Mitchell Library

When the Mitchell Library opened in 1877, one of the earliest decisions of the committee was to form a collection of all material relating to Robert Burns and by purchase and donation the collection has grown to over 4,000 items and is the world’s largest. Its core is formed by 700 volumes by and about Burns collected by James Gibson of Liverpool, purchased by the Mitchell Library in 1882.

Among the interesting and valuable items in the collection are more than 900 different editions of Burns’ works including the Kilmarnock (1786), two printings of the Edinburgh (1787) and the London editions (1787). One of the Kilmarnock editions is of particular interest as it belonged to Robert Aird, an Ayrshire farmer, contemporary and neighbour of Burns. He knew the local persons mentioned in the poems and filled in some blanks in the text where Burns used only an initial and asterisks.

There are 15 original manuscripts of letters and poems in the collection, including a letter(pictured right) to William Nicol, handwritten by Burns from Carlisle at the end of a month long tour of the Borders in 1787. Nicol was classics master at Edinburgh High School and was a drinking companion of Burns. It is the only extant example of Burns writing in his colloquial Ayrshire Scots. William Nicol featured in the Burns song ‘Willie brewed a peck o’maut’.

Also of interest is the only surviving manuscript of ‘The Ordination’, an early Burns satirical poem about the ordination of a new minister in Kilmarnock. This was bought for the bicentenary of Burns’ death in 1996.

In 1998 an original copy of ‘Auld Lang Syne’ (pictured left) in Burns’ own hand was acquired for the collection. This was one of only six extant manuscript copies and was bought at auction through the generosity of several donors. The main difference between this one and the version usually sung is in the first line of the chorus where Burns wrote ‘my jo’ rather than ‘my dear’.

Also in the collection are translations of Burns’ works in more than 30 languages, the most recently added being in Albanian. There are several series of scrapbooks of Burnsiana and a set of the Burns Chronicle, published by the Burns Federation from 1892. There is also an extensive collection of ephemera including newspaper and magazine articles, advertising leaflets, playbills and programmes, photographs and prints, endorsed commercial products, and material relating to the events of the bicentenary of 1996. The Burns Collection also has audio and audio-visual material, a cast of Burns’ skull and much material relating to the various Burns’ Clubs, particularly Bridgeton (Glasgow)

To mark the bicentenary in 1996, a new edition of the Catalogue for the Burns Collection was published. It is arranged in four sections: Editions; Life; Analysis and Memorabilia and is supplemented by a card index for more recent aquisitions. Copies of the catalogue are available for sale. Material in the collection is available for reference during library opening hours and for security reasons is issued under supervision. Visits for groups can be arranged and it is advisable to contact Special Collections in advance to discuss your exact requirements.