The Scots Musical Museum is perhaps the core canonical collection of Scottish song, with over 200 of its 600 songs claimed for Robert Burns. This is the first research edition of the Scots Musical Museum in its entirety in over two centuries, and the first ever edition of the first edition of any kind, unearthing hundreds of previously unacknowledged variants between the first and 1803 editions. It will claim that up to fifty songs should be removed from the Burns canon. It is a landmark text for understanding the history and development of Scottish song and music. A full and detailed introduction sets out the social, textual, musical and historical context in which Robert Burns and James Johnson worked, while extensive notes on the songs provide a detailed history and context of each one, and a brief critical analysis of some of the most famous of these songs. There is a comprehensive glossary based, where available, on contemporary dictionary definitions and ample appendices. The items included here have never before been published complete together.

This is the first textual edition of the Scots Musical Museum, one of the most central texts in the history of Scots song, and the first ever edition of the Museum as originally printed. A detailed introduction covers the history, musical, social, and textual context of Scots song, while full annotations accompany every song in the Museum.

...this edition might equally be described as a monumental contribution to the study of Bruns and Scottish music, whose influence will be felt for decades to come.