Alexander Leighton, the volume blends recorded history with imaginative twists, giving listeners a taste of the region’s bustling taverns, shadowy glens and bustling city lanes. Each story stands on its own, yet together they paint a vivid portrait of a landscape where ordinary lives brush against the extraordinary.

The opening piece, “Lord Kames’s Puzzle,” invites you into a cramped Edinburgh tenement where a washerwoman and her clever sixteen‑year‑old charge, Henrietta, become entangled in a baffling legal dispute. The narrative follows the meticulous notes of the celebrated judge Lord Kames, teasing out the curious Napier versus Napier case while preserving the intimate rhythms of daily life in the city’s winding wynds. It’s a gentle, witty exploration of how truth can hide in the most humble of papers.

Scattered throughout are further gems—tales of an orphaned boy, a mischievous brownie, and a steadfast widow—each offering a quick, engaging plunge into Scotland’s rich narrative tradition. Listeners will discover a mixture of humor, suspense and heartfelt humanity that makes the borders feel both timeless and immediate.