
PREFACE
ILLUSTRATIONS
THE FISHERMAN AND THE GENIE
THE STORY OF THE KING OF THE EBONY ISLES
ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES
THE STORY OF THE MAGIC HORSE
THE STORY OF THE WICKED HALF-BROTHERS
THE STORY OF THE PRINCESS OF DERYABAR
Imagine a night‑lit palace where a clever queen postpones her fate by telling endless stories, each more vivid than the last. In this classic collection, the listener is whisked through bustling bazaars, moonlit deserts, and secret chambers, meeting merchants who barter with riddles, princes who trade vows for freedom, and spirits that grant wishes with a mischievous twist. The tales pulse with humor, wisdom, and a timeless curiosity about the human heart.
One opening thread follows a humble fisherman who, after casting his net at dawn, frees a powerful genie bound to his jar. Their uneasy bargain sets off a chain of clever decisions that test generosity, greed, and the limits of wish‑making, all rendered in lush, sensory detail. As each story unfolds, the narrator’s voice—steady as Scheherazade’s—draws listeners deeper into a world where ordinary lives sparkle with extraordinary possibility.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (155K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Madeleine Fournier. Images are from The Internet Archive. Plates are kindly provided by the National Library of New Zealand.
Release date
2016-03-13
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1865–1959
A versatile English writer and illustrator, he moved from book art into novels and plays, then became a public voice for women’s suffrage, pacifism, and social reform. His best-known stage success, Victoria Regina, helped bring a wide audience to a career that stretched from the 1890s into the 1950s.
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