Sindbad: And Other Stories from the Arabian Nights

Great book Great price, and reputed as the best translation available. Includes Sindbad, one of the first serial killers in literature, came from a different manuscript than the body of the 1001 Nights, and is given clearly and readably. Also here are two tales recounted by a Syrian servant, Ala-Al-Din and Ali Baba, added to the Arabian nights, and which have become classics. No, 1001 isn't only a number, it is also usd as an expression meaning "a lot" the way we'd say "I have a hundred errands today." Fortunate for us that these stories were preserved.

Mr. Haddaway brings these great stories back to life. These are not the children's tales you got from Disney. Often bloodthirsty, lewd, convoluted and poetic, they are great fun. The introduction, in which the author remembers his childhood is Baghdad, and the stories told by his great uncle, is wonderful in itself.

Sindbad was my hero as a child and read every book that I could find at 12 years old. So after 40 years later, I opened Sindbad's story back up and Muhsin Mahdi's translation is as close as possible. Sindbad was a fantastic sailor and his engaging and beautiful words as a hero helps this modern world--to be a religious, honest man doing the best we can and God helps us out along the way!

This was a quick read over the course of multiple plane flights using my iPad. Each story contains pieces of morality hidden in the passages. The various poems can get a little tiring and repetitive, but for the most part they do not distract from the story. The overall behavior of the characters can seem a little repetitive as well. However, this classic tale will take you to a forgotten time full of magic and mystery. Come see the darker side of stories involving Sinbad the sailor and Aladin.

If you read Husain Haddawy Arabian Nights then The Arabian Nights II is a must since it contains stories he omitted from his Arabian Nights Translation. While many may feel his translations are incomplete I still enjoy them. These and many other original Arabic stories give us a glimpse into a long forgotten time constantly diluted by their Disney counterparts. This book includes Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, Ali Al Din ,et Al. I would not recommend this book as a nightly reader to children as some of the content proves extremely lewd however I found it hard to put down once started and would recommend The Arabian Nights II to anyone seeking a unique and adventurous story.

Sindbad and Other Stories from the Arabian Nights edited from several of the oldest Arabic versions of the stories by Muhsin Mahdi and translated into English by Husain Haddawy is by far the best edition and the best translation of the familiar stories. If you were introduced to the stories as children's stories or by way of Richard Burton's purposely anachronistic English translation, you will be surprised by how fresh the stories seem when you read Mahdi's and Haddawy's excellent version. The stories are told using a tone that one can easily imagine as that used by an accomplished story-teller enchanting a crowd of listeners.

Muhsin Mahdi has truly revived the spirit of the story with the '..Nights' in a remarkably electric and vivid fashion! This is the best of the best. No more cluttered or muddy allusions to trip over due to an author's choice of words. . The stories of Sinbad are told in so literal and exciting a fashion to read now, and even again and again. I feeeel like I've been t here before. A masterpiece of splendid delight.

Their are two parts to the "Arabian Nights" stories. My daughter was looking for a particular story so I bought both books. She read them within two weeks and set them on the shelf, satisfied. This is better if you can find these at the library as you won't re-read them but if you can't find them consider asking the library if they could get it and possibly buy it for them. A good set of stories to read.

With lots of expectations I had ordered for the book Sindabad and other stories which costs Rs. 942. But when it arrived I found the product to be of very bad in quality wise. The pages were of cheap variety and moreover cut with a paper cutter knife which had made them uneven at sides. It seemed the book was a photocopy. There was no solid binding , only the covering of a Hard bound book was doing the job of the covering. One cannot expect to get a product which costed so high.

Excellent translations in English.

The book is written well and one of the best edition out there. Not impressed with the quality of the paper though which is very poor.