The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana Sir Richard Burton, translator (1883)

The Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian text which is considered the primary Sanskrit work on human sexuality. It was written by Mallanaga Vatsyayana in the 2nd century CE. Although Burton published this, the most widely known English translation, he was not the author of the translation, although he did provide footnotes and the introduction. The bulk of the translation was performed by an Indian archaeologist, Bhagvanlal Indraji and civil servant Foster Fitzgerald Arbuthnot, with the assistance of a student, Shivaram Pashuram Bhide. This is one of the first systematic studies of human sexual behavior in world literature. It also documents the sociology of sex in India eighteen centuries ago.

Part I: Introductory

Part II: On Sexual Union

Part III: About the Acquisition of a Wife

Part IV: About a Wife

Part V: About the Wives of Other People

Part VI: About Courtesans

Part VII: On The Means of Attracting Others to One's Self