Add MS 88873

1. ff. 1-18. Printed pages cut from John Payne's translation, Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night (Villon Society, 1882-1884), consisting of vol. 2, pp. 173-301, 'The Merchant of Cairo and the favourite of the Khalif El Mamoun El Hakim Bi Amrillah', and vol. 3, pp. 141-163, 'Shehrzad and Shehrigar' and 'The Two Kings and the Vizier's Daughters', with Burton's extensive autograph translations and corrections written between the lines and in the margins. Used by Burton for his own Supplemental Nights (Kamashastra Society, 1886).

2. ff. 19-33. Autograph draft entitled by Burton on the wrapper, 'Translator's Preface' and 'The Black Book', beg. 'In printing the “Black Book of the Arabian Nights” I feel that some explanation of its raison d'etre is due …', and discussing the threat of pirated editions. Some of this content is also mentioned in the edition of the Arabian Nights for 'household reading', but nothing is otherwise known of the 'Black Book'. With a typewritten transcription and notes made for Quentin Keynes by Burke Casaris.