[1] According to John Logan Lockhart, Gilbert Burns stated that the Commonplace book had originally been acquired with the intention of recording farming memorandums within its pages.

[5] The first entry is April 1783, a date at which the practically unknown 24 year old Burns was living at Lochlie Farm near Tarbolton, South Ayrshire.

The abrupt abandonment is likely to relate to his efforts at composing new poems and revising existing works with thoughts of publication in mind.

[11] A number of trial pieces are present, as well as essays, self criticism, experiments in blank verse, expressions of his hopes, ambitions and some philosophising.

[2] In August 1785 Burns added a version of Now Westlin Winds to the book and unusually rendered the name Jeany Armour in cypher in the final verse.

W.R. appears to have been asked by Burns to help with the selection of material for inclusion in the first Kilmarnock edition of his Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect.

Burns often followed his advice and therefore the 'Kilmarnock Edition' can be seen as something of collaborative effort by a respected individual, despite John Syme's criticism of his irregular spelling.

Finally, after discussing all the circumstances of the case and carefully scrutinising the poems, Mr. Reid, though a much younger man, affectionately struck his visitor on the shoulder and said, "Your country, Sir, cannot afford to send you to the West Indies; you must go to Edinburgh and not to Jamaica."

"[16] The book is formed from eleven folio sheets on laid or chain and line paper that was folded to create a volume of size twelve and a half by seven and three-quarters inches, with twenty-two leaves and forty-four pages.

His manuscript is made up of around 1250 lines and his writing style has a pronounced slope from left to right and he characteristically wrote the letter d with the upright limb turned upwards and backwards.

[6] Later additions, alterations and annotations were written on the manuscript by Burns, John Syme, James Currie William Scott Douglas and the unidentified 'W.R.'

In January 1797 both Commonplace books were sent to Dr James Currie in Liverpool who used some of this material in his The Complete Poetical Works of Robert Burns: With Explanatory and Glossarial Notes; And a Life of the Author which was he published in four volumes in 1800.

[17] William Wallace Currie, James's son, inherited the book and when he died in 1840 it again narrowly escaped destruction as his will instructed his wife to destroy or keep the manuscripts that were in his possession.

[17] A London bookseller purchased the lot, paying only £36, transferring it to Basil Montagu Pickering, another dealer who catalogued it but found no buyer.

939 it was purchased by booksellers, Kerr & Richardson, for £101[17] and sold to Thomas Glen Arthur of Carrick House in Ayr and Glasgow.

In 1913, 116 years after it was loaned to Dr James Curry, it passed to his nephew, Sir Alfred Joseph Law, who still held it in 1938 when a full facsimile was published by Gowans and Gray of Glasgow.

It is recorded and facsimiles of a few pages were included in the Memorial Catalogue of the Burns Exhibition published by William Hodge & Company in 1898.

[19] The first faithful reproduction of the manuscript in type was organised by John Adam who was concerned to produce authentic copies should any accident befall the original.

[20] Robert Burns's Commonplace Book 1783–1785 Reproduced in Facsimile from the Poet's Manuscript in the Possession of Sir Alfred Joseph Law, M.P.

The folio was issued in a print run of 425 copies with a frontispiece engraving of Robert Burns after Alexander Nasmyth by William Walker and Samuel Cousins.

Completion of song Green grow the rashes – O; dissertation As the grand end of human life ...; W.R. comments this fragment well deserves a place in your Coliction.

Completion of the dissertation ...the poor, indolent, devil he has left behind him; Aug:} A prayer, when fainting fits, & other alarming symptoms of a Pleurisy ..; Syme comments printed in Creech's edition Line 17.

Completion of A letter sent to John Lapraik near Muirkirk, a true, genuine Scottish Bard; On receiving an answer to the above I wrote the following April 21st 1785.

Continuation of On receiving an answer to the above I wrote the following April 21st 1785; W.R comments I think there is some faults in the Above which might be easily amended but the Last part of it flags Unpardonably – the first is fraught with Genuine Humour.

He expresses his lack of genius and education to take on the task; stanza And if there is no other scene of Being; Syme comments The above may furnish a remark on the Bard.

Altho' my bed were in yon muir; A verse of a Song forgot – Vide Page 34 Look not alone on youthful prime; Syme comments indifferent & G.B.

Burns says that this was written extempore under the pressure of a heavy train of misfortune... and refers to the dreadful period mentioned on page 8th.

Oct: 85 } Burns comments If ever any young man, on the vestibule of the world, chance to throw his eye over these pages, let him pay a warm attention to the following observation; as I assure him they are the fruit of a poor devil's dear bought Experience; Burns finishes with In the first place, let my Pupil, as he tenders his own peace, keep up a regular, warm intercourse with the Deity.

Burns's Second Commonplace Book contains thoughts and ideas as rough drafts of the poet's poems and songs over the period 9 April 1787 to 1790.

The volume is sometimes known as the Edinburgh Journal and after the poet's death passed into the hands of James Currie and was used in his 1800 publication of Burns's works.