Rob Roy is set in 1715-16, yet it concerns not the conduct of the Jacobite Rising, but the economic and social conditions which gave rise to it. It celebrates the freebooting capitalism of the hero's father in the City of London, and the actual freebooting of Rob Roy, "the Robin Hood of Scotland, the dread of the wealthy, but the friend of the poor." And through Baillie Nicol Jarvie, one of Scott's most lively creations, it explores the delicate balance of generosity and selfish calculation that is required in all successful enterprise.

The text is based upon the first edition, corrected with readings from the manuscript, and is supplied for the very first time with comprehensive historical and explanatory annotation.