A king, scorned from the pain of the infidelity of his wife, vows to marry a new woman every day, only to execute them the following morning before they can dishonor him. Scheherazade, daughter of the Grand Vizier, offers herself as the king's new bride. She starts a story before bed, but too tired to finish the tale, vows to finish it the following night. 

Arabian Nights (or One Thousand And One Nights) is a collection of short stories and Middle Eastern folk tales dating back to what is estimated to be the 15th - 16th centuries. The bulk of the "original edition" is largely written in prose, but most modern reprints have a more traditional story-driven narrative. Perhaps the strongest stories contained in the book are Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and the Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor; however, these stories did not exist in the original Arabic versions and were added in later re-printings.

The stories themselves are, for the most part, enjoyable to read. Because the goal is to extend the number of days Scheherazade can stay alive, they are painstakingly fleshed out, but may also have the propensity to drag on at times. There are numerous occasions of stories within a story, which luckily does not become too confusing nor distracting. 

The stories are unfortunately a product of their time and contain multiple instances of blatant and flagrant racism, sexism, incest, and violence. Readers beware, there are some passages that are tough to get through. 

For those that enjoy folk lore and fairy tales, Arabian Nights offers a larger variety and better quality than collections such as The Brothers Grimm. However, poor modernization and a major cultural shift make for a bit of a rocky read at times.