author

Alexander Leighton

1800–1874

A Scottish man of letters best remembered for shaping the popular Tales of the Borders, he wrote with a strong taste for folklore, Edinburgh history, and the strange corners of Scottish life. His books range from legends and traditions to fiction and reference works, showing an energetic, wide-ranging literary career.

2 Audiobooks

Romances of the old town of Edinburgh

Romances of the old town of Edinburgh

by Alexander Leighton

The Court of Cacus; Or, The Story of Burke and Hare

The Court of Cacus; Or, The Story of Burke and Hare

by Alexander Leighton

About the author

Born in Dundee in 1800, Alexander Leighton studied at Dundee Academy and later medicine in Edinburgh. He settled in Edinburgh, where he worked first as a lawyer’s clerk and then built a life as a professional writer and editor.

He is best known for his work on Tales of the Borders. After the project’s original founder, John Mackay Wilson, died, Leighton became editor and principal story writer for the series under a new publisher, helping carry it through to completion in 1840. He later prepared revised editions, and the collection remained well known among Scottish readers.

Leighton wrote widely and often drew on Scottish tradition, local history, and legend. Among his later books were Curious Storied Traditions of Scottish Life, Mysterious Legends of Edinburgh, Shellburn, and Romance of the Old Town of Edinburgh. He died on December 24, 1874.