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Arabian Nights: Stories Told by Scheherazade
The stories in this volume are:
The Fisherman and the Genie
The Story of the King of the Ebony Isles (also known as "The Tale of the Ensorcelled Prince")
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
The Story of the Magic Horse
The illustrations are by Edmund Dulac.
The Fisherman and the Genie
The Story of the King of the Ebony Isles (also known as "The Tale of the Ensorcelled Prince")
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
The Story of the Magic Horse
The illustrations are by Edmund Dulac.
133 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1985
28 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Laurence Housman
352 books13 followersEnglish playwright, writer, and illustrator Laurence Housman, younger brother of the classical scholar and poet A.E. Housman and the writer Clemence Housman
In 1871, their mother died, and their father remarried a cousin. After education at Bromsgrove School, Laurence went with Clemence to study art at the Lambeth School of Art and the Royal College of Arts in London.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurenc...
In 1871, their mother died, and their father remarried a cousin. After education at Bromsgrove School, Laurence went with Clemence to study art at the Lambeth School of Art and the Royal College of Arts in London.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurenc...
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 18, 2023
Sindbad the Sailor and Other Stories is the second collection by the publisher Omega, of some of the "Tales from One Thousand and One Nights". The first, simply called "Arabian Nights" is reviewed separately (link here).
The two books together contain the most famous of the "Arabian Nights" tales, and the stories chosen have become classics. Although they are generally thought of now as stories for children, they were originally tales for adults; tales full of adventure, sexuality, violence, and the supernatural. They were by many different authors, originating in Persian, Indian and Arabic folklore. As the centuries passed more stories were added from Baghdad and Egypt. The exact number has always been fluid, but it seems unlikely that the total was ever exactly 1001. That is merely a fanciful title for a loosely assembled conglomerate of stories from diverse Eastern traditions and cultures.
The stories have many themes in common, however. There is the young man who performs heroic deeds, rescuing fair maidens and fighting monsters. There is the erring wife who has to be punished. The stories also have common elements such as magic objects, the magic of the number three, narrative repetition, and so on. These are devices common to most folk tales world-wide. To a modern eye, however, there seems to be little depth or humour. They are rambling and repetitive, extremely episodic and unpredictable, both fanciful and whimsical, with fantastic imagery. They are very much tales from an earlier age, with all the ensuing prejudiced attitudes.
We no longer have the sense of wonder that earlier audiences used to have, and we also react negatively against the current perceptions and thinking of the time. In these stories, all the good people are beautiful, all the evil people are ugly - and vice versa. One can recognise a princess - even in the direst circumstances - by her bearing and beauty. All the slaves are negros, and all are described as brutal and of hideous aspect. It goes without saying that if an evil monster has a human aspect, it will be a negro. The more wives a man has, and the more beautiful, young, and docile, the better. After several such stories, these conventions become a little wearing. Racism is almost endemic from literature of this period, but in the best literature there is something more; something to to lift it above its time, so that the reader looks at it in context, within a certain part of history.
This particular translation is at least not overly racist in tone. Whereas another describes a carnivorous giant as a "blackamoor", and uses offensive language, this translation is merely colourfully descriptive,
"a gigantic being in the shape of a man. His skin was black, and his eyes blazed like fire; two gleaming tusks protruded from his great mouth, his enormous ears drooped to his shoulders, and his nails were like the sharp claws of a bird of prey",
later referring to a "frightful being" and an "ogre" - all of which descriptions seem to use language more acceptable to modern sensibilities.
A modern reader has different ideas about what consitutes a good story too. We expect everything to be nicely tied up, with no loose ends, and a proper structure with everything explained and consistent. We analyse more, and value logic more in our everyday lives, than ancient folk ever did. We have lost our love of the discursive, the lengthy, the hammering home of prejudices, and for much of the time we have lost our sense of wonder too.
Oddly the translator is not credited anywhere in the book. Searching various famous editions, such as that by Richard Francis Burton, does not reveal a match, so both authors and translator in this case will have to remain anonymous. This does seem to be a serious omission; even the jacket designer has a credit.
