Clever Facsimile Of Kilmarnock Poems

Press, Volume C, Issue 29503, 3 May 1961, Page 14

Clever Facsimile Of Kilmarnock Poems

(New Zealand WELLINGTON. May 2. A supposedly original Kilmarnock edition of Robert Burns’s "Poems, chiefly in the Scottish Dialect” 1788 was described today by the librarian of the Turnbull Library. Mr C R H Taylor, as "a clever and extremely accurate facsimile.” Mr Taylor said it was during the library’s search for an original edition, which would be worth up to £lOOO. that the facsimile had been referred to the library "I knew it was not genuine, and so did the owner,” said Mr Taylor. "It was just too perfect However, I borrowed it to discover just what the defects were ” In bis examination. Mr Taylor found that the print, paper, page size, and wrapper were all as in the original. He identified the book as a facsimile by establishing by feel and texture, that the paper was made of part esparto <not used in papermaking until 1855), and by

Press Association) detecting with magnifying • glass that the printing was t from plates, and not done i with metal type Mr Taylor has reeom- • mended this facsimile to the I editor of "New Zealand Lib- . raries” to warn other lib- ’ rarians. “There is no notice any- ■ where in this volume that it ’ is a facsimile, and had it i been rebound carefully tn old calf, one would have i little initial reason to doubt its authenticity," said Mr • Taylor. He said the fac- ’ simile was worth about 15s