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The Robert Burns Collection: Early Editions and Facsimiles

Guide to the Robert Burns Collection at L. Tom Perry Special Collections

New Editions in Special Collections

Poems, Songs, and Prose

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. [1st Edinburgh edition, 1st issue]. Edinburgh: Printed for the author and sold by William Creech, 1787.

  • Call number: Vault Collection 821.672 1787 no. 1

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. [Third (first London) edition]. London: Printed for A. Strahan, T. Cadell in the Strand, and W. Creech, Edinburgh, 1787.

  • Call number: Vault Collection 821.672 1787 no. 3

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect. [First American edition]. Philadelphia: Printed for, and sold by Peter Stewart and George Hyde, the west side of Second-street, the ninth door above Chesnut-street, 1788.

  • Call number: Vault Collection 821.672 1788 no. 3

A select collection of original Scotish airs for the voice: To each of which are added, introductory & concluding symphonies & accompaniments for the violin & piano forte. Edited by George Thomson. London: Preston & son, 1793.

  • First edition with no acknowledgement of Burns on the title page, although he contributed a great number of songs. Bound with “A selection of Scots songs” edited by Pietro Urbani.
  • Call number: Burns Collection Quarto M 1746 .S46 1795

The Scots musical museum in six volumes: consisting of six hundred Scots songs with proper basses for the piano forte & c. Humbly dedicated to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland by James Johnson. [First edition, later issue.] Edinburgh; London; Glasgow: Printed & sold by J. Johnson, [etc., etc.], [1803].

  • BYU has volume 2 only, bound in the original binding. Sixteen songs by Burns in volume 2, although only one is ascribed to him by the letter B at the end of the song. All others are listed as anonymous.
  • Call number: Burns Collection M 1746 .S36 1803 v. 2

Letters addressed to Clarinda, &c. [First edition, variant issue with "A. MacGoun" added in imprint.] Glasgow: Printed by Niven, Napier and Khull for T. Stewart & A. MacGoun …, 1802.

  • Provenance: Bookplate of W. Craibe Angus.
  • Call number: Vault Collection 821.675 B93 1802

James Currie, ed. The works of Robert Burns: with an account of his life, and a criticism on his writings. To which are prefixed, some observations on the character and condition of Scottish peasantry. [First collected edition.] Liverpool: Printed by J. M’Creery, for T. Cadell, jun., and W. Davies, London; and W. Creech, Edinburgh, 1800.

  • Provenance: Bookplate of William Priestman, Philadelphia.
  • Call number: Burns Collection PR 4300 1800 .L2 vol. 1-4

Facsimiles

Fac-simile of Burns’ celebrated poem entitled The jolly beggars: from the original manuscript. Glasgow: James Lumsden & son, 1838.

  • Call number: Burns Collection PR 4311 .A1 1838

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish dialect. Kilmarnock: Printed by James McKee, 1867-1869.

  • 4 volumes; volume 1 is a reprint and facsimile of the original Kilmarnock edition (limited to 600 copies). Volumes 2-4 (Burns’ collected poems and songs) were later added by the publisher to make a series.
  • Provenance: Bookplate of Charles Rolfe Stevens (vol. 1).
  • Call number: Burns Collection PR 4300 1867 .K4 vol. 1-4

The Glenriddell manuscripts of Robert Burns. Philadelphia: John Gribbel, 1914.

  • According to the preface, this facsimile edition was “Limited to one hundred and fifty copies. Upon the completion of the etching of the plates, all the negatives were destroyed. When the one hundred and fifty copies were printed, all the plates were likewise destroyed.”
  • Call number: Burns Collection PR 4336 .G7 1914 v. 1-2

Journal of a tour in the Highlands made in the year 1787 by Robert Burns. Reproduced in facsimile from his original manuscript in the possession of William K. Bixby, with introduction and transcript by J. C. Ewing. [First separate edition.] London; Glasgow: Gowans & Gray, 1927.

  • Limited edition of 340; BYU copy is no. 12.
  • Call number: Burns Collection PR 4331 .A3 1927

Robert Burns’s Commonplace book, 1783-1785: Reproduced in facsimile from the poet’s manuscript in possession of Sir Alfred Joseph Law, M.P. Glasgow: Gowans and Gray, Limited, 1938.

  • Limited edition of 475; BYU copy is no. 165.
  • Call number: Burns Collection Quarto PR 4307 .C6 1938

The merry muses of Caledonia: a collection of favourite Scots songs, ancient and modern: selected for use of the Croghallan Fencibles. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press for the Thomas Cooper Library, 1999.

  • Limited edition of 600; BYU copy is no. 216.
  • Call number: Burns Collection PR 4332 .M43 1999

Subject Guide

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