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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Robert Burns
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(1759–96) Scottish poet, the son of a poor farmer in *Alloway. His Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect, published at his own expense in 1786, were an immediate success and caused him to be lionized in Edinburgh. He there became much involved in collecting and writing Scottish songs for The Scots Musical Museum (6 vols, 1787–1803), in which many of his best-known lyrics appeared, including *Auld Lang Syne and *Scots, wha hae. After a busy love life, he married Jean Armour in 1788 in *Mauchline. The immediacy of his songs and longer poems (such as *Tam o' Shanter) and his use of the dialect which he called *Lallans (sufficient to deter many a *Sassenach) have ensured that Burns has remained Scotland's favourite poet. His birthday is celebrated each year as *Burns Night.
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