Favorite Tales from the Arabian Nights' Entertainments

&quote;TheArabian Nights is more generally loved than Shakespeare,&quote; wrote Robert Louis Stevenson. &quote;No human face or voice greets us among [this] crowd of kings and genies, sorcerers and beggar men. Adventure on the most naked terms, furnishes forth the entertainment and is found enough.&quote;The best-known versions of these ancient Middle Eastern tales are those translated by the Victorian English explorer and writer, Richard F. Burton. Arabic in origin, they are also known as A Thousand and One Nights — a collection of fairy tales, romances, legends, and exotic adventures told by Scheherazade to entertain her husband, the king, who customarily executed his wives after a single night. Scheherazade cleverly began a story each night but withheld the ending until the following evening, thereby managing to stave off disaster.This original selection includes six of the most famous tales. &quote;Sinbad the Seaman and Sinbad the Landsman&quote; is the story of a merchant who survives seven perilous voyages and acquires great wealth; &quote;Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp&quote; relates the remarkable adventures of a &quote;graceless&quote; youth and his miraculous lamp; &quote;Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves&quote; is the exciting narrative of a poor woodcutter who gains access to great treasures by entering a secret cave. Also here are &quote;The Fisherman and the Jinni,&quote; &quote;Judar and His Brethren,&quote; and &quote;Khalifah the Fisherman of Baghdad.&quote;These enchanting tales have captured the imaginations of readers for generations. Their magical world, teeming with giants, magnificent palaces, and beautiful princesses will thrill new audiences.