September 6th 2024.
A precious and rare treasure has resurfaced in the world of literature – the first edition of Robert Burns’ poetry, originally published in 1786 by a daring Kilmarnock printer who took a chance on the budding poet's talent. This remarkable work, known as Poems Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect, was sold for a mere three shillings and quickly flew off the shelves, with all 612 copies being snatched up within a month. Now, it is expected to fetch a staggering £60,000 when it goes up for auction at Lyon & Turnbull on September 19th.
At just 27 years old, Burns had already been writing poetry for over a decade when this first edition was released. The Kilmarnock Edition, as it came to be known, featured many of his most beloved works, including To a Mouse, Address to the Deil, The Twa Dogs, and Halloween. These poems were inspired by his time at Mossgiel farm in Mauchline, where he lived and worked alongside his brother Gilbert from 1784 to 1788. It was here that Burns met a group of six young women, whom he affectionately referred to as "The Belles of Mauchline" and wrote a poem about. One of these women was Jean Armour, the daughter of a stonemason and the love of Burns' life.
Despite his success as a poet, Burns' farming ventures were not as fruitful. In fact, he was losing money on the farm. But it was during this time that he met Jean and their love story began. She would later become his wife and they would go on to have nine children together. The first two, twins, were born before they were married, but their last child was born on the day of Burns' funeral in 1796.
It was Burns' desire to marry Jean, who was pregnant at the time, that led to the publication of this first volume of poetry. Her father, however, strongly opposed the marriage, and Burns was considering leaving Scotland for Jamaica. It was a local lawyer, Gavin Hamilton, who suggested that Burns finance his voyage through the publication of his poems. The success of the Kilmarnock Edition was immediate, and Burns decided to stay in Scotland instead.
Today, there are only 84 surviving copies of this first edition, with 15 of them in private hands. However, in 2021, the number was updated to 88 in The Burns Chronicle by Edinburgh University Press. The copy that will be auctioned off by Lyon & Turnbull is particularly special, as it was rebound in the 19th century by the renowned bookbinder, Bedford, in a stunning green morocco gilt, replacing the original fragile paper covers. This was a common practice among book lovers of the time.
Cathy Marsden, from Lyon & Turnbull, expressed her excitement at the discovery of one of these first edition copies, calling it the "single most famous volume in Scottish cultural heritage." She noted that Burns, who came from humble beginnings in Ayrshire, never could have predicted the international success he would achieve through his poetry. And even though he was confident in his own abilities, he could have never imagined the lasting impact he would have on the literary world.
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