James Hogg 
The Witches of Traquair and Other Tales from Scottish Highlands 

James Hogg wrote some of his best stories in The Shepherd’s Calendar, in which he defines the content and the manners of the traditional storytelling of Ettrick Forest, the mountainous region in Scotland where he grew up. They reveal Hogg’s experiences as a young shepherd as it draws a picture of the pleasures and the dangers of the lives in Scottish Highlands. Some of these stories deal with the supernatural and explore psychological depths with a noteworthy intensity and insight. Large parts of these tales are written in a Scots dialect from the region of Ettrick Forest.

The Shepherd’s Calendar:

Rob Dodds

Mr Adamson of Laverhope

The Prodigal Son

The School of Misfortune

George Dobson’s Expedition to Hell

The Souters of Selkirk

The Laird of Cassway

Tibby Hyslop’s Dream

Mary Burnet

The Brownie of the Black Haggs

The Laird of Wineholm

Window Wat’s Courtship

A Strange Secret

The Marvellous Doctor

The Witches of Traquair

Sheep

Prayers

Odd Characters

Nancy Chisholm

Snow-Storms

The Shepherd’s Dog

The Expedition to Hell

The Mysterious Bride

The Wool-Gatherer

The Hunt of Eildon

James Hogg (1770-1835) was a Scottish poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both Scots and English. As a young man he worked as a shepherd and farmhand, and was largely self-educated through reading. He was a friend of many of the great writers of his day, including Sir Walter Scott, of whom he later wrote an unauthorized biography.