These translations come across as very overblown and flowery, with much use of Victorian pseudo-archaic language. One does become a little weary of all the "beauteous damsels" by the end. Perhaps it was by a stock writer, and this is why it is uncredited. However, it is not as racially offensive or lewd as some parts of the Burton translation, neither has it been over-sanitised and shortened, as Andrew Lang has apparently done with his children's version. It has been said that Andrew Lang has attempted to paraphrase so heavily, that at times it is incoherent, and impossible to tell what is going on. There are also translations by Madrus & Mathers, and Malcom C. Lyons.
Another, by Husain Haddawy, is of the text by Muhsin Mahdi, whose work is considered the definitive Arabic edition of a fourteenth-century Syrian manuscript. This is thought to be the oldest surviving version of the tales and considered to be the most authentic. There is clearly plenty of choice available as to how one chooses to read these tales, even setting aside the expurgated children's versions.
The tales in this books are straightforward enough, merely rather too flowery in their language for current tastes,
"And are there such radiant maidens even in the Fragrant Paradise?"
"Prate not to me of sorcery!" Or how about this, for a longer example,
"Curse not fate, nor fear me, for I am of thy kind, and I bear with me an abundance of these stones the loss of which thou lamentest; and they are of the largest that a man can carry upborne by a vulture's wings. Of these will I give unto thee; therefore forget thy fear and bury thy disappointment."
On the other hand, some descriptions of gruesome events seem inappropriately pedestrian and matter-of-fact,
"Wherefore should I slay this woman, who hath done me no injury, and whom I have never seen before?" I said to the Efrite. "Never before God can I commit this crime." The Efrite took the sword, and saying "It is clear there is love between you", he cut off one of the lady's hands, then the other, and then both her feet. And, in her pain, her eyes were turned on me, and the words of love were in them. The Efrite saw her look and cried, "Is it not enough? Wilt thou still commit the crime of unfaithfulness with thine eye?" and raising the sword again, he cut off her head."
If the tales are intended to teach the reader moral precepts, then one would expect them to be told with more conviction, using persuasive language, rather than the events being related in such an abstract and deadpan fashion.
As in the first volume, there are beautiful illustrations by Edmund Dulac. These are simply superb. Dulac's style is similar to that of Arthur Rackham and Kay Nielsen. All three artists produced many illustrations for books of folk and fairy tales, during the early part of the 20th century. Edmund Dulac's watercolours here are both evocative and stylish. The Arabic villages and towns; the interiors, trappings and clothes are perfectly illustrated, and often painted as night scenes, with the weather affecting the mood. The grotesque characters often have a cartoonish quality; the beautiful or handsome ones are reminiscent of stylised fashion plates or film stars from the 1920's. There is even sometimes a touch of Art Nouveau about them.
Although it is a beautiful book, with decorative borders around every page which contains text, and glossy paper inserts for the illustrations, there is another serious flaw. The watercolours do not always correspond to the story which they illustrate. There is a number on each, presumably to link to the correct page in the narrative, but this is always incorrect. Also, there is no contents page of the stories, merely one of the illustrations. This is, of course, impossible to link to, because the illustrations' numbers are incorrect.
For example, the contents list of illustrations informs the reader of an illustration "Aladdin and the Efrite" on page 72. Page 72 is an ordinary page of text, with no insertions. The illustration is, in actuality, to be found between pages 64 and 65, and on the illustration itself it says "Page 78". It proves to be completely random as to where the reader will actually find the illustrations.
Therefore yet again, the frustration in reading this collection leads to an overall rating of 2 stars.
