Acknowledgements
Much of my pleasure in pursuing this project stems from communicating with such interesting people, some, in their home communities of Waverl(e)y, many, hundreds of miles apart. I am very grateful to the librarians, historians, and community spokespeople who have met with me, answered email inquiries, and/or chatted on the phone as I sought information: Katharine Allen (and Historic Columbia), James Baker, Bev Bakkan, Derrick Birdsall, Amy Boland, Martha Ann Browder, Peggy Brown, Jackie Clarkson, Johnnie Jo Sowell Dickenson (and the Huntsville Public Library, Johnnie Jo Sowell Dickenson Genealogy Room), Reed Dreaden, Robert Enoch, Timothy Ericson, Martha Carol Giese, Kristi Graham, Evelyn Heinevetter, Toni Herrington, John Hinz, Frank Houston, Janice Kistler, Laurie Latham, Lee County (Alabama) Historical Society, Terrence Lindell, Clara Malak, Sharon Manson, Herb Martin, Sarah Meyer-Reyerson, Kathryn Otto, James Patton (and the Walker County Historical Commission), Beth Paulsen, Julie Samaras, Bethany Scott, Mike Smith, Laraine Sole, Ken Stewart, Sunday Stewart, Colleen Theisen, Chuck Thrawley, Leigh Wade, and Lee Ann Wiseman. Their insights and suggestions have laid the foundation for Under the Banner of Waverley. Moreover, each town adds to my understanding and reinforces the importance of place. Linked by a mutual literary ancestor but also unique, each locale is a vital chapter in the Waverl(e)y story.
Equally significant, the work of scholars researching and publishing in the areas of Scottish and/or American studies is indispensable to my project. In my bibliography, I cite authors and texts included in this digital exhibit, but they represent only a fraction of an even more extensive network of valuable scholarship. Although, alas, there are too many to name here, Scott scholars, I salute you all!
Research about Walter Scott’s writing is central, of course, and for that reason I encourage site visitors interested in learning more about Walter Scott and his extensive canon of work to navigate The Walter Scott Digital Archive, hosted by the Edinburgh University Library: http://www.walterscott.lib.ed.ac.uk/. This excellent online resource offers an annotated bibliography of Scott-related publications that have appeared since January 2000 and a host of other materials, including a synopsis and history for each novel and over 1000 images, among other gems. While hundreds of important editions of Waverley novels exist, some of which I include in my bibliography, I have also found the recently completed edition of the Waverley novels by the Edinburgh University Press quite helpful: https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/series-edinburgh-edition-of-the-waverley-novels.html. This critically edited edition includes all of Scott’s novels, as well as introductions, textual histories and plentiful notes. In addition, I would like to draw attention to the work of two fine organizations: The Association of Scottish Literary Studies and International Association for the Study of Scottish Literatures, co-host and sponsor of the World Congress of Scottish Literatures, recently held in Vancouver.
My acknowledgements would not be complete without expressing appreciation for key collaborators close to home: my family, community, and many individuals at the University of Iowa. My children have become well versed in Waverley particulars, sending me enticing photos and cheering my endeavors, as has my husband. Jack, however, deserves extra credit for encouraging my growing Scott library and accompanying me to several Waverlys during academic-year breaks. All performers for and supporters of the Waverley bicentennial at the Englert Theatre (Oct. 5, 2014) deserve recognition, both for their valuable contributions and because “Celebrating Walter Scott’s Legacy in Iowa” (part of the UNESCO Iowa City Book Festival, John Kenyon, Executive Director) persuaded me how helpful a digital project could be.
Friends, students, and colleagues have also provided valuable feedback and interesting leads. Many thanks to Ed Agran, Kitty Barton, Florence Boos, Katie Brennan, Maeve Clark, Macarthur Cunningham, Kathleen Diffley, Charlotte Fairlie, Robert Gray, Cherie Hansen-Rieskamp, Dianne Jones, Amy Kolen, Linzee McCray, Judith Pascoe, Jill Paton, Jennifer Phegley, Alan Riach, Laura Rigal, Miriam Thaggert, Jonathan Wilcox (central as DEO of English, when my project evolved), and students in two classes, Literature and Culture of Nineteenth-Century Scotland and Selected British Authors before 1900: Jane Austen and Walter Scott. Likewise, I would not have been successful in obtaining many of my sources without the support and successful searches of a host of librarians at the University of Iowa, including Colleen Thiesen, Stephen Sturgeon, Donald Baxter, and Susan Malecki, among many others. Concluding thanks to the Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio and the marvelous team that brought this project to life (featured in the photo at the top of this page): Tom Keegan (Head, Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio), Mark Anderson (Digital Scholarship & Collections Librarian), Heidi Wiren Bartlett (Creative Coordinator/Designer), Connor Hood (Public Engagement Specialist), Leah Gehlsen Morlan (Program Coordinator), Rob Shepard (GIS Specialist), and, most especially, Nikki White (Digital Humanities Research and Instruction Librarian).