The Arabian Nights: Thousand Nights and a Night - Vol. X

The Arabian Nights: Thousand Nights and a Night is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. The stories are primarily told by Scheherazade a legendary queen and storyteller who saves her own life by telling her husband King Shahryar a new tale every night for one thousand and one nights. Volume X of Richard F. Burtons translation of The Arabian Nights contains several popular tales including The Hunchbacks Tale Story of the Jewish Doctor and The Ebony Horse. In The Hunchbacks Tale a hunchbacked tailor tells a series of stories to a group of travelers. The stories are interlinked with each character in one tale appearing in the next tale as a new character. The hunchbacks tales are humorous and satirical poking fun at human foibles and follies. Story of the Jewish Doctor tells the tale of a wise Jewish doctor who is called upon to heal the sick caliph. The doctor uses his medical knowledge to cure the caliph but his success also brings him into conflict with the court astrologer who becomes jealous of the doctors popularity. The Ebony Horse follows the adventures of a young prince who discovers an enchanted ebony horse that can fly. The prince embarks on a journey to a distant land to win the heart of a beautiful princess but his quest is complicated by a series of obstacles and challenges including a treacherous magician who seeks to steal the magical horse.