Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange

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'I am Shaddad the Great. I conquered a thousand cities; a thousand white elephants were collected for me; I lived for a thousand years and my kingdom covered both east and west, but when death came to me nothing of all that I had gathered was of any avail. You who see me take heed- for Time is not to be trusted' Discovered in a single, ragged manuscript in a library in Istanbul, this is the earliest collection of Arabic stories, most of which have never been read in English before. Containing terrifying monsters, lost princes, jewels beyond price, sword-wielding statues, magical transformations and shocking reversals of fortune, these evocative medieval tales combine courtly romance, bawdy comedy and fantastical adventure. 'Superb, a revelation - a real classic of popular literature . . . endlessly diverting and inventive, a unique insight into a now-lost elegant, courtly and tolerant Arab world.' William Dalrymple, Sunday Times'Offers a gateway to a different world of language and ideas, a powerful reminder of the human need for story . . . irresistible.' IndependentTranslated by Malcolm C. Lyons With an introduction by Robert Irwin