Arabian Nights

by Amabel Williams-Ellis (Adapted By), Pauline Diana Baynes (Illustrator)

burgundy cloth hard cover bright with gilt lettering on spine; text all clean, neat and tight.

Genres: Fiction

348 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1957

About the author

Amabel Williams-Ellis was an English writer, critic, and early member of the Bloomsbury Group. Over the course of her life, Amabel Williams-Ellis wrote more than 40 books. These included novels, books for children, and histories. She wrote regularly for periodicals, and edited multiple volumes of folk legends, fairy tales, and science fiction. She was significantly inspired by the writer and explorer Mary Kingsley, who she had met in childhood, and who she described as 'an anthropologist before anthropology'. The Times described Amabel Williams-Ellis as someone who 'wrote books to find things out, and seemed prepared to take on anything.'
She died on 27 August 1984, at the age of 90. Shortly before her death, she published a memoir: “All Stracheys Are Cousins”.

Reviews

[Aloke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many genies!

[ayeshaxbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so i fell into this deep reading slump where i didn't want to be associated with books ever again. Idk. I figured it was my first full time job keeping me busy and meeting all those new people and stuff but 10 days into Aoril 2020, i realized 2020 is cursed by jinns who are so fucking tired of humanity invading their private spaces. They wanted us to stay inside for as long as possible. As absurd as that sounds, i'm sticking to it. I'm in love with this book. I brought it from a used book store and it has been on my bookshelf for months now. It helped me get out of my reading slump, helped me stipulate my theory on *****-19 and helped me be hopeful about the future and that no matter what I'll get out of this crisis with some sort of closure if not gold and a jinni friend (too bad, isn't it? But something is better than nothing!!)

[Valé · Rating 4 out of 5]

What enchanting story-telling! I have finally read such a beautiful classic where imagination and fantasy run wild and free. Rich with history, culture and inspiration, I hope these stories will never die and get passed down from generation to generation.

[Trisha Arrowsmith]

Verry good bed time stories for the kids. Verry interesting, Kids version.

[Jessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not go into this book expecting to meet so many really bad-ass heroines but damn! This book features women who are clever, smart, brave, and loyal, and regarded with dignity and respect. There are certainly doddering, useless princesses, but there seem to be just as many foolish and idiotic kings and princes. Sibling love is often motivation, not just romantic love. I found I enjoyed the second half, which features strong women, much more than the first.

[Chris Feldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth it just for the amazing illustrations by Pauline Baynes (who also did the original Narnia series).

[Helen Viorel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read and reread this many, many times.