Pilpay's Fables

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2003. FIRST NEW BURTON 'FIRST EDITION' TO BE PUBLISHED IN OVER 100 YEARS. Sir Richard Francis Burton (1821-1890), perhaps the greatest of the soldier-scholars spawned by British colonial expansion of the early 19th century, translated works in six different languages and mastered at least 24, among these some of the more difficult tongues in the world. Burton was responsible for introducing many great literary masterpieces of the Oriental world to the West, including The Arabian Nights, the Perfumed Garden, and the Kama Sutra among others. Ironically, his first translation, the present, is the last to be published. Many of the tales in Pilpay's Fables are very old, dating to written texts with origins perhaps as ancient as 200 BC and possibly to even earlier oral traditions. Each tale, acted out by a cast of animals and people, are intended to illustrate an important lesson in life, often one that evolves from the protagonists' various misfortunes. Burton translated the tales from Hindi, derived from a Persian text, which had, in turn probably been translated from the original Sanskrit; the handwritten original was completed in 1847. Surviving fire, bombing during two World Wars, and a library flood, it was eventually discovered by ethnographer Tom Cox, who provides a fascinating introduction and bibliography. Illustrated by nine superb watercolours by artist Sushiela, this exciting first publication of a new Burton title, 113 years after his death, will be certain to delight many generations to come. 94 pp., 9 colour plates.. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/New. Illus. by Sushiela. 21 x 19 cm..