The Arabian Nights

Rating:
Summary: what an excellent edition
Review: previous reviews said alot for its content selection.
Let me say something else.
1. translation. The sentences are very fluent and easy to understand! English is my second language, but to me this book is very easy to read. No big words!
2. binding. it has cloth hard cover. The quality of the paper and printing are just good.
The only problem is that the font is a little bit smaller than I expect. It is still easy to read since the printing is very good, but I prefer to make the font bigger even if I pay $5 more.

In short, a good version for you to collect!

Rating:
Summary: The Arabian Nights
Review: This is by far the best edition of the Arabian Nights in English. The stories presented here are very different from what one would expect after hearing the fairytales previously titled as such. In fact, the original Arabian Nights (as this is advertised) seems to anticipate many works of western literature in its style, in its action and its character. To give some examples: Prosper Merimee's Carmen (for the first thirty or so pages) relating Carmen's shopping spree is almost identical to the beginning of the story "The Tale of the Porter and The Three Ladies" in this edition of the Nights. This should not be surprising since Merimee was an avid Orientalist and may have borrowed from eastern works. Canto 28 of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso and the Prologue to this edition are also strikingly similar, both relating the adventures of two men leaving their faithless wives. This may simply be coincidence, but then somehow they sound alike. The list could very well go on, and this work may have influenced world literature much more than it is given credit. To think of it, even the current overly realistic style seems anticipated by some less discreet passages in this book, which detract from the overrall enjoyment of it.Sometimes, one gets the impression that one is reading a modern work, when in fact reading the translation of a 14th century text...

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Edition
Review: This translation by far has been my favorite. Muhsin Mahdi did an a terrific job of translating the old text. The book reads very easily as sentance structure and grammar are quite good. The introduction was very helpful as it throughly explains how this text was handed down and sometimes changed over the years. This book contains the first 300 or so nights only, so this isn't a complete edition. Containing only the first third is a bit of a disappointment, as you won't be able to put this one down. These tales are full of life at its richest tales of love, sex, danger, and much more are sure to give you a sleepless night. You will quickly see how the King was taken by these tales as you will be when you try to put this one down.