The beautiful Scheherazade's royal husband threatens to kill her, so each night she diverts him by weaving wonderful tales of fantastic adventure,leaving each stow unfinished so that he spares her life to hear the ending on the morrow.This is the background to the Arabian Nights. In this selection made by that master of folklore and fairy-tale Andrew Lang, the reader meets Aladdin with his wonderful lamp, the Enchanted Horse, the Princess Badoura, Sindbad the Sailor, and the great Caliph of Bagdad, Haroun-al-Raschid.The stories are beautifully illustrated by H.J. Ford.

In the chronicles of the ancient dynasty of the Sassanidae, who reigned, for about four hundred years, from Persia to the borders of China, beyond the great river Ganges itself, we read the praises of one of the kings of the race, who was said to be the best monarch of his time. His subjects .loved him, and his neighbours feared him, and when he died he left his kingdom in a more prosperous and powerful condition than any king had done before him.The two sons who survived him loved each other tenderly, and it was a real grief to the elder, Schahriar, that the laws of the empire forbade him to share his dominions with his brother Schahzeman. Indeed, after ten years, during which this state of things had not ceased to trouble him, Schahriar cut off the country of Great Tartary from the Persian Empire and made his brother king.

Introduction

The Story of the Merchant and the Genius

The Story of the First Old Man andof the Hind

The Story of the Second Old Man and of the Two Black Dogs

The Story of the Fisherman

The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban

The Story of the Husband and the Parrot

The Story of the Vizir who was Punisbed

The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles

Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Kings,and of Five Ladies of Bagdad

The Story of the First Calender, Son of a King

The Story of the Second Calender, Son of a King

The Story of the Envious Man and of Him who was Envied

Story of the Third Calender, Son of a King

The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor

The First Voyage of $indbad the Sailor

The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor

The Third Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor

The Fourth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor

The Fifth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor

The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor

The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor

The Little Hunchback

Story of the Barber"s Fifth Brother

The Story of the Barber"s Sixth Brother

The Adventures of Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura

Noureddin and the Fair Persian

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

The Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid of Bagdad

Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla

The Story of Sidi-Nouman

Story of Ali Cogia, Merchant of Bagdad

The Enchanted Horse

The Story of Two Sisters who were Jealous of their Younger Sister