Poems, Chiefly In The Scottish Dialect (full Tree Calf, 2nd Edition, Lacks Title/halftitle/frontis.)

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This collection of Burns's works in the Scottish dialect was published some 10 years before his death, and includes almost none of the works which are still widely quoted and regularly performed on traditional occasions such as Hogmanay, or at folk festivals and other musical events. It is perhaps revealing that a number of the pieces are rather depressive in tone, dealing with death and mourning. Robert Burns (1759-1796) was a Scottish poet and lyricist, widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and celebrated worldwide. The best known of poets who wrote in the Scots language, much of his writing is in a "light Scots dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest. Regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public. Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well known across the world today include "A Red, Red Rose", "A Man's a Man for A' That", "To a Louse", "To a Mouse", "The Battle of Sherramuir", "Tam o' Shanter" and "Ae Fond Kiss". Handsomely bound in full tree calf with decorative gilt borders to front & back, and rich gilt thistle decoration to the spine, with 5 raised bands, & title on red leather panel. Second edition, preceded only by the rare Kilmarnock edition of the previous year, with the misprints ''Boxburgh'' on page xvii & ''skinking'' on page 263, and the Addenda to the list of subscribers. External condition very good, with slight rubbing to corners & spine angles, and a crack to the top front spine angle, but no other signs of weakness. Slight fading to top inch of both covers, perhaps due to adjoining volumes of a smaller size. Inside, bright marbled endpapers and a single new leaf indicate that the book has been rebound - and sadly, this was done without retaining the frontispiece portrait of the poet, the halftitle page or the title page. The body of the book is browned and pp.321/2, having suffered a little loss, has been mended with brown tissue; p.329/30 is quite badly torn at the bottom corner & fore-edge. Apart from these deficiencies, this is a very handsome volume, which would enhance any bookshelf.
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Poems, Chiefly In The Scottish Dialect (full Tree Calf, 2nd Edition, Lacks Title/halftitle/frontis.)

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