The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana | A limited edition from The Folio Society
Written 2,000 years ago, The Kama Sutra of Vatsyayana is a seven-part compendium of instruction for wealthy citizens. An early Indian treatise on the science and art of sex and love, the guide concerns itself with the pursuit of happiness and how the enjoyment of life can best be achieved.
There have been many editions of the Kama Sutra, but none more vividly imagined as through this work of award-winning artist Victo Ngai. Each full-colour illustration weaves an intricate story and tantalises with erotic suggestion. Ngai has also created 25 beautiful black and white interpretations of the sexual positions and these liberally illustrate the text. A signed artist’s print portraying an amorous couple locked in the Embrace of Thighs is presented with every book.
Beautifully presented, the commentary opens with the preface to the 1963 edition of this translation by W. G. Archer, in which the former Keeper of the Indian Section of the Victoria and Albert Museum explores the cultural context of the Kama Sutra. This is followed by multi-award-winning novelist and playwright Hanif Kureishi’s The Kama Sutra: A Guilty Pleasure, first published in 2011. The final essay, by historian John Keay, was specially commissioned for this edition; in it he discusses the pivotal role of sensuality in ancient Indian society. Together these three pieces add much to the appreciation of this unique work.
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View this edition at www.foliosociety.com/kama