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, valor, 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 multi volume translation, and, unlike many editions, is complete 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.This beautiful, oversized hardcover edition of The Arabian Nights brings together the magical translation of Sir Richard Burton and the art of  William Harvey.  He was Thomas Bewick's most famous pupil and his evocative black and white woodcuts are complemented by the delightful engravings of the renowned brothers Thomas Dalziel and Edward Dalziel who were strongly influenced by Sir John Gilbert, and who regarded their illustrations for The Arabian Nights as their finest work.