The Book of The Thousand Nights And One Nights

c. 1850s- 1880s, and initially published in 1885. It is about Arabian tales, in English translation, in nearly 4,000 pages. As of December 2011, this is the only library recording the inclusion of the entire publication.

This is probably not the best collection in the world but this is a small selection of stories from the Arabian Nights. Here we have a whole world of magic; men and Djinn; good and evil; trickery and romance. A fascinating glimpse of how that society has been entertained for generations. Burton's translation is old-fashioned but, to me, that adds to the hold that these stories still have for us. ( )

This review is for the 2005 edition of The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night by Assouline Publishing, which features a translation by Powys Mathers (although Amazon's data lists the translation as Richard Burton's, that is incorrect). This edition also features stunning illustrations by Leon Carre and beautiful ornamental design by Racim Mohammed. In fact the illustrations are the reason I purchased this book and thought that a review that focused on this might be useful to other readers. The illustrations were originally from an older multi-volume edition published in the 1920s. This "coffee-table book" sized edition only contains about 20 full page colour plates, a sample of the original number, but as the illustrations are linked to the stories selected, and those are just a small sample of the tales, it is understandable. Leon Carre's illustrations are lush, detailed, and exotic. The colours, patterns of the carpets, details of the garden are a feast for the eyes and perfectly portrays the sense of wonder and exoticism the reader envisions while reading the stories. The ornamental designs by Racim Mohammend adorn the pages throughout the book, with particularly elaborate work on the title and first pages of each tale. They match well with Carre's illustrations and add to the richness of this book. The book also comes in a slipcase, which features another full-sized illustration by Carre.
If you are looking for a beautiful illustrated edition of 1001 nights, I highly recommend this book. It is both affordable and gorgeous! ( )

What I actually have is an ebook containing the entire 16 volumes of Burton's translation. This is an extraordinary piece of Victorian scholarship (and wit: for example in annotating the Arab name Rum, Burton notes that it is not a reference to Jamaica).. This is a marvellous collection of stories, and deserves to be better known and read than it is.