This collection comprises:
"Sindbad the Sailor" (tales of five separate voyages, linked within one story)
Sindbad the Sailor entertains Sindbad the Landsman
The Episode of the Whale
The Episode of the Rokh
The Episode of the Snake
The Episode of the Old Man of the Sea"
"Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp"
"The Story of the Three Calenders" (three separate tales, linked within a narrative frame)
and
"The Sleeper Awakened"
The two books together contain the most famous of the "Arabian Nights" tales, and the stories chosen have become classics. Although they are generally thought of now as stories for children, they were originally tales for adults; tales full of adventure, sexuality, violence, and the supernatural. They were by many different authors, originating in Persian, Indian and Arabic folklore. As the centuries passed more stories were added from Baghdad and Egypt. The exact number has always been fluid, but it seems unlikely that the total was ever exactly 1001. That is merely a fanciful title for a loosely assembled conglomerate of stories from diverse Eastern traditions and cultures.
The stories have many themes in common, however. There is the young man who performs heroic deeds, rescuing fair maidens and fighting monsters. There is the erring wife who has to be punished. The stories also have common elements such as magic objects, the magic of the number three, narrative repetition, and so on. These are devices common to most folk tales world-wide. To a modern eye, however, there seems to be little depth or humour. They are rambling and repetitive, extremely episodic and unpredictable, both fanciful and whimsical, with fantastic imagery. They are very much tales from an earlier age, with all the ensuing prejudiced attitudes.
We no longer have the sense of wonder that earlier audiences used to have, and we also react negatively against the current perceptions and thinking of the time. In these stories, all the good people are beautiful, all the evil people are ugly - and vice versa. One can recognise a princess - even in the direst circumstances - by her bearing and beauty. All the slaves are negros, and all are described as brutal and of hideous aspect. It goes without saying that if an evil monster has a human aspect, it will be a negro. The more wives a man has, and the more beautiful, young, and docile, the better. After several such stories, these conventions become a little wearing. Racism is almost endemic from literature of this period, but in the best literature there is something more; something to to lift it above its time, so that the reader looks at it in context, within a certain part of history.
This particular translation is at least not overly racist in tone. Whereas another describes a carnivorous giant as a "blackamoor", and uses offensive language, this translation is merely colourfully descriptive,
"a gigantic being in the shape of a man. His skin was black, and his eyes blazed like fire; two gleaming tusks protruded from his great mouth, his enormous ears drooped to his shoulders, and his nails were like the sharp claws of a bird of prey",
later referring to a "frightful being" and an "ogre" - all of which descriptions seem to use language more acceptable to modern sensibilities.
A modern reader has different ideas about what consitutes a good story too. We expect everything to be nicely tied up, with no loose ends, and a proper structure with everything explained and consistent. We analyse more, and value logic more in our everyday lives, than ancient folk ever did. We have lost our love of the discursive, the lengthy, the hammering home of prejudices, and for much of the time we have lost our sense of wonder too.
Oddly the translator is not credited anywhere in the book. Searching various famous editions, such as that by Richard Francis Burton, does not reveal a match, so both authors and translator in this case will have to remain anonymous. This does seem to be a serious omission; even the jacket designer has a credit.
These translations come across as very overblown and flowery, with much use of Victorian pseudo-archaic language. One does become a little weary of all the "beauteous damsels" by the end. Perhaps it was by a stock writer, and this is why it is uncredited. However, it is not as racially offensive or lewd as some parts of the Burton translation, neither has it been over-sanitised and shortened, as Andrew Lang has apparently done with his children's version. It has been said that Andrew Lang has attempted to paraphrase so heavily, that at times it is incoherent, and impossible to tell what is going on. There are also translations by Madrus & Mathers, and Malcom C. Lyons.
Another, by Husain Haddawy, is of the text by Muhsin Mahdi, whose work is considered the definitive Arabic edition of a fourteenth-century Syrian manuscript. This is thought to be the oldest surviving version of the tales and considered to be the most authentic. There is clearly plenty of choice available as to how one chooses to read these tales, even setting aside the expurgated children's versions.
The tales in this books are straightforward enough, merely rather too flowery in their language for current tastes,
"And are there such radiant maidens even in the Fragrant Paradise?"
"Prate not to me of sorcery!" Or how about this, for a longer example,
"Curse not fate, nor fear me, for I am of thy kind, and I bear with me an abundance of these stones the loss of which thou lamentest; and they are of the largest that a man can carry upborne by a vulture's wings. Of these will I give unto thee; therefore forget thy fear and bury thy disappointment."
