Combining encyclopedic information as well as a critical guide to the poetry of Robert Burns, this work attempts to show the complex nature of this supposedly uncomplicated poet. Born a farmer’s son in 1759, Burns lived through many of the most important events of his century. The work is divided into six sections. Part I places Burns in context with a chronology, The Burns Circle and a topography. Part 2 looks at the Burnsian issues of religion, politics, philosophy, drink, drama and sex. Part 3, an essay on Burns as a poetic phenomenon, is sure to provoke debate about the relevance of Burns to his time and ours. The fourth and longest section of the book examines 25 poems, 18 verse epistles and 26 songs as well as commenting on the letters, political ballads and Common Place Books. A select bibliography and four appendices are followed by a glossary of Scots words and indices of poems and names.