The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana

"One of the world’s great literary legacies, this manual of virtuous living, courtship and pleasure affords an intimate glimpse into Hindu culture." 

About the book

The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana. London: The Folio Society, 2018. Special Edition, Limited to 750 numbered copies and 20 lettered copies hors de commerce (not available in the general sale and only handed to those involved in the production of the title); this being Number 407. Sold out and rather scarce now.

Translated from the Sanscrit by Sir Richard Burton and Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot. Type: Aria. Printed and bound by Kösel on Abbey Pure Rough paper and typeset in Aria. Dark blue two-volume clamshell box lined on two sides with printed and blocked cloth. Front titled (as above) in gold. The two volumes that make up this handsome production are as follows:

• [1] The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, translated from the Sanscrit by Sir Richard Burton and Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, in seven parts, with preface, introduction, and concluding remarks, illustrated by Victo Ngai. 331 × 252 × 37 mm. Pp. [1–2], [i–iv] v–xxi [xxii], [1–4] 5–237 [238–240]. The title printed in red. Bound in dark blue cloth with a printed inset cloth label blocked in gold; dark yellow endleaves printed with designs in blue. Gilded top edge and ribbon marker. The edition statement reads in part ‘limited to 750 copies and 20 lettered copies hors de commerce’. Ngai has provided eight colour illustrations tipped into decorative borders and there are also 25 beautiful black and white interpretations of the sexual positions liberally illustrating the text. The inconsistent use of spelling, grammar and punctuation is that of the translators.
• Presented with every book is a loosely-inserted print with an additional colour illustration, signed by award-winning artist Victo Ngai, wrapped in protective paper secured by a sticker. The print portrays an amorous couple locked in the Embrace of Thighs is presented with every book.
• [2] The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana, Essays by W. G. Archer, Hanif Kureishi and John Keay. 331 × 249 × 11 mm. Pp. [1–6] 7–63 [64]. Bound in quarter dark blue cloth with dark yellow paper boards titled (as above) in blue; dark blue endleaves.

The classic English translation

The fictional ‘Kama Shastra Society of London and Benares’ first brought the Kama Sutra to Western attention, having employed Indian scholars to compile a single text from four extant versions, before translation. Initially printed anonymously ‘for private circulation only’, rumours of the content resulted in reprints and pirated copies, and the identities of the erstwhile translators, Sir Richard Burton and Forster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, were revealed.

An explorer, linguist, spy and diplomat, Burton was fascinated by Indian culture and had a particular penchant for the erotic. With a similar taste in subject matter – and a love of India gained through a career as a civil servant in the subcontinent – Burton’s close friend Arbuthnot shared his fervent desire to publish the Kama Sutra. Despite many subsequent translations of the epic work, Arbuthnot and Burton’s text has distinguished itself in the pantheon of Victorian writing. 

Fascinating commentary

Beautifully presented, the commentary opens with the preface to the 1963 edition of this translation by W. G. Archer, in which the former Keeper of the Indian Section of the Victoria and Albert Museum explores the cultural context of the Kama Sutra. This is followed by multi-award-winning novelist and playwright Hanif Kureishi’s The Kama Sutra: A Guilty Pleasure, first published in 2011. The final essay, by historian John Keay, was specially commissioned for this edition; in it he discusses the pivotal role of sensuality in ancient Indian society. Together these three pieces add much to the appreciation of this unique work.

Condition

Near-fine books with pages tightly bound and free of inscriptions. The loosely-inserted print featuring Victo Ngai's illustration, signed to lower-right corner, is equally fine in its protective paper secured by a sticker. All contained in a near-fine clamshell case with lightest shelf-wear. A beautiful production.

The Folio Society produced a wonderful video showcasing this edition when it was published back in 2018; this is embedded below.