On the other hand, some descriptions of gruesome events seem inappropriately pedestrian and matter-of-fact,
"Wherefore should I slay this woman, who hath done me no injury, and whom I have never seen before?" I said to the Efrite. "Never before God can I commit this crime." The Efrite took the sword, and saying "It is clear there is love between you", he cut off one of the lady's hands, then the other, and then both her feet. And, in her pain, her eyes were turned on me, and the words of love were in them. The Efrite saw her look and cried, "Is it not enough? Wilt thou still commit the crime of unfaithfulness with thine eye?" and raising the sword again, he cut off her head."
If the tales are intended to teach the reader moral precepts, then one would expect them to be told with more conviction, using persuasive language, rather than the events being related in such an abstract and deadpan fashion.
As in the first volume, there are beautiful illustrations by Edmund Dulac. These are simply superb. Dulac's style is similar to that of Arthur Rackham and Kay Nielsen. All three artists produced many illustrations for books of folk and fairy tales, during the early part of the 20th century. Edmund Dulac's watercolours here are both evocative and stylish. The Arabic villages and towns; the interiors, trappings and clothes are perfectly illustrated, and often painted as night scenes, with the weather affecting the mood. The grotesque characters often have a cartoonish quality; the beautiful or handsome ones are reminiscent of stylised fashion plates or film stars from the 1920's. There is even sometimes a touch of Art Nouveau about them.
Although it is a beautiful book, with decorative borders around every page which contains text, and glossy paper inserts for the illustrations, there is another serious flaw. The watercolours do not always correspond to the story which they illustrate. There is a number on each, presumably to link to the correct page in the narrative, but this is always incorrect. Also, there is no contents page of the stories, merely one of the illustrations. This is, of course, impossible to link to, because the illustrations' numbers are incorrect.
For example, the contents list of illustrations informs the reader of an illustration "Aladdin and the Efrite" on page 72. Page 72 is an ordinary page of text, with no insertions. The illustration is, in actuality, to be found between pages 64 and 65, and on the illustration itself it says "Page 78". It proves to be completely random as to where the reader will actually find the illustrations.
Therefore yet again, the frustration in reading this collection leads to an overall rating of 2 stars.
This collection comprises:
"Sindbad the Sailor" (tales of five separate voyages, linked within one story)
Sindbad the Sailor entertains Sindbad the Landsman
The Episode of the Whale
The Episode of the Rokh
The Episode of the Snake
The Episode of the Old Man of the Sea"
"Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp"
"The Story of the Three Calenders" (three separate tales, linked within a narrative frame)
and
"The Sleeper Awakened"
December 14, 2023
This is a lavishly illustrated edition of some of the stories from the famous One Thousand and One Nights collection of Arabian folk tales. It is beautifully produced with stitched sections of heavy quality Art paper used for the text. Interwoven are batches of thinner glossy paper, containing superb reproductions of watercolours by Edmund Dulac. Dulac's style is similar to that of Arthur Rackham and Kay Nielsen. All three artists produced many illustrations for books of folk and fairy tales, during the early part of the 20th century. The adaptor of the stories is Laurence Housman, himself a playwright and writer, and brother of the more famous poet A.E. Housman. A first impression of the book would give this beautiful book a far higher star rating.
However, it is a mystery as to why these six stories were chosen. They are not of the highest calibre, and the only famous one is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". Two of the stories also segue into the next story; for instance at the end of the first story, the main character in the former story relates the second story. Counted this way, there are only four stories in the entire volume!
The romantic idea of Scheherazade is well-known. A young girl, Scheherazade, had been chosen to become the thousandth wife of a Sultan. However, the sultan married a different young girl every day, having had the previous day's wife beheaded. Scheherazade desperately attempted to stave off the day when she would be excecuted by telling the sultan intriguing and long spun-out stories. Every day she begged the sultan to spare her life for just one more day, to finish the story the next night. What resulted, in theory, was a collection of "One Thousand and One" exciting, irresistible stories.
