- Paperback: 912 pages
- Publisher: Modern Library Inc; New edition edition (10 May 2001)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0375756752
- ISBN-13: 978-0375756757
- Product Dimensions: 12.8 x 3.2 x 20.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 66,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Arabian Nights, Volume II
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Product Description
Review
[A] book...that captivates in childhood, and still delights in age. --From the Trade Paperback edition.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Product Description
Full of mischief, valor, ribaldry, and romance, The Arabian Nights has enthralled readers for centuries. These are the tales that saved the life of Shahrazad, whose husband, the king, executed each of his wives after a single night of marriage. Beginning an enchanting story each evening, Shahrazad always withheld the ending: A thousand and one nights later, her life was spared forever. This volume reproduces the 1932 Modern Library edition, for which Bennett A. Cerf chose the most famous and representative stories from Sir Richard F. Burton's multivolume translation, and includes Burton's extensive and acclaimed explanatory notes. These tales, including Alaeddin; or, the Wonderful Lamp, Sinbad the Seaman and Sinbad the Landsman, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, have entered into the popular imagination, demonstrating that Shahrazad's spell remains unbroken.
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First Sentence
Verily the works and words of those gone before us have become instances and examples to men of our modern day, that folk may view what admonishing chances befel other folk and may therefrom take warning; and that they may peruse the annals of antique peoples and all that hath betided them, and be thereby ruled and restrained:-Praise, therefore, be to Him who hath made the histories of the Past an admonition unto the Present! Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
Verily the works and words of those gone before us have become instances and examples to men of our modern day, that folk may view what admonishing chances befel other folk and may therefrom take warning; and that they may peruse the annals of antique peoples and all that hath betided them, and be thereby ruled and restrained:-Praise, therefore, be to Him who hath made the histories of the Past an admonition unto the Present! Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Arabian Nights have often been dismissed as a simple bunch of bedtime tales for children. Make no such mistake about this book!
Painstakingly translated by Richard Burton in the late nineteenth century, the colourful prose in this book lends readers a glimpse of often little known Arabian life of yore. Full of subtle social nuances, rich in description, the reader is transported into a strange and wonderul world. The extensive explanatory notes only add to this delightful read. It may take a bit of effort to plough through the antiquated phraseology, but such effort will leave the reader deeply compensated and satisfied. I would highly recommend this to everyone. My only regret is not to have been able to read this in its original Arabic form!
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Probally one the original "story within a story" book. Arabian nights is a selection of stories told by a young girl on her wedding night to a price who has sworn he will kill any girl who marries him. Her clever stories keep him from murdering her night after night. This is where classic fairy tales such as Aladdin and Ali Baba and the Forty Theives come from as well as moral tales and metaphors.
The use of djins, magic and Eastern splendour makes Arabian Nights dazzle. A must read and a perfect counter point to western fairy tales such as Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grim
The use of djins, magic and Eastern splendour makes Arabian Nights dazzle. A must read and a perfect counter point to western fairy tales such as Hans Christian Anderson and the Brothers Grim
54 of 64 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The editor of this book seems to have taken Burton's translation and tried to translate it into a modern idiom. He fails to do this in no uncertain fashion. The translation is awkward, and manages to lose almost all the romanticism found in better translations. The stories are set in mediaeval Persia, but the author uses words like "mommy" and phrases like "that's fine by me" which are completely out of place and clash with his poor attempts at flowery prose.
Anyone vaguely intelligent who likes good writing should certainly not buy this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not one for me....
I have always been interested to know what the original tales were like as translated by Burton, what I did not expect was a very sexist book that was very hard to read and... Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2010 by TheErrantWilder
An interesting selection
This is just a selection of tales from the Arabian Nights canon, translated from the original Arabic. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2005 by Mrs. D. J. Smith
Hauntingly beautiful
A hauntingly beautiful book; I fell in love with the wild, strange, exotic prose style. To the reader who was bored at having to look up so many words, I recommend _See Spot... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 1999
A rewarding classic.
Burton's translation you either love or hate, but it has to be read if you are a fan of the Nights. For me, the biblical language helps to whisk me away into the weird world of... Read more
Published on 1 May 1999
BORING!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the most boring book that I have ever read! There are about a million words that you have to look up in the dictionary and if you are looking up words the whole time you... Read more
Published on 9 Jan 1999
Fascinating, bawdy and adventurous!!!!
I have read this book several times, I love it, it takes one into the fascinating world of magic. Lots of admonitions. A bit bawdy. Recommend to everybody.
Published on 24 Aug 1998
The most insteresting and provocative classic I have read.
Arabian Nights is a great book. With around 50 stories in 600 pages, it is not only a good read, but has more adventure, mystery, and fantasy than sny European book. Read more
Published on 17 April 1998
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. Read more
enough to save her life. Read more
Published on 16 April 1998
Shocking and fun
Considered by most to be the definitive translation of this cobble of stories, some of which were truly old, others of which the ink was barely dry when the translation was... Read more
Published on 9 April 1998
one of the best mysterious and factinating books I've read
Reading this book you enter a fascinating world full of sensuality and mystery. However, the passions and attitudes can be perfectly translated to today's world (human condition... Read more
Published on 7 April 1998
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