BURTON (Captain Sir Richard F.) &
WILKINS (W.H., Editor)
The Jew the Gypsy and El Islam.
The first edition, of which Penzer makes no mention, was published in the United States in the same year, but did not include a portrait frontispiece as here. The material for this book was collected at various periods during Burton’s life, according to Wilkins’ Preface, with that for The Jew having been put together whilst the Burtons were in Damascus (1869 to 1871). El Islam on the other hand was taken from a manuscript which Burton wrote on his return from Mecca and remains largely unaltered.
Although Burton’s essays might appear to be detached and analytical, this approach often brought him into disrepute, particularly in his early years in India when his amoral tone deeply offended his superiors.
Penzer, p158; Casati, 41.
