Scotland's Pariah: The Life and Work of John Pinkerton, 1758-1826

“An important figure in the history of the later Scottish Enlightenment and a significant, if unduly, neglected figure in the early stages of British literary romanticism, John Pinkerton has long deserved a proper biography. A joy to read, Scotland’s Pariah is an elegantly crafted, scholarly account of Pinkerton’s life, career, and controversies.” Colin Kidd, School of History, University of St Andrews

“Patrick O’Flaherty’s biography of John Pinkerton brilliantly illuminates the controversial career of ‘Scotland’s Pariah.’  By turns antiquarian, balladeer, forger, historian, celtophobe, compiler, geographer, critic, philanderer, and general contrarian, Pinkerton’s chequered career is reassessed against the intellectual life of late-Enlightenment Edinburgh, London, and Paris. The book entertainingly reveals just how and why this maverick figure made such a mark on contemporaries like Thomas Percy, Edward Gibbon, William Godwin, and Sir Walter Scott.” Nigel Leask, School of Critical Studies, University of Glasgow