“The Talisman” is Walter Scott’s historical novel, published in 1825, set during the Third Crusade and focused on the relationship between Richard the Lionheart and Saladin. The book is part of the so-called “Waverley novels” series: since Scott only revealed his authorship in 1827, the author of many historical novels was originally listed as “the author of ‘Waverley’”—the first novel in the series, published in 1814.