Tam O Shanter - A Tale by Robert Burns

Funny, scurrilous, chilling and gloriously inventive, Tam o' Shanter is widely regarded as Robert Burns' masterpiece. This magnificent edition of the poem features the work of Alexander Goudie, one of Scotland's greatest twentieth-century artists who, over a period of many years, was inspired by the poem to produce some of his most powerful and imaginative paintings, which capture all the menace and comedy of Burn's poem.

Together with introductory essays by historian Edward Cowan, literary critic Alan Riach (both of Glasgow University) and the artist's son, Lachlan Goudie, this is the definitive edition of one of the greatest works of Scottish literature.

About the author

Alexander Goudie (1933 - 2004) is widely acclaimed as having been one of Scotland's finest figurative painters. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and taught there for many years before dedicating himself to his own studio work. As a portraitist his sitters included Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Lord, Billy Connolly and a host of other figures drawn from the worlds of politics, commerce and entertainment.
Edward J. Cowan was formerly Professor of Scottish History at the University of Glasgow and Director of the university’s Dumfries Campus. He previously taught at the Universities of Edinburgh and Guelph, Ontario. A fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, he died in January 2022.

Product details

• Authors: Robert Burns
• Assisted by: Goudie Alexander (Illustration), Edward J. Cowan (Introduction)
• Publisher: BookSource
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 19.02.2026
• EAN: 9781780279886
• ISBN: 978-1-78027-988-6
• No. of pages: 176
• Dimensions: 290 mm x 220 mm x 20 mm
• Weight: 1010 g
• Illustrations: Colour throughout
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Illustration, POETRY / General, Poetry, LITERARY CRITICISM / Poetry, DESIGN / Graphic Arts / Illustration, Literary studies: poetry & poets, Poetry by individual poets, Painting & paintings, Literary studies: poetry and poets, Paintings and painting, ART / Techniques / Painting / General, Poetry / poems by individual poets, Poetry / Poems, Classic poetry / poems