Arabian Nights cover

Arabian Nights

by Richard Francis Burton

Magic and marvels await you in Tales from the Arabian Nights, a collection of twenty of the best-known stories from the book that western readers have known for over three centuries as The Arbian Nights. First collected nearly a thousand years ago, these folktales are presented as narratives that crafty Scheharazade tells her husband, Shahryar, the King of Persia, over a thousand-and-one consecutive nights, to pique his interest for the next evening's entertainment and thereby save her life. Among them are some of the best-known legends of eastern storytelling, including the tales Sinbad the Sailor, Aladdin and His Magic Lamp, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. This collection features the classic translation by Sir Richard Burton, published between 1884 and 1886. In these fantastic adventures, humans cower before monstrous Jinni, the incautious are prey to ravenous Ghouls, flying carpets transport riders to magic realms, hidden caverns yield caches of precious jewels and coins, and wishes are magically granted. The just are rewarded, the evil are punished, the poor are enriched, the lost are found, and lovers marry their perfect mates.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?