'Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect' (Kilmarnock Edition, 1786)
A red leather bound copy of Robert Burns' 'Poems, Chiefly in the
Scottish Dialect', commonly known as the 'Kilmarnock Edition'. 612
copies of the collection of poems were printed in Kilmarnock by
John Wilson. All copies of the first edition were sold within a
month, a feat that changed the trajectory of Burns' life immensely.
Before publication, Burns' intention was to use the profit from the
book to fund his voyage to Jamaica, where he was to take up a
position as a book-keeper on a sugar plantation. However, due to
it's success, he abandoned his decision to emigrate and spent the
next year in Edinburgh instead, building connections in the
capital's society circles.
'Poems...' cost 3 shillings per copy, which would have been
around 3 days wages for a labourer.
Object no :
RI_DI_0052402
Collection :
Creator :
NA
Place of Production :
Kilmarnock, Scotland
Dimensions :
NA
Materials :
NA
Location :
NA
Accession number :
NA
Copyright :
East Ayrshire Council
