Arabian Night's Entertainments (The ^AWorld's Classics)

The Sultan Schahriar's misguided resolution to shelter himself from the possible infidelities of his wives leads to an outbreak of barbarity in his realm and to a reign of terror in his court, stopped only by the resourceful Scheherazade. The tales with which she nightly postpones the Sultan's murderous intent have entered our language and our lives like no other collection of stories before or since. Sinbad, Ali Baba, Aladdin: all make their appearance in Arabian Nights' Entertainments. This edition is the only one to offer the complete text of the earliest English translation, and also provides full notes and plot summaries, especially important in a such a sprawling work of great complexity.