Nobility and Author. He was a prolific Scottish author of the 19th century, who had a major impact on European and American literature. He wrote least 22 novels, five plays, sixteen non-fiction books, and 14 poems. Born in Edinburgh the son of Anne Rutherford and Walter Scott, a solicitor, he had an early childhood illness, which may have been polio as he walked with a limp the rest of his life from this ordeal. He recuperated at his grandfather's farm at the Scottish Borders, a region that captured his imagination. Eventually, he spent time collecting traditional songs and legends of the area. He attended the High School of Edinburgh, and studied at Edinburgh University, with literary interests. Though his interests were elsewhere, in 1786, his father insisted he apprentice as an attorney in his office. In 1799 he was appointed sheriff depute or magistrate of Selkirkshire. His first literary works, published anonymously, were translations of German Romantic verse. In 1802, his first major work "Minstrelsey of the Scottish Border," was published, containing versions of traditional Scottish ballads. In 1806, he was appointed clerk to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, allowing both income and free time to write. His narrative poem "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" in 1805, which was followed by "Marmion" in 1808; "The Lady of the Lake" in 1810; "The Bridal of Triermain" in 1813, "The Lord of the Isles" in 1815, and "Harold the Dauntless" in 1817. As a poet, however, he became overshadowed by English poet, Lord Byron, thus he turned instead to writing novels. Credited with establishing the genre of historical fiction, he brought novels a new respectability, although his first novel, "Waverley," was published anonymously in 1814. Other works included "Guy Mannering" and "The Astrologer" both in 1815; "Rob Roy" in 1817; "A Legend of Montrose" and "Ivanhoe" in 1819; "The Talisman" in 1825; "Kenilworth" and "The Pirate" both in 1821 and "Woodstock" in 1826 written under at least five pen names. In 1820, he was created a baronet in recognition of his work. On Christmas Eve of 1797, he married a woman of French ancestry, Charlotte Charpentier, and four of their five children survived Scott. He lived a very comfortable life, with income from his writing, practicing law, being a civil servant, and his wife's income. He owned 1,000 acres of land with several houses on the property. He joined James Ballantyne and his brother as a silent partner in their publishing house, John Ballantyne & Company, which subsequently ran into debt. With creditors taking his home and belongings, he attempted to write enough to allay his debt, driving himself to exhaustion. During this time, his wife died in 1826. After suffering a series of strokes, he died still owing money at the age of 61, six years later. "The Siege of Malta" and "Bizarro," both written in 1832, were published posthumously in 2008. The novel "Rob Roy," which was based on the life of Scottish outlaw Robert MacGregor, was adapted to film in 1995. Originally written as a three-volume novel, "Ivanhoe" was adapted to film in 1952. From the turn of the 20th century until the 1950s, "Ivanhoe" was required reading in American public schools.