It is perhaps not so generally known, however, that although these stories are linked by their similarities, they are in fact by many different authors. The origins of these stories are Persian, Indian and Arabic folklore. As the centuries passed more stories were added - from Baghdad and Egypt. The exact number has always been fluid, although the most complete edition was by the Victorian orientalist, explorer, traveller and translator Sir Richard Burton. He collected many of these stories together and produced what we now think of as the definitive version. Many of our modern editions take his as their source.
Some of them, such as Aladdin, and all the voyages of Sindbad, are such good yarns that they have continued to be passed down through history into many cultures. Many of the stories seem to have common themes such as heroic deeds, rescuing fair maidens, fighting monsters - and common elements such as magic objects, the magic of the number three, narrative repetition, and so on. These are devices common to most folk tales.
The stories in this volume are:
"The Fisherman and the Genie
The Story of the King of the Ebony Isles (also known as "The Tale of the Ensorcelled Prince")
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
The Story of the Magic Horse"
As mentioned earlier, "The Fisherman and the Genie" seems to stop in the middle. The main character, the fisherman, begins relating the next tale in the book "The Story of the King of the Ebony Isles". He then vanishes completely, until the end of the second story, where there is a nod in his direction, to provide a happy ending for him, being "loaded with honours" and all his daughters married to princes (another common theme.)
A similar thing happens with "The Story of the Wicked Half-Brother". In this one, there is no ending, except that a main character - a princess this time - narrates the last story, "The Story of the Princess of Deryabar". Yet here there is no attempt to link back to the first story; the reader is left adrift.
For a modern reader, the stories are fanciful, whimsical, with fantastic imagery and unpredictability. On the other hand we no longer have the sense of wonder that earlier audiences used to have, and we also react negatively against the current perceptions and thinking of the time. In these stories, all the good people are beautiful, all the evil people are ugly - and vice versa. One can recognise a princess - even in the direst circumstances - by her bearing and beauty. All the slaves are negros, and all are described as brutal and of hideous aspect. It goes without saying that if an evil monster has a human aspect, it will be a negro. The more wives a man has, and the more beautiful, young, and docile, the better. After several such stories, these conventions become a little wearing. Racism is almost endemic from literature of this period, but in the best literature there is something more, something to to lift it above its time, so that the reader looks at it in context, within a certain part of history.
A modern reader has different ideas about what consitutes a good story too. We expect everything to be nicely tied up, with no loose ends, and a proper structure with everything explained and consistent. We analyse more and value logic more in our everyday lives than ancient folk ever did. We have lost our love of the discursive, the lengthy, the hammering home of prejudices, and for much of the time we have lost our sense of wonder too.
Perhaps after all, six of these lesser stories from the "thousand" is enough. It may be better to stick to the familiar ones which have withstood the test of time. "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is the best of this collection. It is humorous throughout, and even tongue-in-cheek in parts. The characters are more fully rounded, and satisfying to a modern reader. In a comedy, we all love to be in the know about why some characters are being fooled. In a way, it is a modern farce, and also a moral fable about good and evil.
Overall this particular book has to merit an average rating. Perhaps it would be as well to regard it as an Art book, as the illustrations are superb. They are evocative and stylish. The Arabic villages and towns; the interiors, trappings and clothes are perfectly illustrated, and often painted as night scenes, with the weather affecting the mood. The grotesque characters often have a cartoonish quality; the beautiful or handsome ones are reminiscent of stylised fashion plates or film stars from the 1920's. There is even sometimes a touch of Art Nouveau about them. Even so, there is a drawback. The illustrations do not coordinate with the relevant stories. Often they are inserted into the wrong place.
Altogether this is a frustrating reading experience.
However, it is a mystery as to why these six stories were chosen. They are not of the highest calibre, and the only famous one is "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves". Two of the stories also segue into the next story; for instance at the end of the first story, the main character in the former story relates the second story. Counted this way, there are only four stories in the entire volume!
