Guy Mannering

Guy Mannering; or, The Astrologer is the second of the Waverley novels by Walter Scott, published anonymously in 1815. Guy Mannering follows the journey of a young astrologer, Guy Mannering, who, after leaving Oxford, finds himself in the remote and mysterious southwestern Scotland. On a fateful night, he stumbles upon Ellangowan, the estate of the kind but inept Mr. Godfrey Bertram. That evening, Bertram's wife gives birth to a son, and Mannering, using his astrological knowledge, predicts that the boy's life will face three perilous periods. However, these events soon take a dark turn as the child, Harry Bertram, mysteriously vanishes on his fifth birthday, leading to a series of tragic events that plunge the family into misfortune. Seventeen years later, Mannering, now a Colonel, returns to Scotland and discovers that the Bertrams have fallen on hard times, with their estate sold to the scheming Glossin. As Mannering attempts to help the Bertram family, he becomes entangled in a web of mystery and danger involving smugglers, lost identities, and hidden fortunes. Central to the story is the enigmatic figure of Meg Merrilies, a Gypsy woman whose cryptic actions and prophecies seem to hold the key to unraveling the secrets surrounding Harry Bertram’s disappearance. The novel unfolds as a tale of redemption, reunion, and the restoration of justice, set against the rugged and atmospheric backdrop of Scotland.

No. 2 in the Waverley Novels.

Part of the Harvard Classics set.