The Thousand and One Nights

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About

John Crocker's History of "The Arabian Nights' Entertainments." An intelligent and expansive site. Includes a history of the text, essays, a checklist of works of art and literature inspired by the Nights and a "List of Story Titles Contained in Certain Editions of the Arabian Nights" (Modern Language edition of Burton only).

Alf Layla wa Layla (A Thousand Nights and a Night). Site has attractively-formatted selections from Lane and Burton's translations, allowing comparisons. There is an essay on the work by Professor Daniel Beaumont. The forum section is quite active. [Note: frame structure precludes interior links]

Web Archive: Illustrations from the original edition of the Thousand Nights and a Night.

Burton-derrived information on Djinn, Ghuls, Rukh , and flying carpets from Christopher Siren's Myths and Legends (large and entertaining site).

by Dr. Lienhard. Brief observations on Burton and the 1001 Nights.

"Burton brought a penetrating childlike detachment to that terrible tale of a young queen, bargaining for her life by telling stories -- expecting to die when the stories ceased. And, in a way, Richard Burton was also bargaining for life. He, too, pushed death back night after night by recounting -- for us -- all the unexpected richness of being alive."

Online versions

Web Archive: The Arabian Nights' Entertainments. Another 1-Meg selections monster, this time at Cornell.

Selections from the Thousand Nights by a German student. Includes many of the favorites, all briefly described. HTML format.

Excerpts from Burton's Thousand Nights and a Night. This long text file follows some version unlike my complete edition.

Web Archive: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Taken from the usual source, with minimal reformatting.

English translation of Antoine Galland's version. (Arabic to French, now to English). Student project features selections by Karen D. Tate, one compared to Burton's. The project is either unfinished or has fallen apart somewhat.

Web Archive: Racialist Note to his Full Translation of The Arabian Nights.

Hashish tales from The Arabian Nights. Excerpts. The site promises more, but offers dead links.

"Terminal Essay, section D: Pederasty." Burton's scandalous, opinionated, amusing foray into the "Sotadic Zone," appended to the Nights. Courtesy People With a History (An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans History)