Okay, a bit of context here. Beginning in the 18th century there were a number of translations of the corpus of stories popularly known as A Thousand Nights and a Night or 1,001 Nights into English, some of them from French translations, others from Arabic. The original texts, like many folk stories and fables, contain bits which aren't exactly suitable for children, at least in the Victorian mindset. The first popular edition in English was from Edward William Lane, whose Arabian Nights Entertainment (1848/1853) was considered both expurgated and bowdlerized.
Because of this, a few writers undertook a desire to publish an unexpurgated translation. The first of these was John Payne, who published a 500 copy edition for private subscribers in 1882–84. But the man who finished the translation and saw it published to greater success was the adventurer, linguist, writer, and soldier Sir Richard Francis Burton, and the work in question is *A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights' Entertainments, Now Entituled The Book of The Thousand Nights and a Night which was published in 10 volumes from 1885 to 1888 by private subscription.
The "private subscription" bit for both Locke and Burton's work means it was not offered for general sale or published through regular commercial channels, which was very common for particularly obscure works with a limited audience that wouldn't normally be considered for commercial publication...and quite a bit of erotica, which could not be offered for sale through normal channels for other reasons.
So, this was a book for adults. I mean, really for adults. Volume 10 includes Burton's fascinating but terrible 10,000 word essay on pederasty.
In 1898, Longman, Green, & co. came out with The Arabian Nights Entertainments as edited by Andrew Lang; this is the popular version which is much abridged and bowdlerized and aimed at children, and which has been reprinted many times. I'm going to cite three passages from the "Story of the Husband and the Parrot" in the Lane, Lang, and Burton editions to give an idea of the difference in flavor:
There was a certain merchant, of an excessively jealous disposition, having a wife endowed with perfect beauty, who had prevented him from leaving his home; but an event happened which obliged him to make a journey; and when he found his doing so to be indispensable, he went to the market in which birds were sold, and bought a parrot, which he placed in his house to act as a spy, that, on his return, she might inform him of what passed during his absence; for this parrot was cunning and intelligent, and remembered whatever she heard. So, when he had made his journey, and accomplished his business, he returned, and caused the parrot to be brought to him, and asked her respecting the conduct of his wife. she answered, They wife has a lover, who visited her every night during thy absence : and when the man heard this, he fell into a violent rage, and went to his wife and gave her a severe beating.
A CERTAIN man and a merchant to boot had married a fair wife, a woman of perfect beauty and grace, symmetry and loveliness, of whom he was mad-jealous, and who contrived successfully to keep him from travel. At last an occasion compelling him to leave her, he went to the bird-market and bought him for one hundred gold pieces a she-parrot which he set in his house to act as duenna, expecting her to acquaint him on his return with what had passed during the whole time of his absence ; for the bird was kenning and cunning and never forgot what she had seen and heard. Now his fair wife had fallen in love with a young Turk1, who used to visit her, and she feasted him by day and lay with him by night. When the man had made his journey and won his wish he came home ; and, at once causing the Parrot be brought to him, questioned her concerning the conduct of .his consort whilst he was in foreign parts. Quoth she, " Thy wife hath a man-friend who passed every night with her during thine absence." Thereupon the husband went to his wife in a violent rage and bashed her with a bashing severe enough to satisfy any body.
1 The young "Turk" is probably a late addition, as it does not appear in many of the MSS. e.g. the Bresl. Edit. The wife usually spreads a cloth over the cage ; this in the Turkish translation becomes a piece of leather.
A good man had a beautiful wife, whom he loved passionately, and never left if possible. One day, when he was obliged by important business to go away from her, he went to a place where all kinds of birds are sold and bought a parrot. This parrot not only spoke well, but it had the gift of telling all that had been done before it. He brought it home in a cage, and asked his wife to put it in her room, and take great care of it while he was away. Then he departed. On his return he asked the parrot what had happened during his absence, and the parrot told him some things which made him scold his wife.
This is one of the cleaner stories - Burton goes into anatomical detail on some of his footnotes - but it gives you the gist of the difference between the three translations. Burton's edition is erudite compared to Lane's, and omits no detail; Lang's edition is incredibly simplified and bowdlerized since the target audience was children.