"Stories from The Thousand and One Nights" by Edward William Lane (translator), revised by Stanley Lane-Poole

The main frame story concerns a Persian king and his new bride. Upon discovering his wife's infidelity, the king, Shahryar, has her executed and then declares all women to be unfaithful. He begins to marry a succession of virgins, only to execute each one the next morning. Eventually, the vizier, whose duty it is to provide them, cannot find any more virgins. Scheherazade, the vizier's daughter, offers herself as the next bride, and her father reluctantly agrees. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade begins to tell the king a tale, but does not end it. The king is thus forced to postpone her execution in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, as soon as she finishes the tale, she begins (and only begins) a new one, and the king, eager to hear the conclusion, postpones her execution once again. So it goes on for 1,001 nights. Some of the best-known stories of The Nights include "Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp", "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves," and "The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor." Edward William Lane's translation of The Thousand and One Nights first saw light in monthly parts in the years 1838 to 1840, and was published in three volumes in 1840. A revised edition came out in 1859. One review comments, "... Lane's version is markedly superior to any other that has appeared in English, if superiority is allowed to be measured by accuracy and an honest and unambitious desire to reproduce the authentic spirit as well as the letter of the original." The Harvard Classics edition contains stories from The Thousand and One Nights: Nights 1 - 18, 24 - 36, 537 - 578 (including the Seven Voyages of Sinbad), and 738 - 756; also contains in an appendix the story of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.

Note: The top of the spine is damaged, but it does not affect the binding, which is quite solid. Otherwise, the book is in good condition.