Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Reader’s Notebook: Richard Francis Burton

Sir Richard Burton, detail of an oil painting by Lord Leighton, 1876; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Sir Richard Burton, detail of an oil painting by Lord Leighton, 1876; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton was a British explorer, army officer, orientalist writer and scholar. He was famed for his travels and explorations in Asia, Africa and South America, as well as his extensive knowledge of languages and cultures, speaking up to 29 different languages.