In 1801, some five years after Robert Burns' death, nine of his friends sat down to dinner in what is now known as Burns Cottage in Alloway to celebrate his extraordinary life and to give thanks for his friendship. Over the years the informal theme from that evening has developed into the ritual known as Burns Night. This best-selling book is the essential guide for anyone intending to hold or attend a Burns Night of any size. In addition to setting out the order of events for the evening, the Burns Supper Companion also offers fascinating insights into the traditions surrounding Burns Night. Nancy Marshall has spent a large part of her life living and working in Edinburgh. She read English Literature and Medieval History at Edinburgh University, going on to write widely about Scottish song and the poems and songs of Robert Burns.

The Edinburgh Companion to Robert Burns provides both a comprehensive introduction to and the most contemporary critical contexts for the study of Robert Burns. Detailed commentary on the artistry of Burns is complemented by material on the cultural reception and afterlife of this most iconic of world writers. The biographical construction of Burns is examined as are his relations to Scottish, Romantic and International cultures. Burns is also approached in terms of his engagements with Ecology, Gender, Pastoral, Politics, Pornography, Slavery, and Song-culture, and there is extensive coverage of publishing history including Burns's place in popular, bourgeois and Enlightenment cultures during the late eighteenth century. This is the most modern collection of critical responses to Burns from scholars from the United Kingdom and North America, which, more than ever before, seeks to place Burns as a 'mainstream' man of Enlightenment and Romantic impetus and to explain the enduring and sometimes controversial fascination for both the man and his work over more than two hundred years.

This annual celebration of the life and works of the poet Robert Burns is held in Scotland and across the globe around the anniversary of the poet's birthday in the form of a convivial dinner with particular, some may say peculiar, ritual traditions. When the Reverend Hamilton Paul agreed to arrange the first anniversary dinner for Robert Burns' patrons and friends in July 1801, he began a tradition that quite soon became a global celebration. Over two hundred years later, Burns Suppers are held all over the world to commemorate the life and work of a poet beloved wherever people celebrate life, love and liberty. From its beginning with nine Scotsmen in Burns Cottage, to today, where over nine million people join in the Burns Supper festivities, from the USA to Russia, Australia to China, and somewhere near you. The long and happy story of Burns Night is explored in this history of the annual event which has been called 'the biggest party in the world'.

Originally published in 1998, this new edition has been thoroughly revised to take account of the internet and the modern world in general. Beginning with a background to Robert Burns, his life and his works the book moves on to describe in great detail all the things that need to be taken into account when organising a Burns Supper. It also details in depth the roles the various participants are traditionally expected to play and suggests topics for speeches.

This volume offers Burns's work as it was first encountered by contemporary readers, presenting the texts in the contexts in which they were originally published. It includes the whole of Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786), a generous selection of songs with full scores, comprehensive notes, some important letters and a glossary.

Searchable online reference covers more than 20 centuries of history, and interpret history broadly, covering areas such as archaeology, climate, culture, languages, immigration, migration, and emigration. Multi-authored entries analyze key themes such as national identity, women and society, living standards, and religious belief across the centuries in an authoritative yet approachable way. The A-Z entries are complemented by maps, genealogies, a glossary, a chronology, and an extensive guide to further reading.--From title screen.

With a clear and accessible biography of Burns and his work, fifty-two of Burns poems and songs, a comprehensive glossary of Scots words, an index of first lines and line drawings of scenes from his life, this compact book combines quality, style and value.

This is not another complete works collection but a personal selection of sixty favourite poems, songs and other works, chosen by the Man Who Played Burns , as well as an introduction that explores Burns' life and influences, his triumphs and tragedies. The Luath Burns Companion is a unique introduction to the works of ona of Scotland's best loved poets by a man with an obvious love and depth of understanding for Burns and his work. This selection reveals the drama, passion, pathos and humour that make Burns's work what it is. He was always a forward thinking man and remains a writer for the future.

A Companion to Scottish Literature offers fresh readings of major authors and periods of Scottish literary production from the first millennium to the present. Bringing together contributions by many of the world’s leading experts in the field, this comprehensive resource provides the historical background of Scottish literature, highlights new critical approaches, and explores wider cultural and institutional contexts. Dealing with texts in the languages of Scots, English, and Gaelic, the Companion offers modern perspectives on the historical milieux, thematic contexts and canonical writers of Scottish literature. Original essays apply the most up-to-date critical and scholarly analyses to a uniquely wide range of topics, such as Gaelic literature, national and diasporic writing, children’s literature, Scottish drama and theatre, gender and sexuality, and women’s writing. Critical readings examine William Dunbar, Robert Burns, Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson, Muriel Spark and Carol Ann Duffy, amongst others. With full references and guidance for further reading, as well as numerous links to online resources, A Companion to Scottish Literature is essential reading for advanced students and scholars of Scottish literature, as well as academic and non-academic readers with an interest in the subject.