This exhibition, which has, in addition, brought together objects from Dresden, Milan, Vienna and the Royal Armouries, also includes an array of richly illustrated and scientifically sophisticated fencing manuals on long-term loan from the library of Lord Howard de Walden.
The season, to be formally opened by Burns specialist Dr John Cairney, will also feature an exhibition on loan from the Mitchell Library, Glasgow, which has one of the most significant Burns collections in Scotland.
The annual report by the Public Lending Right (PLR), who oversee payments to authors for the loan of their books, also revealed that library lending had dropped by around 4% in 2012, with 200 branches closing over the past year.