I.

Introduction

Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890), British explorer, linguist, and student of Asian cultures, one of the most famous mid-19th century European explorers of Africa. He is also known for his definitive translation of stories known under the title Arabian Nights and for his valuable travel literature on western Asia, Africa, and South America.

Richard Francis Burton was born in Torquay, England, to an English army officer and his wealthy wife, the latter rumored to be descended from the French Bourbon kings. He was reared in France, England, and Italy and educated haphazardly along the way by tutors until he entered Trinity College, University of Oxford, in 1840. A headstrong young man, Burton preferred to study subjects that interested him—such as Arabic, philosophy, and mysticism—rather than the subjects in the standard curriculum. He was expelled from Oxford in 1842.