BURTON (Sir Richard Francis, 1821-1890, Traveller, Explorer and Linguist)

Fine Autograph Letter signed to "Monsieur Isidore Lesley" (?) saying that he "did not answer yours of Sept 11 till I could acknowledge the safe receipt of the mss so kindly lent to me by Captain ... de Costierès. The mss arrived yesterday and shall be most carefully kept to be returned in one month. Meanwhile would you kindly offer the expressions of my sincere gratitude to its kind and courteous owner. You tell me that a copy could be obtained from Thomson (?). It would be an additional favour if you could put me in the way of obtaining it. Of course price would be of no consideration. With many thanks to you for the excellent assistance you have lent to me ...", 3 sides 8vo., Athenaeum headed paper, 17th September no year but

In Burton's tiny somewhat illegible hand though largely deciphered apart from the names. 'Richard used always to say that a wee writing, as if done with a pin, betokened a big, strong man' (Lady Burton, 'Life', ii. 268, with a good story of how she pacified the printers' foreman).
In February of this year Burton had been appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Victoria. He wrote a number of travel books in this period that were not particularly well received. His best-known contributions to literature were those considered risqué or even pornographic at the time and which were published under the auspices of the Kama Shastra society. These books include The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana (1883) (popularly known as the Kama Sutra), The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night (1885) (popularly known as The Arabian Nights), The Perfumed Garden of the Shaykh Nefzawi (1886) and The Supplemental Nights to the Thousand Nights and a Night.

Item Date:  1886

Stock No:  39389      £1275

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