Customer Reviews

Fairy Tales from the Arabian Nights

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This is a small collection of stories from an 1821 edition of the Galland translation of the Arabian Nights. Galland was the first European to translate the stories we now think of as the _Arabian Nights_, and as far as they go, these are excellent stories, well-told and entertaining.

The problem with the Galland translation (and, therefore, with this edition) is that it was bowdlerized for young readers, and much of the eroticism and fire of the originals won't be found here.

This particular collection contains the following selection:

The King of Persia and the Princess of the Sea
Prince Beder and the Princess Giauhara (A Sequel to the Foregoing)
The Three Princes and Princess Nouronnihar
Prince Ahmed and the Fairy (A Sequel to the Foregoing)
Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess of China
The Loss of the Talisman (A Sequel to the Foregoing)
The Story of Zobeide
The Story of the King's Son
The First Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
The Second Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
The Third Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
The Fourth Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
The Fifth Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
The Sixth Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor
The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad the Sailor


Readers will note that many of the better-known stories aren't present here; no Aladdin, no Ali Baba, etc. For more complete (and adult) versions of the Arabian Nights, I would recommend seeking out the translations by Sir Richard Burton or by Mardrus and Mathers (my personal favorite), both of which are out of copyright and should be available online for free.

This collection was composed in 1893. It includes seven tales about Sinbad the Sailor, three stories about a king of Persia and sequels to it, and a couple of other tales. The tale of the king of Persia who has no children is a good example of the stories. He is sold a slave girl and falls in love with her. He has her dressed in the finest clothes and makes her ready for him. He visits her room after three days. She does not rise to greet him or speak to him when he kisses and embraces her. This incivility surprises the king. Neither he nor anyone hears her say anything or ever smile. But he loves her.

A year passes and she and the king have a son. Then she speaks. She tells the king of Persia that she is a princess, the daughter of a king of the sea. She and her people live in the bottom of the sea. They can breathe in the water and see in the water just as people can see on land. They can also come on land and breathe air. Her father died and her brother and mother assumed rule over their kingdom. A rival king captured their kingdom. She was sold as a slave. She did not speak and was sad because she missed her own people. But now that she has a son and has seen for the past year how well the king of Persia treated her, she is satisfied with her life with the king. The king raises her to be his queen. The Queen invites her family, who have regained their kingdom. They magically appear and the queen's brother, a king of the sea, rewards the king of Persia with enormous wealth for the fine way he treated his sister.

These were storys that I had not read before. Still good and a pretty quick read.