The romantic idea of Scheherazade is well-known. A young girl, Scheherazade, had been chosen to become the thousandth wife of a Sultan. However, the sultan married a different young girl every day, having had the previous day's wife beheaded. Scheherazade desperately attempted to stave off the day when she would be excecuted by telling the sultan intriguing and long spun-out stories. Every day she begged the sultan to spare her life for just one more day, to finish the story the next night. What resulted, in theory, was a collection of "One Thousand and One" exciting, irresistible stories.
It is perhaps not so generally known, however, that although these stories are linked by their similarities, they are in fact by many different authors. The origins of these stories are Persian, Indian and Arabic folklore. As the centuries passed more stories were added - from Baghdad and Egypt. The exact number has always been fluid, although the most complete edition was by the Victorian orientalist, explorer, traveller and translator Sir Richard Burton. He collected many of these stories together and produced what we now think of as the definitive version. Many of our modern editions take his as their source.
Some of them, such as Aladdin, and all the voyages of Sindbad, are such good yarns that they have continued to be passed down through history into many cultures. Many of the stories seem to have common themes such as heroic deeds, rescuing fair maidens, fighting monsters - and common elements such as magic objects, the magic of the number three, narrative repetition, and so on. These are devices common to most folk tales.
The stories in this volume are:
"The Fisherman and the Genie
The Story of the King of the Ebony Isles (also known as "The Tale of the Ensorcelled Prince")
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
The Story of the Magic Horse"
As mentioned earlier, "The Fisherman and the Genie" seems to stop in the middle. The main character, the fisherman, begins relating the next tale in the book "The Story of the King of the Ebony Isles". He then vanishes completely, until the end of the second story, where there is a nod in his direction, to provide a happy ending for him, being "loaded with honours" and all his daughters married to princes (another common theme.)
A similar thing happens with "The Story of the Wicked Half-Brother". In this one, there is no ending, except that a main character - a princess this time - narrates the last story, "The Story of the Princess of Deryabar". Yet here there is no attempt to link back to the first story; the reader is left adrift.
For a modern reader, the stories are fanciful, whimsical, with fantastic imagery and unpredictability. On the other hand we no longer have the sense of wonder that earlier audiences used to have, and we also react negatively against the current perceptions and thinking of the time. In these stories, all the good people are beautiful, all the evil people are ugly - and vice versa. One can recognise a princess - even in the direst circumstances - by her bearing and beauty. All the slaves are negros, and all are described as brutal and of hideous aspect. It goes without saying that if an evil monster has a human aspect, it will be a negro. The more wives a man has, and the more beautiful, young, and docile, the better. After several such stories, these conventions become a little wearing. Racism is almost endemic from literature of this period, but in the best literature there is something more, something to to lift it above its time, so that the reader looks at it in context, within a certain part of history.
A modern reader has different ideas about what consitutes a good story too. We expect everything to be nicely tied up, with no loose ends, and a proper structure with everything explained and consistent. We analyse more and value logic more in our everyday lives than ancient folk ever did. We have lost our love of the discursive, the lengthy, the hammering home of prejudices, and for much of the time we have lost our sense of wonder too.
Perhaps after all, six of these lesser stories from the "thousand" is enough. It may be better to stick to the familiar ones which have withstood the test of time. "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" is the best of this collection. It is humorous throughout, and even tongue-in-cheek in parts. The characters are more fully rounded, and satisfying to a modern reader. In a comedy, we all love to be in the know about why some characters are being fooled. In a way, it is a modern farce, and also a moral fable about good and evil.
Overall this particular book has to merit an average rating. Perhaps it would be as well to regard it as an Art book, as the illustrations are superb. They are evocative and stylish. The Arabic villages and towns; the interiors, trappings and clothes are perfectly illustrated, and often painted as night scenes, with the weather affecting the mood. The grotesque characters often have a cartoonish quality; the beautiful or handsome ones are reminiscent of stylised fashion plates or film stars from the 1920's. There is even sometimes a touch of Art Nouveau about them. Even so, there is a drawback. The illustrations do not coordinate with the relevant stories. Often they are inserted into the wrong place.
Altogether this is a frustrating reading experience.
