Reprint.

Small 8vo., pp. 144, diagrams and tables. Full vellum gilt, fore and bottom edges untrimmed. Vellum slightly grubby, signs of an erased ink inscription to front pastedown, light ink stamp “Adrienne Lee” to front free endpaper, otherwise a very good copy.

In 1873, Burton prepared an anonymous literal translation of the Kama-Shastra or The Hindoo Art of Love, of which only six copies were printed. It was planned to reissue the work in 1885, but only proofs appeared before plans for publication were abandoned. However, no less than three reprints appeared soon after, all bearing the date 1885. This copy conforms to Penzer's description of the third reprint edition. Burton's Kama Shastra Society and its quasi-scholarly publication of erotic material served as the model for Leonard Smithers' later Erotika Biblion Society.

[Penzer, An Annotated Bibliography of Sir Francis Burton, pp. 171-173.]