The Merry Muses of Caledonia

Robert Burns

Jan. 2014 · Luath Press Ltd

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The Merry Muses of Caledonia is among Burns' best known, but least read, work. This collection of bawdy poems, some written by and some collected by Burns, ranges from celebrations of spirited women in "Ellibanks", to misogyny in "There was twa wives" and male fantasy in "Nine Inch will please a lady". These engaging poems are not lewd or distasteful but possess a great wit and charm. This new edition updates the 1959 printing, which with engaging accompanying material by James Barke and preface by J. De Lancey Ferguson have made this the definitive version, until now. "The Merry Muses" was always intended to be accompanied by music but the 1959 edition was left incomplete due to Barke's premature death. For the first time the book is completed as it was always meant to be with notes to the tunes created with reference to Barke's unpublished papers. "The Luath Merry Muses" edition also includes bonus material with specially commissioned illustrations from top political satirist Bob Dewar and an introduction by Burns scholar Valentina Bold. Ferguson's work is brought up to date with commentary on the latest critical responses. This new edition will make this classic of Burns' literature more accessible to modern readers.

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Robert Burns was born into a farming family in Alloway in Ayrshire in 1759. He died in Dumfries at the early age of 37. Yet in that short time he had taken the Scottish literary world by storm, and had secured for himself a place in history and legend. Burns only published four collections during his lifetime. Valentina Bold is head of Scottish Studies at the University of Glasgow, Dumfries. She leads the Dumfries-based postgraduate M.Litt degree, Robert Burns Studies. Educated at the University of Edinburgh, Memorial University of Newfoundland and the University of Glasgow, Dr Bold has published widely on Scottish literature and oral traditions, particularly poetry and song, and has lectured in Europe and North America. She is general editor for Peter Lang's series, Studies in the History and Culture of Scotland.