These are the tales that saved the life of Shahrazad, whose husband, the king, executed each of his wives after a single night of marriage. Beginning an enchanting story each evening, Shahrazad always withheld the ending: a thousand and one nights later, her life was spared forever. Full of mischief, valour, ribaldry, and romance, The Arabian Nights has enthralled readers for centuries. This volume contains the most famous and representative stories from Sir Richard F. Burton's multivolume translation, and, unlike many editions, is completely unexpurgated. These tales, including 'Aladdin or, the Wonderful Lamp', 'Sinbad the Sailor' and 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves', have entered into the popular imagination.