The Immortal Memory remains the centrepiece of the traditional Burns Supper and although that rite might be seen by some to have had its day, the "Immortal Memory" itself still retains its importance and prestige to Burns lovers all over the world. It is an honour to be invited to present this toast and it is to honour this status and to further respect its subject that Dr Cairney's third book on Burns is devoted to his "Immortal Memory". The extraordinary thing is that the contributors, while dealing with the same man, all appear to see him so differently, but what they all still have in common is a love and admiration for the man and his work. This is the factor that makes Burns unique, that he has the same appeal for so many different kinds of people.

Robert Burns was by far and away the most iconic figure in nineteenth-century Scotland. Multiple editions of his works poured incessantly from the presses. Unprecedentedly large crowds gathered to commemorate him at huge festivals and at the unveiling of memorials. His work was at the heart of the palpable rise of Scottish-ness that swept Scotland from the 1840s through to the First World War, including demands for Home Rule. If Walter Scott imagined Scotland, Burns shaped it. He gave ordinary Scots in what had been one of the most socially uneven societies in Europe a sense of self-worth and dignity, and underpinned demands for political and social justice. In this major new book, Christopher Whatley describes the several contests there were to 'own' - and mould - Burns, from Tories through Radicals to middle-class urban improvers. But the Kirk condemned Burns as the Antichrist, deplored the Burns cult ('Burnomania') - a slur on a nation that prided itself on its strict Presbyterian inheritance. The result is a fascinating picture of the role Burns played after his death in shaping multiple facets of Scottish society.

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MEMORIES IS SOMETING WHICH MAKE US HAPPY AT A TIME AND AT OTHER TIMES DEMOTIVATE US. IN THIS ANTHOLOGY BOOK,