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Leonard C Smithers and translated by Richard F Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, London: Printed by H.S. Nichols & Co., 1897

In 12 volumes
xxxii, 416 including 7 black and white plates; viii, [2] 431 including 7 black and white plates; x, [2] 444 including 9 black and white plates; x, [2] 420 including 6 black and white plates; viii, [2] 400 including 8 black and white plates; [6] 1-408 including 6 black and white plates; viii, [2] 406 including 7 black and white plates; xii, [2] 424 including 4 black and white plates; xiii, [3] 444 including 4 black and white plates; xii, [2] 479 including 4 black and white plates; ix, [3] 495 including 3 black and white plates; xxiv, 399 pp. including 3 black and white plates

Bound in publisher’s deluxe Style C binding as described in the original prospectus: Three-quarter Damascus red levant morocco (from Angora goat skins, sumac tanned), with five raised bands and gilt-tooled spines featuring Grolier-style cornerpieces and arabesque motifs; gold-ruled sides, silk headbands, triple-cord stitching, hollow backs, reinforced joints, and gold-veined endpapers; all edges gilt. Arabic calligraphy referencing the word “Layla” (meaning “night”), a nod to the original title Alf Layla wa-Layla ) translating to One Thousand and One Nights at the head and foot of spines (each)

Housed in the original purpose-made brown morocco casket, known as the “coffin” case, measuring approximately 23 x 12.5 x 8.5 in, with the interior lined in silk moiré with a folding front flap and fitted cavity. The design allowed for horizontal tabletop display or upright shelf storage. The casket features a decorative pierced orientalist brass lockplate and was originally issued with a spring-lock key of Islamic design. Lid stamped in gilt Arabic (Alf Layla wa Layla – A Thousand and One Nights)

VEILED IN NIGHT: THE ‘ALF LAYLA WA-LAYLA’ EDITION OF BURTON’S ARABIAN NIGHTS, BOUND IN LEVANT AND CRADLED IN SILK

The "Kamashastra edition" is a variation of "The Illustrated Library Edition" that is the most similar to Penzer's Style C. The only difference is that this edition lacks gilt decoration on the upper covers, and the title "Kamashastra Edition" is gilt-lettered on the spine in the tail compartment. According to Smithers, this edition is "the most comprehensive English edition of The Nights that can ever be published" (Editor's Note, p. [vii]). It is a reprint of the original Kama Shastra Society edition for private subscribers only. In 12 volumes, it contains all 16 original volumes. According to Penzer (pp. 118-119), Nichols commissioned Letchford, a friend of Burton, to paint 65 illustrations and a portrait of Burton (the frontispiece in vol. I) in 1896. He subsequently commissioned five additional illustrations to ensure that the narratives were "sufficiently" illustrated. Spink, 82; Penzer, pp. 118-124.

This rare boxed edition of Burton’s Arabian Nights embodies both the Victorian era’s deep fascination with the Orient and the clandestine traditions of private erotica publishing. Burton’s translation, more than a literary achievement, was a socio-anthropological project—restoring the erotic and folkloric richness of the original texts through exhaustive footnotes and critical essays.

What sets this version apart is the integration of text, illustration, binding, and presentation into a unified artefact of bibliophilic theatre. The volumes, handsomely tooled and vibrantly gilt, are a testament to early 20th-century fine press standards. The chest-like case, simultaneously ornamental and functional, evokes the hidden wonder and secrecy of the stories within—a visual metaphor for the narrative magic of One Thousand and One Nights.

Albert Letchford’s plates—sensuous and mannered—add further allure, drawing the viewer into a fin-de-siècle dreamscape of harem interiors, palace gardens, and veiled mysteries.

Rarely encountered complete, and even more so in this preserved condition, this “coffin” case "Kamashastra edition" is a monumental artefact of English private press publishing and literary Orientalism.

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