Author(s): Richard Francis Burton

Poetry

In the late 1920s, the art publisher H. Piazza produced a twelve-volume version of The 1001 Nights that was one of the most beautiful ever made. It included splendid illustrations by Mohammed Racim and wonderful miniatures by painter Leon Carre. Today, Assouline is publishing an abridged version of this masterpiece, which includes the most famous and most enchanting of the tales--from the story of King Shahryar, to Sinbad the sailor, to Ali Baba and the forty thieves, and Aladdin and the magic lamp--all told by the beautiful and sensual Shahrazad. This wonderful book is one of the classics that will stand next to the most handsome books in your library. For The 1001 Nights is a cultural testimony of the past, the source of myths and beliefs of the East. A collection of extraordinary stories from India and Persia passed down orally and told at night in public squares, this unique work is on a par with Homer's Odyssey.