Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Richard F. Burton

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

58722

Title

Index of the Project Gutenberg Works of Richard F. Burton

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A comprehensive index of Sir Richard Francis Burton's extensive literary output, featuring his renowned translations of the Arabian Nights, travelogues from Africa and Arabia, and anthropological studies. This collection showcases Burton's adventurous spirit, linguistic mastery, and deep engagement with Eastern cultures, offering readers a gateway to his diverse and often controversial works.

Summary up to 500 words

This comprehensive volume serves as an authoritative catalog of the literary and exploratory achievements of Sir Richard Francis Burton, compiled by David Widger. It functions as a detailed index, guiding readers through the vast body of Burton's work, which spans from his seminal translations of Eastern classics to his daring personal narratives of exploration. The collection prominently features Burton's monumental translation of the *Arabian Nights* (The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night), presented in multiple volumes. These texts offer a plain and literal rendering of the original tales, complete with extensive tables of contents that detail specific stories, such as the *Tale of the Porter and the Three Ladies of Baghdad*, the *Tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves*, and the *Story of King Shahryar*. The index also highlights Burton's *Supplemental Nights*, which expand upon the original collection with additional tales and anthropological notes. Beyond the *Arabian Nights*, the volume documents Burton's translations of other significant works, including the *Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana*, a seven-part Sanskrit text covering sexual union, courtship, and domestic life, and *Vikram and the Vampire*, a collection of Hindu folklore featuring the clever Raja Vikram. The index further lists Burton's travelogues, such as *Two Trips to Gorilla Land and the Cataracts of the Congo*, which chronicles his expeditions into the heart of Africa, encountering gorillas and navigating the Congo River. Other titles include *The Land of Midian*, a re-examination of biblical geography, and *To the Gold Coast for Gold*, a narrative of his journey to West Africa. The compilation underscores Burton's identity as a polymath, explorer, and translator who preserved the narrative arcs and cultural contexts of his source materials. Themes throughout the collection range from exotic travel and the exploration of African and Arabian landscapes to folklore, mythology, and erotic literature. By organizing these diverse texts, the volume preserves the structure and richness of Burton's original writings, offering modern readers a structured access point to his legacy as a figure who bridged Eastern and Western cultures through his extensive translations and firsthand accounts of the world's most remote regions.

LLM editorial rating

4.5/5

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data/epubs/pg58722.epub

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Categories

• Indexes