The Arabian Nights Entertainments - Tapa dura

'Do you see that mountain?' asked the king, pointing to a huge mass that towered into the sky about three leagues from Schiraz; 'go and bring me the leaf of a palm that grows at the foot.' The words were hardly out of the king's mouth when the Indian turned a screw placed in the horse's neck, close to the saddle, and the animal bounded like lightning up into the air, and was soon beyond sight even of the sharpest eyes. -from "The Enchanted Horse" A startlingly prolific collector of fairy tales from around the world, Andrew Lang, in this 1898 work, brought together in one volume the "fairy tales of the East," the delightful and resoundingly entertaining adventures of The Arabian Nights. Translated from a French version that omits all the "very dull and stupid" additions of early European retellings, this wonderful book regales us with the stories of Sindbad and his seven voyages, the "Vizir who was Punished," Aladdin and his magic lamp, and many, many more. Complete with beautiful pen-and-ink illustrations, this is a collection to treasure, whether you're studying comparative mythology or just seeking a rollicking good read. Scottish journalist and author ANDREW LANG (1844-1912), a friend of Robert Louis Stevenson, produced a stunning variety and number of volumes, including books of poetry, novels, children's books, histories, and biographies, as well as criticism, essays, scholarly works of anthropology, and translations of classical literature. * * *