From "My love is like a red, red rose" to "the best laid schemes of mice and men" to the timeless words ofAuld Lang Syne, the poems and songs of Robert Burns are familiar to readers the world over. Lyrical, acerbic, comic, bawdy, democratic--they have a vernacular energy and simple beauty that have ensured their lasting popularity. This marvelous new selection offers Burns's work as it was first encountered by contemporary readers, presenting the texts as they were originally published. It reproduces in its entirety the volume which made Burns famous--Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, published at Kilmarnock in 1786--and it showcases a generous selection of songs fromThe Scots Musical MuseumandA Select Collection of Scottish Airs, complete with their full scores. Robert Irvine's Introduction examines Burns's life and career, the publication of his poetry, his later concentration on song writing and song collecting, and the political contexts in which he wrote, both local and national, before and after the French Revolution. Comprehensive notes describe the circumstances in which other poems and songs found their way into print, both before and after the poet's death. The edition also includes early reviews and important letters by Burns, a glossary of Scots words that explain obscure expressions, and explanatory notes clarifying historical references, composition and publication details, and much more. Handsomely produced with original illustrations, maps of places often mentioned in Burns's poems, head and tail bands, and a ribbon marker, this superb selection makes an ideal gift for anyone who loves poetry, folk music, Scottish culture, or Romantic literature.