When the beautiful Shahrazad gives herself to the bloody-handed King Shahriyar, she is not expected to survive beyond dawn. But using all her wit and guile, she begins a sequence of stories that will last 1001 nights: stories of jinns and blind men, warriors and princesses, viziers and magical palaces, and wonderful talking birds. This volume also includes the well-known tales of Sindbad the Sailor

Along with this landmark new translation, Robert Irwin''s introduction examines the history and provenance of the Nights, the different uses of the works - from ethnographic source to storytelling celebration - and the varied translations through the years. This edition also contains a glossary and maps.