MATHERS, E. Powys ( translator ).

The Eastern Anthology [ Eastern Love ] ( 4 volume set ).

London: John Rodker, 1927-1930. First Edition Thus. Hardcovers. Large octavos. Twelve books in four volumes (complete set). Variously paginated but each volume is approximately 400 pages. Original purple cloth lettered in gilt on spines, gilt designs on front boards. Color frontispieces & illustrations. Edition limited to 1000 numbered sets, but this set unnumbered. A nice edition of this collection of erotic tales from the Orient. Considered very racy at the time of publication, they are obviously somewhat tame by modern standards. The four volumes are divided into 12 "books" each of which has its own separate frontispiece and title-page, and is separately paginated. Book 1: The Lessons of a Bawd of Damodaragupta. Book 2 The Harlot's Breviary of Kshemendra. Book 3: The Book of Women, and the Education of Wives. English Versions of the Zenan-Nameh of Fazil-Bey and Ta'dib Ul-Nisvan by E. Powys Mathers. Book 4: The Young wives' tale and tales of Fez: English versions of the Kissat al-'Ara'is al-sabiya of Amor ben Amar and tales of Fez from the Arabic by E. Powys Mathers; Book 5: The Loves of Radha and Krishna and Amores. English versions from the Bengali of Chandidasa and from the Sanskrit of Amaru and Mayura by E. Powys Mathers; Book 6: Love Stories and Gallant Tales from the Chinese. Book 7: Comrade Loves of the Samurai by Saïkaku Ebara and the Songs of the Geishas; Book 8: Ninety Short Tales of Love and Women from the Arabic; Book 9: The Loves of Dasin and Musa-Ag-Amastan from the Tamashek and Camel-Boy Rhythms from the Arabic; Book 10: Love Tales of Cambodia and Songs of the Love Nights of Lao; Book 11: Anthology of Eastern Love I; Book 12 Anthology of Eastern Love II. Cloth heavily and somewhat irregularly faded, spine-ends rubbed, corners bumped and a little chafed. Vol.II has light scrapes to mid-fore-edge of rear board also slightly affecting fore-edge margins of some pages; and appears to have been recased (fresh endpapers) and restored at bottom of spine; each of the first 26 pages of Vol.III has a diagonal pencil lines across text; endpapers slightly discolored. Apart from the aforementioned faults, these are tight & internally-clean near-VG copies (no dust jackets). As is. Heavy set, shipping charged at cost. Item #52114

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