The Arabian Nights

By Anonymous . and Richard Westall

Book Overview

The stories of The Arabian Nights (and stories within stories, and stories within stories within stories) are famously told by the Princess Shahrazad, under the threat of death should the king lose interest in her tale. Collected over the centuries from India, Persia, and Arabia, and ranging from adventure fantasies, vivacious erotica, and animal fables, to pointed Sufi tales, these stories provided the daily entertainment of the medieval Islamic world at the height of its glory. No one knows exactly when a given story originated, and many circulated orally for centuries before being written down; but in the process of telling and retelling, they were modified to reflect the general life and customs of the Arab society that adapted them--a distinctive synthesis that marks the cultural and artistic history of Islam.

This translation is of the complete text of the Mahdi edition, the definitive Arabic edition of a fourteenth-century Syrian manuscript, which is the oldest surviving version of the tales and considered to be the most authentic.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393331660
• ISBN13: 9780393331660
• Release Date: May 2008
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Not in listed condition.

Book was listed as being in Very Good condition, but was only in good condition. Writing on nearly every page. Disappointed.

Okay

By the time I gotten through the first ten pages, I had put the book down four times. I couldn't envision the stories being told.

Fantastic storytelling

It's a safe guess that most people are familiar with The Arabian Nights or at least some of the stories from The Arabian Nights. However there are so many more stories than the few presented in fairy tale books or in the recent tv mini-series. I decided I wanted to read all of the stories.I did some research into different translations and versions. I chose this one because it was a new translation and the translator was of Middle-Eastern origins. Haddaway explains in the introduction how his style of writing, the sentences structure, and word choice reflect the cadence and style of the stories he heard told as a boy growing up.The language is beautiful, well written, and very funny. There is the occasional problem with vague pronoun use, but English pronouns can be very tricky for non-native speakers (and for native speakers as well). These problems are few and far between and don't detract from the stories. I highly recommend this edition of The Arabian Nights.

Enjoyable easy reading to take you away to fantasy land.

This book is translated by a person named N.J. Darwood. It's simply wonderful. The tales involved are tales of the Persian Gulf, of Bagdhad, Arabia, and tales that we as adults should revisit for some enjoyable light reading that will make us smile and wonder at the old folklore of the Arabian Peninsula. Sinbad the Sailor is in there, as is Aladdin in it's original form, and the story begins of a king who is so upset by his wife's unfaithfulness that he will now only accept virgins for one night and then have them killed. A smart virgin begins her night with the infamous king by telling him stories, and she so fascinates him and enthralls him with her tales that the tales turn into folklore for readers of the ages. I won't tell you what happens in the end to the virgin princess, but you will find humor, enchantment, wisdom and fantasy for those times when stress becomes a factor in your life. I highly recommend the tale of "The Historic Fart" as a both funny and inspiring tale of human nature. Please buy this book and remember to become a nine -12 year old again as you read with curiosity and wonder at the fabulous enchanting, lively stories. I was beginning to wish my children were a bit younger so I could read these to them. Any child would enjoy these stories, and any adult will find them simply relaxing and a reflection of medieval Islam.

Read about the REAL Aladdin!

As this book will reveal to many children, Disney didn't invent Aladdin - he is one of the characters found in the 1000-year-old tales of Arabian Nights. Read about an Aladdin that is closer to the original, and also about Alibaba and the Forty Thieves, and The Enchanted Garden, two other stories from The Arabian Nights. There is some violence here - but, hey, it's classic literature and it keeps the kids' attention. There are two interesting heroic women in the stories. This gorgeously illustrated book is printed on good-quality glossy paper, a rare find at this price. The main text is complemented with historic notes and photographs adding background to the story, and there is a glossary at the end. Overall, it's a first-class book that adults will enjoy along with kids.

Powerful story of a woman who tells tales to save her life

This is the story of Shahrazad, the wife of a king,who tells tales well enough to save her life. Her husband, King Shahryar, has been following the edict that he must kill his wives after their first nighttogether. For a thousand and one nights Shahrazad tells tales that capures the king's attention causing him to let her live in order to hear the end of each tale and finally to fall in love with her. The tales themselves are prose in action. The lessons are plentiful and still relevant today. This is a book that will enrich a reader's life, one that a family could read aloud to each otherand have fun. A great classic not to be missed.