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The scandal surrounding Robert Burns forgeries in the 1890s

12 April 2014, 12:00-13:00

Mitchell Library, Glasgow

 

This event uses dramatization, poetic recital and song-performance to recount the forgeries, trial and eventual imprisonment of Alexander Howland (‘Antique’) Smith for manufacturing numerous manuscripts purporting to be by Robert Burns. In the early 1890s, Edinburgh and the press are alive with gossip that the surfeit of poems and songs suddenly appearing in Burns’ holograph speak of murky goings-on in the world of the Scottish capital’s book-sellers and collectors. A scandal develops that stretches all the way to New York and down to the present day. At its centre is the unassuming young office clerk, Smith.

 

Further information on the event and information on how to book can be found here.

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First published: 12 April 2014