The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, translated from the Arabic by Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, reprinted from the original edition and edited by Leonard C. Smithers
$1,200.00
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, translated from the Arabic by Captain Sir Richard F. Burton, reprinted from the original edition and edited by Leonard C. Smithers. Twelve volumes. Published in 1894 by H. S. Nichols & Co. A celebrated Victorian translation of the classic Arabic story cycle known in English as The Arabian Nights, distinguished for its completeness, extensive scholarly apparatus, and Burton’s detailed annotations on the history, customs, religions, folklore, and literary traditions of the Islamic world. Beyond the familiar tales of Aladdin, Sinbad, and Ali Baba, the collection encompasses a vast body of narratives drawn from Persian, Indian, Arab, and Near Eastern sources, preserving centuries of storytelling traditions that range from courtly romance and adventure to folklore, mythology, and moral instruction. Burton’s edition is particularly notable for its ethnographic notes and comparative discussions of mythology, language, sexuality, and cultural practice, reflecting the breadth of Victorian Orientalist scholarship. A monumental work of literary translation and one of the most influential English-language editions of the Arabian Nights. Twelve volumes. All volumes bound with striking decorative gilt embossing to the boards. Light shelfwear to corners and ends with occasional light foxing.
