A hitherto unknown pornographic manuscript of Robert Burns is found in the effects of a dead schoolmaster of impeccable reputation. Max Arbuthnot, an Edinburgh lawyer and a rich man, who at the age of sixty has a rampant appetite for the pleasures of the flesh, takes charge of it.

As the manuscript is lost, found again, stolen, and variously shuttles back and forth, the infection of its bawdiness creates havoc in Edinburgh.It's ultimate fate is only decided after a series of bizarre adventures.

Part farce, part satire on manners and social attitudes, The Merry Muse sparkles from beginning to end. It is the work of a master, written at the height of his powers.

"[Linklater] has created one of his most memorable characters in that solid and yet strangely vulnerable citizen, the inimitable Max. - The New York Times

"This is one of those rare books of comedy in which the humor depends solidly on situation and character and not merely on wisecrack" - Chicago Daily Tribune