Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (London Edition)

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (London Edition)
Second edition of 1787 – portrait and title pages
AuthorRobert Burns
Original titlePoems, Chiefly Scottish
Cover artistJohn Beugo after Alexander Nasmyth
LanguageScots & English
GenrePoetry and Lyrics
PublisherStrahan & Cadell of London; William Creech of Edinburgh
Publication date
1787
Publication placeGreat Britain

Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (London Edition) is commonly known as the Third or London Edition and sometimes the Stinking Edition. It is a collection of poetry and songs by Robert Burns, printed for A. Strahan; T. Cadell in the Strand; and W. Creech, Edinburgh. MDCCLXXXVII The date of publication for the London Edition was in November 1787, however Strahan and Cadell had previously advertised for sale the 'Second' or 'Edinburgh Edition' using the 500 or so copies that William Creech still had that were unsold. The successful selling of these made a truly new 'London Edition' a commercially viable enterprise.

The Kilmarnock Edition made Robert Burns Caledonia's Bard whilst the 'Edinburgh Edition' and the 'London Edition' elevated him into a position amongst the world's greatest poets.