Arabian Nights (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

Edited for children

This is a heavily-edited, heavily-censored, public domain version for "young readers" from the 1800s or something. The Barnes and Noble website falsely calls it a translation by Haddawy. Please don?t bother reading Arabian Nights in a bad translation. Stick with either Haddawy (best) or early Burton editions (note that his widow heavily censored them after his death, look for early editions). If you need a childrens version, look for a modern one that is at least readable.

14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.

Arabian Nights-sheer beauty

I enjoy the Barnes & Noble classics. Arabian Nights gives off a captivating look into the Arabic world of literary fantasy. As the story, progresses, one runs into thieves, djinns, and parables of wisedom. Many remember classic tales, such as Aladdin, Ali Baba & The Forty-Thieves, but it is the storyteller, whose fate lies in the hands of entertaining a sultan who wishes to execute her, that brings out the myth of Arabian Nights.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

A dad and reader of classics to his son

I own the entire series of this, and it's not a story or stories - it's a lesson and rules on how to be good. Some is too intense for children but the condensed form is suitable for anyone. This is one of the classics of all classics to be brought to worldwide attention by Sir Richard Burton (not the actor). It ranks with Shakespeare, Dante, Boccoccio, Chaucer and Milton / as well as with recent Margret and H.A.Rey (Curious George) Winnie the Pooh (A.A. Milne) George E. Peterson, Jr. (Wonderful Stories from Skog Forest) Peter Rabbit (Beatrix Potter) and any Dr Seuss.

8 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Lovely Pictures, Saccharine Translation

The Arabian Nights / 9781411431782

This is a beautifully formatted member of the B&N classic series. The pictures are gorgeous, and the abridgment of the stories is well done and designed to gloss over the more boring tales in the large collection. But the translation has been watered down, presumably for children, and lacks the sex, violence, and overall punch of the original tales. From the get-go, the Sultan decides to marry a new girl every night and strangle her in the morning because he saw his wife "conversing" with another man. This change removes the sultan's real grief, makes him look more petty than insane, and removes the healing process of the tales. I understand why the translation was made -- for the children -- but I wish B&N had chosen an alternative translation for their classics series.

~ Ana Mardoll

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Readable classic

I bought the Haddaway translation while searching for a text to teach in a college world literature class. I taught 1,000 Nights Plus One last semester for the first time, and students loved it. Unfortunately, in our anthology we had only a few excerpts. This version is the best I've found for clarity and readability, and will offer the entire text rather than snippets.

The tales of Shahrazad go way beyond what most students expect (Alladin, Sinbad, that's about it). The rich, wondrous, bawdy, funny, terrifying, magical stories in Arabian Nights delight readers--especially when they're told in muscular, vivid language. This translation is stellar!

PS--this is NOT a kids' book!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful stories; definitive translation

This is the absolute best, clearest and most comprehensible translation of the Arabian Nights that you will find. While the famous Burton translation has gained lots of followers over the years, this translation is incredible as Haddawy brings the cultural understanding to the translation, which is sadly lacking in Burton's. Very definitive.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

2.5 stars

I am enjoying it to a point, but the stories are just too long to really hold my interest very long. I cannot read more than 1 story at a time without putting in down.

3 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

Recommended- For those who love a warm and fuzzy message with a side of religion

My sisters grew up in Morocco and remembered hearing these stories from their grandma. They are in high school now and it is fun reading the stories with them, sharing a memory of their childhood. The book is a collection of short stories and all of them have a message to them, sort of like Aesops fables. They teach us to be kind and courteous to everyone despite our differences and also to have a reverence to God.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wonderful, magical tales

I got this book for my fifteenth birthday and I devoured it. I was finished within two weeks and I want more! These stories bring the ancient Middle East to life with their far-fetched tales that make the Brothers Grimm seem like ameteurs. Scheherazade's stories of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali-Babba, Aladdin, genies, sultans, and dozens of mythical creatures create a strange and wonderful world. The collection has good lessons and is one of the most interesting things i've read in a long time.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

U

Click here

For anyone who didnt read or understand what Sultan means.
Sultan- turkish word,means king or ruler

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

We get it!

The white kid becomes a man and looks out for this witch. He overcomes his mom and adopted brother. Blah vlah. The story is just SO BORING! ANYONE AGREE?!

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

BAD

Terribble

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

It wad good

Well i have read this book and to tell you the truth it had some well interesting stories in it. Some were adventure others were kinda about passion, and others were about morals these stories were really short stories told in another story. Not really my favorite but thats just me. You might like it overall i did

Classic Stories

As much as I thought I was aware of the stories in this classic, I was surprised about how much of it was composed of tales that I had never seen or heard were part of it. Before reading The Arabian Nights I didn't even realize the story was frame in frame. The matter of fact way some of the characters describe killing is actually kind of comical. Some of the tales within the book are just complete bores. Aladdin was actually my favorite, even though it isn't thought of as part of the canon.

Long, Hard To Stay Focused On

The stories aren't boring, but you have to read them in chunks otherwise you will get bored. I personally found it hard to stay focused throughtout most of the book if I read more than a few pages. Though the stories contain lessons and morals, they seem very repetitive.

Best Read In Chunks

These are good stories, but I couldn't read the whole thing at once. It just didn't hold my attention.

the boring book

This book is so boring!

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A great read & a splendid continuation of the first book!

I bought this book to continue reading the rest of the stories available from the 'Arabian Nights' set. I really enjoyed reading the first book and I am enjoying this second book.

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