Burnsiana: A Bibliography of the William R. Smith Collection in the Library of the Supreme Council, 33, S.J.

Published shortly before the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns in 2009, this bibliography presents the unparalleled Burnsiana collection held by the Library of the Supreme Council of the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, the most complete collection of Burnsiana in the United States. The William Robertson Smith Collection is the second largest compilation of Burns materials in the world, ranking only behind the collection maintained in The Mitchell Library in Glasgow, Scotland. In terms of American material about Burns, the Library of Supreme Council has the world's largest collection. The contents of this collection, compiled over a lifetime by William Robertson Smith, are available to American and international scholars, historians, literary critics and linguists. For Masons, because both Robert Burns and William Robertson Smith were Masonic Brothers, this catalogue is meaningful as a living memorial to international Masonic fraternal and literary traditions. Because of the paucity of bibliographic literature illuminating Burns' involvement in Freemasonry, the work contains a biographic sketch entitled "Robert Burns-Freemason" written by Robert L.D. Cooper. From a historical, bibliographical, informational and aesthetic perspective, the Burnsiana catalogue has no analog among currently existing bibliographies. The catalogue is illustrated by the engravings of several generations of artists that provide an image of the Bard of Caledonia and the scenes of Scotland that he loved, and which inspired his creativity. This bibliography is a distinguished gift from the Fraternity of Freemasons in honor of the 250th anniversary of the birth of this distinguished Scottish poet and Mason, Robert Burns.