James Hogg knew Sir Walter Scott well, and after Scott's death in 1832 he wrote an affectionate but frank account of their long friendship. John Gibson Lockhart, Scott's son-in-law and official biographer, declared himself to be filled with "utter disgust and loathing" at the "beastly and abominable things" within it. Hogg withdrew the manuscript from publication, but later arranged for the U.S. publication of an extensively revised version. Jill Rubenstein has produced a meticulous new edition which includes both versions. She provides a wealth of new information about these lively, readable, idiosyncratic, and disconcerting texts.