In 1928 the publishing firm of Philip Allan and Co., of London, brought out a volume called Tales from the Gulistan or Rose Garden of the Sheikh Sadi of Shiraz, translated by Sir Eichard Burton. The identity of the editor was not apparent, the Introduction carrying only initials R. F. B. and the date 1888. When two years ago I sought to discover who the editor was, a letter from Mr. Eric Finlayson, receiver for the firm of Philip Allan and Co., defunct since 1937, explained that because of dispersal of company records during the war it was impossible to establish his identity. The information is important in determining the grounds upon which the translation was attributed to Burton.
Sir Richard Burton and his translation of Alf Layla wa Layla -The so-called Burton-Payne Controversy-