burns borrowed a copy of the 'edinburgh edition' from dr john geddes at edinburgh in 1787 and carried it with him on his tour of the highlands. it had been bound in with twenty extra blank pages and upon returning it to dr geddes in 1789, the owner found that burns had written fourteen poems in it. the 'geddes burns' is now with an owner in america and copies have been published. geddes was responsible, in his position of influence as a catholic bishop, in persuading five catholic seminaries to subscribe to the 'edinburgh edition'.