The 9 Best Kama Sutra Books

Anyone who wants to read what Vatsyayana actually wrote should start with the Doniger and Kakar Kamasutra. Wendy Doniger, a scholar of Sanskrit, and Sudhir Kakar, a psychoanalyst, turned the old text into frank, lively English that reads more like a story of seduction and marriage than a manual. Their notes, a glossary and passages from a 13th-century commentary explain the customs behind each rule. There are no pictures, so it's a book for readers, not browsers.

For the whole work with nothing trimmed, Daniélou's Complete Kama Sutra is the fullest English edition in print. Alain Daniélou, a French scholar who spent many years in India, kept the original verse numbers, so any line can be matched to the Sanskrit or to another translation. Two commentaries, one medieval and one modern Hindi, explain the social world behind the advice. It's long and dense, and his English can sound stiff next to newer versions.

If the art matters as much as the words, The Complete Illustrated Kama Sutra is the edition to give or keep. Art collector Lance Dane gathered more than 250 works of art from museums and private collections, printed in color alongside the text. It covers every part of the work, from study and courtship to marriage and lovemaking, not only the bedroom chapters. The publisher's details don't say whose translation it uses, which matters if accuracy is the point.

This is the version that made the book famous in English: the Modern Library Kama Sutra prints the translation Richard Burton's circle released in 1883. They printed it privately, and it couldn't be published openly in Britain or the U.S. until 1962. This compact edition adds a foreword by tantra teacher Margot Anand. The Victorian wording is prim and roundabout, and modern scholars point to real mistakes, especially in passages about women's pleasure.

Packed in a slipcase from a New Delhi publisher, Mittal's Original Kama Sutra pairs the full Burton and Arbuthnot text with color paintings in the style of old Indian miniatures throughout. It's a showpiece for a coffee table or a wedding gift more than a study copy. The book is heavy and awkward to hold in bed, and because it uses the Victorian translation, it carries the same coy wording and old errors.

Couples who want fresh ideas more than history will get more use from DK's A Position A Day. As the title promises, there's a new position for each day of the year, so it works as a book to dip into rather than read straight through. Clear pictures and short notes keep each entry quick. It borrows the famous name but leaves out the ancient advice on courtship and daily life.

Shy readers and first-timers get a light, playful start with Cayman's Book of Sex Positions. Simple cartoon figures show each position without photos, and short tips sit alongside, so the tone stays friendly rather than graphic. It's slim and quick to read, which also makes it a low-key gift. The drawback is depth: there's almost nothing here about the ancient book behind the name.

Nitya Lacroix's Modern Guide takes the photographic route, with soft-lit pictures of couples filling its large, magazine-style pages. Lacroix recasts the old text's ideas in plain language for modern couples, so it reads as a guide to intimacy, not just a list of poses. The big format makes it hard to tuck away on a nightstand, and far fewer readers have weighed in on it.

Small enough for a bag or a drawer, the Peter Pauper Little Black Book is a gift-shop take on the ancient classic. It mixes positions, tips and bits of the ancient advice into short, cheeky sections that suit a bachelorette party or a weekend away. Treat it as a novelty with a few good ideas. The entries are brief, and serious readers will learn little about the original work.