December 7, 2017
Can be found at Project Gutenberg here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47285
February 6, 2017
Most of us are familiar with the Tales from 1001 Arabian Nights told in Syria and Persia during the ninth and tenth centuries. These stories are credited to Scheherazade who spun the exciting tales as a way to stay an execution from her husband for her unfaithfulness. In 1704 they were published in French and other translations in various languages followed. Sir Richard Francis Burton created a version with a more erotic twist in 1885 which both scandalized and titillated the oh-so-proper British.
This particular book, Sindbad the Sailor and Other Stories from The Arabian Nights, Is an unabridged reprint from Hodder and Stroughton's 1914 edition by Laurence Housman with illustrations by Edmund Dulac. It includes the 7 Voyages of Sindbad, Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, The Story of the Three Calenders (ascetic one eyed wanderers seeking to reclaim their former thrones), and The Sleeper Awakened (a humorous tale full of practical jokes). There are about two dozen color plates of glorious watercolors influenced by classic Persian art interspersed throughout the book.
The language is old fashioned reflecting the nature of these ancient narratives, and although there is quite a bit of violence, the sexual nature of the tales is subdued, making it appropriate for middle schoolers on up. There is one sequence with an antisemitic slant, some dark references to blackamoors, and several acts of harm perpetuated against women, which might be offensive to some, but overall the stories are fanciful fairy tales full of the blood and guts which children seem to adore. With numerous references to Allah and Baghdad, it is obvious these stories originated from the Middle East.
In my youth, we often went to the Saturday morning movies featuring badly dubbed films featuring Sindbad or other wayfarers, such as Jason and the Argonauts and Hercules, with lots of battles against supernatural forces including humongous birds, one eyed Giants, and awesome sea serpents. It was the 60s version of zombies and vampires, and, even while recognizing how horrible they all were, we loved every minute of our time spent in the darkened theater. These entrancing stories bring back the flavor those days where all sense of reality is suspended and we sit back waiting to be entertained with each subsequent story more incredulous than the last.
A thank you to Netgalley and Calla Editions from Dover Publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Four stars. This review also appears on my blog, Gotta Read.
This particular book, Sindbad the Sailor and Other Stories from The Arabian Nights, Is an unabridged reprint from Hodder and Stroughton's 1914 edition by Laurence Housman with illustrations by Edmund Dulac. It includes the 7 Voyages of Sindbad, Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp, The Story of the Three Calenders (ascetic one eyed wanderers seeking to reclaim their former thrones), and The Sleeper Awakened (a humorous tale full of practical jokes). There are about two dozen color plates of glorious watercolors influenced by classic Persian art interspersed throughout the book.
The language is old fashioned reflecting the nature of these ancient narratives, and although there is quite a bit of violence, the sexual nature of the tales is subdued, making it appropriate for middle schoolers on up. There is one sequence with an antisemitic slant, some dark references to blackamoors, and several acts of harm perpetuated against women, which might be offensive to some, but overall the stories are fanciful fairy tales full of the blood and guts which children seem to adore. With numerous references to Allah and Baghdad, it is obvious these stories originated from the Middle East.
In my youth, we often went to the Saturday morning movies featuring badly dubbed films featuring Sindbad or other wayfarers, such as Jason and the Argonauts and Hercules, with lots of battles against supernatural forces including humongous birds, one eyed Giants, and awesome sea serpents. It was the 60s version of zombies and vampires, and, even while recognizing how horrible they all were, we loved every minute of our time spent in the darkened theater. These entrancing stories bring back the flavor those days where all sense of reality is suspended and we sit back waiting to be entertained with each subsequent story more incredulous than the last.
A thank you to Netgalley and Calla Editions from Dover Publishers for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Four stars. This review also appears on my blog, Gotta Read.
November 1, 2024
Was okay. I liked a few of the stories in this compilation.
