author
Alexander Leighton
1800–1874
A Scottish man of letters best remembered for bringing border legends and local history to a wide readership, he helped keep popular storytelling at the heart of 19th-century Scottish print culture. His books range from folklore and romance to dark true-crime history.
2 Audiobooks
Romances of the old town of Edinburgh
by Alexander Leighton
The Court of Cacus; Or, The Story of Burke and Hare
by Alexander Leighton
About the author
Born in Dundee in 1800, he studied medicine in Edinburgh but did not follow a medical career. Instead, he worked first as a lawyer's clerk and then made his living through writing and editing, building a reputation as a versatile literary figure in Scotland.
He is best known as the editor of Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, a hugely popular series of historical, traditional, and imaginative stories. He also wrote books of his own, including Curious Storied Traditions of Scottish Life, Mysterious Legends of Edinburgh, and The Court of Cacus; or, The Story of Burke and Hare, showing his interest in folklore, urban legend, and notable episodes from Scottish history.
Contemporary reference sources describe him as widely read and energetic, if sometimes uneven in accuracy. He died in 1874, leaving behind a body of work that helped preserve and retell Scottish traditions for general readers.