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The Arabian Nights (New Deluxe Edition)
The Arabian Nights (New Deluxe Edition) | Muhsin Mahdi
4 posts | 5 read | 1 reading | 4 to read
Now as sumptuously packaged as they are critically acclaimed—a new deluxe trade paperback edition of the beloved stories. The stories of ?The Arabian Nights ?(and stories within stories, and stories within stories within stories) are famously told by the Princess Shahrazad, under the threat of death should the king lose interest in her tale. Collected over the centuries from India, Persia, and Arabia, and ranging from adventure fantasies, vivacious erotica, and animal fables, to pointed Sufi tales, these stories provided the daily entertainment of the medieval Islamic world at the height of its glory. No one knows exactly when a given story originated, and many circulated orally for centuries before being written down; but in the process of telling and retelling, they were modified to reflect the general life and customs of the Arab society that adapted them—a distinctive synthesis that marks the cultural and artistic history of Islam. This translation is of the complete text of the Mahdi edition, the definitive Arabic edition of a fourteenth-century Syrian manuscript, which is the oldest surviving version of the tales and considered to be the most authentic.
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lil1inblue
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I was intrigued by the nesting doll style of so many of these stories. The roots lie in oral storytelling tradition, and I could imagine how these stories might be performed and where they could be embellished for the audience. Overall enjoyable reading.

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VioletMoonBooks
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Liz_M
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I love housing works bookstore and cafe! I made my monthly pilgrimage for the 30% off sale and nabbed these beauties. And had a well deserved treat after the exhaustive hunt. #bookhaul

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ValerieAndBooks
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Looking forward to @24in48 this weekend. I'm going to tackle my current reads first, then these. They're high up in my TBR priority. I probably will go back and forth between books! The green one is Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea". It's an old high school library copy that I picked up used recently. Mixing it up with a couple that are graphic novel format, too. Oh and short stories are also crucial during a readathon , I think!

CAGirlReading Oooh, SPQR is on my TBR list too, can't wait to hear your thoughts! 8y
Reviewsbylola I agree, short stories are crucial! I think I have three different collections in my #24in48 stack. 8y
brendanmleonard SPQR and the 80s book are ones I want to read! Enjoy! 8y
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WordWaller SPQR! I need that book! 8y
Suzze Ah, Peyton Place. My parents would watch the television series, but always sent me to bed first. 8y
ValerieAndBooks @Suzze yeah I hear the series was considered racy for its time. Now I can find out what the big deal was! Though maybe the book is more tame than the series was? 8y
Suzze @ValerieAndBooks I don't think so, but by 2016 standards I can imagine it'll seem like nothing racy at all! 8y
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