December 22, 2016
A digitized ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm honestly really upset about the outcome of this product; I need to make it clear though, I do believe the stories themselves deserved a 5-star rating, not to mention Edmund Dulac's superb illustrations. Also, personally, from what I was able to read (via immense concentration), I thought the way it was written in English was surprisingly easy to understand. (I was expecting something like the English translation of The Odyssey by Homer... Definitely didn't have rare vocabulary or anything, but the way characters talked just weren't as straightforward, if that makes any sense)
(I didn't outright say "translation" because I'm not if it is one D:, the book description stated "faithfully retold by English author Laurence Housman", so I have no idea if he translated the original stuff or just completely rewrote it.
That being said, why the low rating??? It breaks my heart because the layout of the book was literally making my eyes bleed. That's some horrid typography going on. Will rant about it when I have time.
Review WIP
I'm honestly really upset about the outcome of this product; I need to make it clear though, I do believe the stories themselves deserved a 5-star rating, not to mention Edmund Dulac's superb illustrations. Also, personally, from what I was able to read (via immense concentration), I thought the way it was written in English was surprisingly easy to understand. (I was expecting something like the English translation of The Odyssey by Homer... Definitely didn't have rare vocabulary or anything, but the way characters talked just weren't as straightforward, if that makes any sense)
(I didn't outright say "translation" because I'm not if it is one D:, the book description stated "faithfully retold by English author Laurence Housman", so I have no idea if he translated the original stuff or just completely rewrote it.
That being said, why the low rating??? It breaks my heart because the layout of the book was literally making my eyes bleed. That's some horrid typography going on. Will rant about it when I have time.
Review WIP
September 8, 2016
I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a fair review.
This is a lovely edition, as the imaginative Dulac illustrations add so much to the story. The page designs alone are wonderful. Some aspects of the stories seem to be stereotypical, but the book itself is so lovely, really one can't complain. This brought back rich memories of listening to stories from the Arabian Nights enjoyed in my childhood.
Whoever did the summary has provided incorrect information. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is not in this short selection from A Thousand Nights and One Night.
Kindle readers- this Dover edition is an absolute steal at $2.99, although I'd want turn pages and feel the paper with this book!
This is a lovely edition, as the imaginative Dulac illustrations add so much to the story. The page designs alone are wonderful. Some aspects of the stories seem to be stereotypical, but the book itself is so lovely, really one can't complain. This brought back rich memories of listening to stories from the Arabian Nights enjoyed in my childhood.
Whoever did the summary has provided incorrect information. Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves is not in this short selection from A Thousand Nights and One Night.
Kindle readers- this Dover edition is an absolute steal at $2.99, although I'd want turn pages and feel the paper with this book!
November 21, 2016
I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a beautiful edition of the Arabian Nights tales with Edmund Dulac's illustrations from the 1914 edition. However, as beautiful as those images are, the translations are very dated now (also from 1914) and this book is really just a more lavish-looking version of the Dover Thrift editions with minimal editorial effort involved. But if you like the stories and would like an edition with evocative Westernized images, then you could do worse. Four stars for the images.
This is a beautiful edition of the Arabian Nights tales with Edmund Dulac's illustrations from the 1914 edition. However, as beautiful as those images are, the translations are very dated now (also from 1914) and this book is really just a more lavish-looking version of the Dover Thrift editions with minimal editorial effort involved. But if you like the stories and would like an edition with evocative Westernized images, then you could do worse. Four stars for the images.
September 10, 2020
Having never read the Arabian Nights these stories were new to me, aside of some familiarity through movies. I enjoyed them quite a bit except for The Sleeper Awakened, whose premise starts interestingly yet concludes with an awful rather than amusing prank. The illustrations didn't excite me, the stories did.
May 26, 2023
Fun, culturally strong. Definitively not for the woke 🤣 Even though it was a summary, it transported me to my childhood reading these abridged stories. Fun to see the Asian looks in the drawings. It was good.
July 3, 2010
Well I did a children's theater show called "Sinbad the Sailor & the Evil Genie. Very fun. College 1988.
April 24, 2018
great book. classic hero of old. long book.
Want to read
April 19, 2021Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
October 13, 2021
The story was too long to hold the attention of the kiddos, but, as advertised, the illustrations were superb.
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