Burton: A Biography of Sir Richard Francis Burton Book

He could speak 29 languages and 12 dialects. But, for my money, Sir Richard Burton was the second most interesting member of his family. His wife, Isabella, long suffering Isabella, seems the hero of this nineteenth century tale of exploration, travel and adventure. She was the epitome of the loyal, supportive wife. In the beginning, she was almost a stalker. Having been introduced to young Burton she met a gypsy who told her that someday her name would be "Burton." She set her cap on Richard and waited patiently for years to get him the altar. Burton's life can hardly be deemed a success as fantastical as it was with his surreptitious trip to Mecca disguised as an Arab or his African explorations or his many, many books. Burton was a compulsive traveler and writer. He couldn't stay in one place but had a burning curiosity to see everything of interest. Those travels took him around the world including a trip to Salt Lake City to study Mormons. Following a trip he would write about. Sadly, he wrote poorly, in desperate need of an editor. He loved footnotes. One can find 200 journal and magazine articles on the internet attributed to Burton along with some 40 books. His writing achieved little success until late in life he translated 1001 Arabian Nights, the Perfumed Garden and the Kama Sutra. Isabella lobbied intensely with the Foreign Office for counselor appointments. She was so persistent he was given a post just to get rid of her. Isabella was from the upper class Arundel family and had to be respected. She managed all of Burton's affairs, his household and organized the logistics of his travels and her many moves. Significantly, she was his literary agent shepherding many books through publication. She became a writer herself and was loyal to a fault attracting much criticism for destroying many of Burton's papers at his death to protect him. Although an amazing talent, Burton does not come across as likable. He is a bit of a fool and dreamer who drummed up plans for gold mining in Africa and other poorly thought out enterprises. Isabella, on the other hand, was superstitious and a bit silly. Burton and she claimed he could mesmerize (hypnotize) her with a word. After their marriage Burton came to depend on Isabella and although not the perfect husband, for he had difficulty staying home, he loved and valued her. In an age when women played second fiddle, she played it as well as anyone ever has.